Seahawks PFF grades: Sam Darnold on top, Anthony Bradford & Riq Woolen back on the bottom

The Sam Darnold era for the Seattle Seahawks got off to a bit of a rocky start. While he looked sharp up until the end of the seaon opener, Darnold lost a fumble at the worst possible moment, sealing a loss to the 49ers. Darnold followed that up with two interceptions in the first half against the Steelers.

However, ever since then Darnold has turned things around and has been performing at an extremely high level. He certainly has some fans working at Pro Football Focus, who have given him exceptional grades so far for his work in the 2025 season. Here are the top PFF grades for the Seahawks Week 3.

Sam Darnold tops offense

For the second time in three games Sam Darnold posted the highest grade for Seattle's offense, coming in at 92.7 overall this time on the strength of a 91.9 passing grade. Darnold also got high marks in Weeks 1 and 2, and for the year his 91.4 passing grade is the highest in the NFL going into Week 4.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba earns second place

The next-highest grade for the Seahawks offense this week went to their budding superstar receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Despite battling the flu, he caught five of six targets from Darnold against the Saints, totaling 95 yards and a touchdown. For his efforts JSN earned a 90.8 pass grade and a 91.3 overall from PFF. Tory Horton (77.5) earned fifth place, and Cooper Kupp (68.2) came in 12th.

JSN — Sep 21, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11) carries the ball after a catch against the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Anthony Bradford back at the bottom

After a promising preseason start, right guard Anthony Bradford has retaken his accustomed place at the bottom of PFF's offensive grades for the Seahawks. This week he posted the lowest mark on the team, courtesy of an almost-impossible 8.9 pass blocking grade to go with a 33.5 in run blocking. That came out to 27.7 overall.

Derion Kendrick pops out, shows them

As if they needed any more talent on defense, the Seahawks have seemingly found yet another star blooming in their secondary. With Devon Witherspoon out the last two weeks Derion Kendrick has played exceptionally well, despite just having joined the team after roster cut-down day. Kendrick posted another interception and two more PBUs against the Saints, earning a 90.1 grade in coverage and a 90.3 overall, the best mark on defense this week.

Byron Murphy II leads pass rush

Another highly promising development on this side of the ball is the pass-rushing surge from second year defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. After his breakout game last week against Pittsburgh he followed it up with another strong showing in this department, posting a team-high 83.6 pass rushing grade. Derick Hall (82.3) and Uchenna Nwosu (76.1) followed.

Riq Woolen bottoms out once again

It's not all sunshine and roses for the Seahawks' defense, though. Riq Woolen's season from hell continued into its third week, and he earned the lowest grade on defense for the second straight game. The issue was once again Woolen's coverage, where he earned a mediocre 50.5 grade against the Saints. His 50.4 in tackling negated the 74.7 he got in run defense, landing him at 55.2 overall.