Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 19-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Lumen Field:
OFFENSE
Seattle quarterback Geno Smith didn’t have his best day passing, but he held up all right considering the amount of pressure he faced (five sacks, several other hits), and he made a surprising number of plays with his legs. Rookie running back Kenneth Walker III had a big game (97 yards on 21 carries), which was much needed considering this was Seattle’s first outing since starter Rashaad Penny was lost for the season because of an ankle injury. However, the offense struggled on both third downs (4-for-14) and in the red zone (1-for-5), forcing the Seahawks to settle for too many short field goals.
Grade: C
DEFENSE
After two dreadful games on the defensive side, Seattle bounced back in a big way. The Seahawks sacked Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray six times and kept him uncomfortable throwing the ball all game long. Seattle forced a pair of turnovers, with rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen recording an interception in his fourth straight game. The Seahawks held Arizona 4-for-16 on third down and 1-for-5 on fourth down. And the only touchdown the Cardinals managed was on special teams. Granted, Seattle was facing a team without it’s top running back and receiver, but this may have been the Seahawks’ best defensive effort of the season.
Grade: A
SPECIAL TEAMS
Another week, another terrible gaffe on a punt as the rush went unblocked on a punt from the end zone, and Michael Dickson fumbled instead of taking a safety to gift the Cardinals a touchdown. Otherwise it was a quiet game on special teams. Kicker Jason Myers was pure on all four of his chip-shot field goals. Neither team made any noise in the return game. To Dickson’s credit, he popped a 64-yarder on his next punt following the Arizona touchdown, getting Seattle out of jail.
Grade: D+
COACHING
There were some interesting wrinkles this week. On offense, the designed runs for Smith were unexpected, considering Smith is not known for his running ability, but they were effective as Smith looked spry. On defense the biggest concern Arizona presents is Murray’s running ability, and while Murray did break off a couple long gains on designed runs, for the most part the scheme kept Murray from doing damage with his legs after scrambling. There were also some well-timed blitzes that got the defense off the field on third down.
Grade: A-
OVERALL
It wasn’t necessarily the most aesthetically-pleasing victory for Seattle, but it never felt like the lead was in danger as the Seahawks maintained control throughout. Seattle was supposed to be down this season, but through six weeks the Seahawks are at .500. With the rest of the NFC West underperforming preseason predictions, Seattle surprisingly finds itself tied for first place in the division. Keep performing like this and perhaps the Seahawks have something to play for this season after all.
Grade: B
– Nick Patterson, Herald writer
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