Seahawks PFF grades: Devon Witherspoon tops stellar defensive effort in Week 14

For the first time in 11 years, the Seattle Seahawks have a true juggernaut of a roster. Sunday's crushing road win over the Atlanta Falcons was the latest example of just how fast and how thoroughly this team can dismantle its opponents.

Their special teams unit is truly special and when their offense is clicking they're unstoppable, but what makes this team go is an elite defense that pulverizes everything in its path.

It comes as no surprise that the highest grades from Pro Football Focus this week come from that side of the ball for Seattle. Let's break down the biggest takeaways from their Week 14 grades.

Devon Witherspoon tops defense

The top grade on the team this week went to cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who made an impact in every conceivable way a defender can. In the end, Spoon had seven tackles, a QB hit, a fumble recovery and an all-time oddball interception. For his efforts he earned a 90.7 in pass rushing, 94.3 in coverage and a 95.0 overall grade.

Seahawks linebackers show out

The next two highest defensive grades went to off-ball linebackers Tyrice Knight (90.5 overall) and Drake Thomas (76.5 overall), who combined for eight stops. Outside linebackers Derick Hall (74.0 overall) and Boye Mafe (72.5 overall) finished fourth and fifth on this side of the ball, respectively.

New face No. 1 on offense

On offense the best grade of the week went to tight end Nick Kallerup for this blocking. He earned an 80.4 grade in run blocking - second-best on the team behind left tackle Charles Cross (87.2) and a 74.6 grade in pass blocking, coming out to 79.7 overall.

Rashid Shaheed & JSN shine

The silver and bronze medals for the Seahawks offense this week went to a pair of wide receivers. Rashid Shaheed finally broke through in this phase, posting four cathes for 67 yards in addition to his monster 100-yard touchdown on special teams. That got him a 77.0 grade offensively. Jaxon Smith-Njigba ended with the third-highest grade on offense (73.6 overall) after posting seven catches, 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Grey Zabel finally gets some love

Despite passing the eyeball test with flying colors, all season long Pro Football Focus has been pretty harsh when grading rookie left guard Grey Zabel. This week was an exception to the rule, as Zabel posted a season-best 72.8 overall grade, earning an 82.5 in pass blocking and 66.5 in run blocking.

Sam Darnold bounces back

Perhaps the best part of Seattle's blowout was the rebound we saw at the quarterback position. Sam Darnold had been playing relatively poorly coming in, posting grades of 39.2, 60.3 and 37.9 in his last three games. Darnold got off to another bad start but he came back really strong in the second half, ending with a line of 20/30 for 249 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. For his trouble Darnold ended up with a 72.9 grade, his best mark since Week 9 against Washington.