The Seattle Seahawks had to think they were getting another easy win in Week 3.
Over the first two weeks of the season, the Seahawks looked like the best team in football- and that was even without star quarterback Sam Darnold. Then, Darnold came back in time for the matchup with the then-winless Commanders, so everybody felt like this game was easy to predict.
And then, the Commanders came out and shocked the Seahawks, winning 33-31 with Marcus Mariota leading the way. This was the first loss of the season for the Seahawks, and it was a sloppy performance all around.
Now, let’s go through and give each position group a grade for their Week 3 performance.
Quarterback
Darnold came back from injury and was hoping to lead the Seahawks to a victory. Instead, the quarterback’s two interceptions doomed the team. Darnold did throw for a career-high 379 yards, but those interceptions were killer.
There was a lot of good, but a lot of bad as well. It’s not all Darnold’s fault the team lost, but it did look like maybe he was trying to do too much.
Grade: C-
Running Back
The Seahawks have a running back problem right now. Rookie Jadarian Price has not been impressive as the lead back, and neither George Holani nor Emanuel Wilson have impressed with their opportunities either.
In Week 3, the Seahawks rushed for just 44 yards and averaged just 2.4 yards per attempt as a team. That’s a horrendous performance, and it’s not like the Commanders have some elite defense. Price was benched and there doesn’t seem to be an easy path forward.
Grade: F
Wide Receiver
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
It’s a good thing that Jaxon Smith-Njigba is on this team. The receiver just shows up every single week, and he now has at least one touchdown and 100+ yards in all three games this season.
Cooper Kupp and Tory Horton also helped out, combining for seven catches for 94 yards and one score. Rashid Shaheed again failed to do much, but this group performed overall.
Grade: A
Tight End
The tight ends also showed up for Seattle. AJ Barner had his best game of the season, catching five passes for 69 yards, and Eric Saubert caught one pass for 13 yards and one score.
Nick Kallerup and Elijah Arroyo didn’t see many snaps, but Barner and Saubert did enough to give this unit a great grade.
Grade: A
Offensive Line
The Seahawks’ offensive line was okay in Week 3. The unit didn’t allow any sacks, which is nice, but they did allow six quarterback hits.
The unit also struggled to open up running lanes. Granted, the Seahawks’ running backs just might not have been hitting the lanes, but still. It wasn’t a horrible performance, but it wasn’t great either.
Grade: C
Defensive Line
This Seattle defensive front is extremely talented. Not many teams have a better trio than Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, and Jarran Reed. In Week 3, this trio came through in a big way.
Williams had three tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss. Reed and Murphy combined for 14 tackles and one quarterback hit. These three did an admirable job against the run as well, holding the Commanders to 2.6 yards per attempt.
Linebacker
Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas were all over the field on Sunday. Those two linebackers combined for 17 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass breakup.
On the edge, Derick Hall picked up another sack, and DeMarcus Lawrence had three quarterback hits. There were some gaps in coverage over the middle, but this unit was also pretty solid.
Grade: B+
Secondary
The injuries finally caught up to this secondary it seems. Without Julian Love, Ty Okada, and Nick Emmanwori for a stretch, this unit was hurting.
Rodney Thomas II was the only defensive back to defend a pass, and they somehow were unable to force Marcus Mariota to turn the ball over. They really need Love and Okada to get healthy going forward.
Grade: D
