Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 21-13 Prime Time Loss to 49ers

Persevering with their free fall out of playoff competition, the Seahawks made too many vital errors towards a gifted 49ers squad and suffered their third straight dwelling defeat in a 21-13 loss at Lumen Subject on Thursday Night time Soccer.

Whereas Seattle now finds itself at 7-7 and a sport behind Washington for the ultimate wild card spot with three video games left to play, a number of gamers nonetheless shined on either side of the soccer in prime time. Here is a have a look at my high 5 grades and different notable performances from a tricky Week 15 defeat.

Ryan Neal

General Grade: 85.5 (Run Protection 88, Tackling 78, Protection 90)

Contemplating the plethora of accidents Neal has been battling by within the second half of the season, it is outstanding how properly the veteran security continues to play at properly beneath one hundred pc well being. Whereas he did miss an open discipline sort out on Jordan Mason’s 54-yard run that put the nail within the Seahawks coffin late within the fourth quarter, he performed a close to flawless sport as much as that time. On the 49ers opening sequence, he shortly wrapped up Christian McCaffrey on the catch level on third down and threw him to the bottom a yard wanting the marker, forcing an early three-and-out. Later within the half, after initially being beat by George Kittle, he recovered on the nook route and browse the tight finish’s fingers to make a final second play on the soccer for a cross breakup. Quietly placing collectively a robust outing whereas clearly enjoying by ache within the second half, he completed with six tackles and allowed solely two receptions for 13 yards on 4 whole targets in protection.

Uchenna Nwosu

General Grade: 83.0 (Run Protection 86, Tackling 82, Go Rush 78, Protection 85)

In comparison with earlier performances, Nwosu did not have his most dominant effort towards a top quality 49ers offensive line. Except for a strain that resulted in a sack for defensive sort out Quinton Jefferson, he was a relative non-factor as a cross rusher, ending with simply two pressures on 14 cross speeding reps and spending fairly a little bit of time dropping again in protection. Nevertheless, the veteran defender set a agency edge all evening lengthy and made life powerful for the speedy McCaffrey as he tried to seek out working room outdoors of the tackles to the perimeter, ending with 4 tackles defending the run that netted two or fewer yards. Shortly earlier than halftime, he sniffed out a display to McCaffrey from the opposite aspect of the formation and introduced him down for a two-yard loss, placing San Francisco behind the sticks and forcing a punt two performs later. Even on an evening the place his cross speeding contributions have been minimal, he discovered different methods to influence the sport with six tackles, two tackles for loss, and just one reception allowed on 10 protection snaps.

Ken Walker III

General Grade: 82.0 (Speeding 78, Receiving 86, Go Blocking 82*)

*Weighted for 3 cross blocking reps

Taking part in with loads of pep in his step after sitting out a Week 14 loss to the Panthers, Walker offered extra flashes of brilliance than his stat line of 47 speeding yards and 32 receiving yards would counsel. Although hindered by shaky blocking in entrance of him for many of the evening, he used his elite velocity and burst to his benefit bouncing outdoors and beating a pursuing defender to the sideline on a 15-yard carry early within the fourth quarter. After that promising drive sputtered with none factors, he was on the receiving finish of the longest play of the sport for the Seahawks, catching a brief dump off from Geno Smith with tons of inexperienced in entrance of him and racing 33 yards all the way down to the 49ers 10-yard line to arrange a Noah Fant landing reception. Together with offering a little bit of fireworks within the run and passing sport, Walker additionally made a pleasant blitz pickup on considered one of his three cross blocking alternatives, persevering with to point out indicators of progress within the weakest facet of his sport popping out of Michigan State.

