Ernest Jones continues to get shafted in Seahawks' PFF grades

The Seattle Seahawks won on Sunday, but it was a dreadfully ugly win. Facing a 44-year-old Philip Rivers, who hadn't played in five years, they needed a last-second field goal to win after kicking six for all of their scoring. Nevertheless, the PFF grades can help provide some data even in games like that.

Offense led by two surprising blockers

Sep 25, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Notable offensive grades:

Abraham Lucas: 82.8
Anthony Bradford: 78.4
Rashid Shaheed: 74.8
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 68.4
Charles Cross: 67.0
Sam Darnold: 64.4
Jalen Sundell: 64.3
Zach Charbonnet: 59.0
AJ Barner: 58.1
Grey Zabel: 56.4
Kenneth Walker: 54.2

It is a bit of a surprise to see both Abraham Lucas and Anthony Bradford, particularly Bradford, up here. It speaks to the sort of game this offense had, as Bradford has driven fans mad often.

Rashid Shaheed's outing was a welcome sight. That's two impactful games in a row. It hasn't opened up the offense yet, but it should, so these are the games you want to see from him.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba's darling season has hit a bit of a lull recently, and his day on Sunday was uncharacteristically mediocre. He dropped a pass that could've really changed things for him and the offense.

The same is true of Sam Darnold, whose rut has lasted a bit longer. He wasn't bad on Sunday, but the 64.4 grade illustrates how mediocre he was. He's got to figure it out and quickly.

The running game was horrible against the Indianapolis Colts. Zach Charbonnet having a 59.0 isn't terribly shocking, but the fact that he was the best rusher on the day is disappointing.

Grey Zabel's PFF grades are routinely pretty awful, and they might disagree with the eye test. Either way, he was poorly graded yet again.

Defense sees strong secondary performance

Dec 7, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3) celebrates after an interception against the Atlanta Falcons in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Notable defensive grades:

Drake Thomas: 82.9
Coby Bryant: 79.3
Nick Emmanwori: 77.2
Julian Love: 77.2
Devon Witherspoon: 77.1
Leonard Williams: 70.8
Tariq Woolen: 70.1
DeMarcus Lawrence: 68.8
Byron Murphy: 48.8
Josh Jobe: 38.4
Ernest Jones: 36.1

Most of the secondary was pretty great Sunday, especially Coby Bryant. It should be noted that all of them likely had better days thanks to the QB matchup. Philip Rivers probably made coverage a whole lot easier.

Nick Emmanwori continued his excellence. If not for Carson Schwesinger and some injuries, Emmanwori would be a great DROY candidate this season. Julian Love, his safety partner, was also excellent.

Byron Murphy struggled, as did, according to the grades, Ernest Jones. This is another example of Jones not being graded as accurately as he probably should be. He's been on the receiving end of some unfairly low grades, and this seems to be yet another example.

Offense led by two surprising blockers

Defense sees strong secondary performance

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