It’s an off day for the Seahawks before they start preparing for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, so before we look ahead to that game, let’s take one more look back at Sunday’s loss, both in terms of playing time, and how those players fared. First off, the snap counts:
You can see the full numbers below, but let’s look at a few things that stand out in terms of playing time.
—As was the case last season, DE Michael Bennett is on the field more than any other D-lineman (73 percent of the defensive snaps Sunday). While the Seahawks continue to rotate linemen frequently, both Bennett and Cliff Avril (63%) are taking on a slightly increased role this year, which isn’t surprising given the loss of Red Bryant and Chris Clemons.
—Linebacker Malcolm Smith saw his playing time increase significantly from 16 percent in Week 1 to 62 percent Sunday. Part of that was Seattle playing more base defense, which means three linebackers as opposed to two when they’re in nickel, and part of it was that, with the heat in San Diego and the high volume of plays, the Seahawks rotated linebackers a bit more.
—Newly signed CB Josh Thomas, who Pete Carroll said would be used only in emergency situations, did have to come into the game for one play with Byron Maxwell cramping up, and the Chargers went right at Thomas, who passed the test by breaking up a pass on his only defensive snap.
—While Percy Harvin is the most talked-about receiver, once again both Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse played more than Harvin.
—After playing 21 percent of the snaps in Week 1, FB Derrick Coleman was on the field for just one play on offense, a reflection of Seattle playing from behind.
—Pete Carroll has talked about the ongoing battle for playing time as the fourth member of the nickel pass-rush package (Bennett, Avril and either Bruce Irvin or O’Brien Schofield are the other three), but the numbers say Jordan Hill is the leader in that battle. He was on the field for 48 percent of the snaps Sunday, and 52 percent the week before.
—As expected, Bruce Irvin saw his playing time increase from Week 1 to Week 2, which Carroll said would happen after Irvin only returned to practice the week of the opener. Irvin is still playing more as a situation pass rusher than a linebacker, but he went from 31 percent playing time in Week 1 to 44 percent in Week 2. And for somebody working his way back into football shape, those percentages don’t show the change, because with the defense on the field so much, 44 percent meant 36 snaps after just 19 the week before.
—WR Bryan Walters was on the field for 32 percent of the offensive snaps, more than Paul Richardson (20 percent) and Ricardo Lockette (10 percent). The fact that Richardson saw only eight snaps, and doesn’t play on special teams, means the Seahawks, for now anyway, aren’t getting much out of their top 2014 draft pick.
—The players busiest on special teams were LB Mike Morgan (89 percent) LB Malcolm Smith (71), S DeShawn Shead (71), FB Derrick Coleman (68), S Jeron Johnson (68) and LB Brock Coyle (50).
Offense
G JR Sweezy: 40 plays (100%). Special teams: 10 plays (36%)
G James Carpenter: 40. ST: 3
T Russell Okung: 40. ST: 3
T Justin Britt: 40. ST 3
C Max Unger: 40
QB Russell Wilson: 40
WR Doug Baldwin: 37. ST: 10
WR Jermaine Kearse: 35. ST: 4
TE Zach Miller: 32. ST: 3
WR Percy Harvin: 25. ST: 7
RB Marshawn Lynch: 24
WR Bryan Walters: 13. ST: 5
RB Robert Turbin: 12. ST: 1
TE Luke Wilson: 8. ST: 13
WR Paul Richardson: 8.
WR Ricardo Lockette: 4. ST: 9
FB Derrick Coleman: 1. ST 19
Defense
CB Richard Sherman: 82 snaps (100%). Special teams: 9 (32%)
LB Bobby Wagner: 82. ST: 6
FS Earl Thomas: 77. ST: 6
SS Kam Chancellor: 74. ST: 8
CB Byron Maxwell: 70. ST: 6
LB KJ Wright: 63. ST: 5
DE Michael Bennett: 60. ST: 5
DE Cliff Avril: 52. ST: 6
LB Malcolm Smith: 51. ST: 20
CB Marcus Burley: 45. ST: 12
DT Jordan Hill: 39.
DT Brandon Mebane: 38. ST: 1
LB Bruce Irvin: 36
DT Tony McDaniel: 30. ST: 6
DE O’Brien Schofield: 30
DT Kevin Williams: 27. ST: 6
DE Cassius Marsh: 16. ST: 1
SS Jeron Johnson: 15. ST: 19
FS DeShawn Shead: 12. ST: 20
CB Josh Thomas: 1. ST: 7
LB Mike Morgan: 1. ST: 25
Special teams only
LB Brock Coyle: 14 snaps (50%)
G Stephen Schilling: 10
P Jon Ryan: 8
LS Clint Gresham: 8
K Steven Hauschka: 7
T Alvin Bailey: 3
And if you’re curious how the folks at ProFootballFocus.com viewed the Seahawks’ performance, here’s what they had to say about the game.
Offensive Summary
• After having a stellar +2.9 grade in his first NFL game, rookie RT Justin Britt regressed with a -1.3.
• Seattle offensive line allowed eight QB hurries
• No offensive player really stood out this week with a grade over +2.0 but right end Zach Miller had a week to forget. He was -3.1 overall with a -1.9 in penalty grading.
Passing
• Wilson only threw 6 of his 22 passes more than ten yards downfield yet still managed to rack up 202 yards passing.
• Wilson threw with a 90.9% accuracy this week (best in league) but also had the highest drop rate at 12%.
• Even though they lost, Wilson ranked second this week in PFF QB Rating. Also surprising was his league-leading QB rating when attempting a pass under 2.5 seconds
Rushing
• Marshawn Lynch continued his dominant running inside with a +3.1 grade with runs between the guards.
• Percy Harvin added two more rushing attempts (league-high 6) and is now averaging 14.3 yards per carry on the year
• Only playing 13 snaps, running back Robert Turbin earned a respectable +1.2
Receiving
• Jermaine Kearse was targeted five times and each time he had a different defender in coverage
• The Seaheaks challenged rookie corner Jason Verrett who gave up four receptions on four targets.
• Targets: Baldwin 6, Kearse 5, Lynch 4
Defense
• Defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril followed up their solid Week 1 effort posting defensive grades of +3.4 and +2.0, respectively
• Seahawks missed nine tackles, four by Kam Chancellor
• Richard Sherman graded at +0.1 in pass coverage and +0.9 overall even though surrendering four receptions on six targets
Opponent Passing
• When Seattle chose not to blitz, Rivers torched them going 24 of 27 for 234 yards and a +6.3 rating.
• Rivers only attempted five passes to the left side of the field, but completed all of them
Coverage
• Corners Marcus Gilchrist, Jason Verrett, and Donald Butler gave up 11 receptions on 14 targets. On six targets, Gilchrist only allowed three receptions for nine yards. Butler was not so lucky allowing completions on all four of his targets for 75 yards and one TD.
• ROLB Melvin Ingram had a team-high five QB hurries on his way to a defense-high +2.2 grade
Special Teams
• Punter Jon Ryan earned an impressive +3.3 this week and ranks third out of all punters on the year
• Despite his positive rushing grades, Percy Harvin was -1.9 on kickoffs
Signature Stats
• The offensive line ranked third-worst in Pass Blocking Efficiency this week
• Showing poise under pressure, Wilson has thrown the ball away a league-high six times. As a result, his sack rate figure has decreased 5% from last year
• Even though he missed a few tackles this week, Kam Chancellor is still one of the best safeties in Run Stop Percentage ranking.
• Marshawn Lynch led running backs in average yards after contact for week 2
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