Myles Adams

General Grade: 81.0 (Run Protection 86, Tackling 80, Go Rush 76)

Usually the odd man out on account of a numbers sport within the trenches, Adams solely had been lively for seven of Seattle’s first 14 video games, offering minimal possibilities for him to contribute after a robust preseason in August. However with Al Woods already sidelined and Bryan Mone tearing his ACL within the first quarter, the Seahawks wanted the previous Rice standout to step up seeing motion as a 3-tech defensive sort out in addition to enjoying a couple of snaps at nostril sort out. Answering the decision, the athletic 300-pound defender made probably the most of his 17 snaps and was lively all through the evening. Amongst his most notable performs, with underneath 4 minutes to go within the third quarter, he levied a tough shot at heart Jake Brendell off the snap earlier than sprinting outdoors to seek out McCaffrey for a two-yard loss on a large zone run. Later within the half, he teamed up with Cody Barton to sort out McCaffrey for no achieve and added a cross breakup on the line of scrimmage. With Mone achieved for the remainder of the yr, he earned himself extra alternatives within the remaining three video games with an lively efficiency.

Noah Fant

General Grade: 80.0 (Receiving 86, Run Blocking 74, Go Blocking 58*)

*Weighted for 2 cross blocking reps

Statistically, Fant solely caught 5 passes for 32 yards, ending third on the staff in each classes for the sport. However the athletic tight finish continues to take advantage of his possibilities when focused by Smith, as he caught all however considered one of his six targets on Thursday and half of his yardage was produced after the catch. The lone incompletion thrown his means got here on the sport’s opening drive when Smith threw behind him and almost obtained intercepted by linebacker Dre Greenlaw. However after that time, Fant caught a fast out route halfway by the second quarter and turned upfield for a 12-yard achieve to maneuver the chains on a 2nd and 5 cross, organising Jason Myers for a 38-yard discipline objective to place Seattle on the board. Then, with the sport seemingly determined, he got here open down the seam within the pink zone and Smith delivered a strike to him for the Seahawks solely landing on the evening, slicing the deficit to eight factors with underneath 4 minutes to play. Fant wasn’t at his greatest as a blocker, getting knocked over on considered one of his two cross blocking snaps, however his receiving contributions have been a uncommon vivid spot on an evening the place the offense could not get a lot rolling.

Different Notable Performances

Narrowly lacking out on the highest 5, Tyler Lockett had a good, if unspectacular day with seven catches for 68 yards earlier than leaving late with a damaged bone in his hand, receiving an 80.0 grade. If not for a pair of penalties, together with an apparent offensive cross interference name that negated an extended reception, DK Metcalf might have earned a high 5 rating. However with these errors thought-about, his seven receptions for 55 yards netted a 78.5 grade. Smith transformed on some tough throws whereas underneath fixed duress and performed higher within the second half, however he was lucky a choose six did not depend on account of a questionable roughing the passer penalty and a vital intentional grounding penalty additionally lowered his grade to 76.0 total. Alongside the offensive line, guard Damien Lewis was the one participant to earn above a 70.0, as he surrendered two pressures and had the very best run blocking grade (75.0) to earn a 73.0 total. Tackles Abraham Lucas (69.0) and Charles Cross (60.0) each struggled mightily in cross safety towards Nick Bosa and firm, combining to permit seven pressures and three sacks in a tough outing for each rookies.

Ending with a team-high 10 tackles and permitting just one catch in protection for 11 yards, Cody Barton wound up lacking out on the highest 5 on account of a disappointing effort making an attempt to sort out George Kittle on his second landing, receiving a 77.5 grade. Within the inside, Jefferson offered the lone fireworks as a cross rusher with Seattle’s solely sack, incomes a 77.0 mark. Filling in admirably for Jordyn Brooks within the fourth quarter, Tanner Muse racked up 4 tackles on simply 19 defensive snaps for a 76.0 grade. Within the secondary, regardless of having a quarterback hit on a blitz and never permitting any catches in protection, security Quandre Diggs dropped a vital interception alternative and likewise missed a sort out try on Kittle’s 54-yard landing, reducing his grade to 71.0. Incomes his lowest grade of the season (66.0), Tariq Woolen made a horrific mistake in protection on Kittle’s landing letting the tight finish slip out vast open, failing to execute his deep third accountability in Cowl 3. Off the sting, Bruce Irvin and Darrell Taylor did not generate a single strain on 23 mixed cross rush snaps, receiving 70.0 and 65.0 grades respectively.

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