Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks 28-21 Victory Over 49ers
For 20 minutes and change, the Seahawks weren't able to muster anything on offense against the 49ers on Sunday, producing negative yardage through five three-and-out drives and failing to pick up a single first down.
Thankfully, led by Russell Wilson, Seattle snapped out of its long funk late in the first half and wound up scoring three touchdowns after halftime to put away San Francisco for a pivotal 28-21 victory in the NFC West opener for both teams.
After re-watching the game, which players shined as the biggest stars as the Seahawks snapped a two-game skid against their bitter rival? Here are my top five performers from Sunday's win and other notable performances.
Quandre Diggs
Overall Grade: 92.0 (Coverage 95, Tackling 92, Run Defense 88)
After surrendering a quick touchdown to the 49ers on their first drive, the Seahawks needed someone to step up and make a play on defense. Diggs took the honors, using his prior film study to his advantage and jumping a curl route by George Kittle for an easy interception, the first by the team this season. He continued to be active throughout the game, racking up seven tackles while functioning like a heat-seeking missile and making two other pass breakups, including teaming up with Jamal Adams to knock the ball out of Kittle’s hands on a jump ball situation in the end zone to prevent a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Continuing to be one of the premier center fielders in the NFL, he allowed one reception for seven yards on four targets and the 49ers weren't able to get anything going down the seams or with corner/post routes downfield.
Russell Wilson
Overall Grade: 88.0 (Passing 86, Rushing 90)
Statistically, Sunday wasn't one of Wilson's best performances. He finished with only 149 passing yards while completing 16 out of 23 passes and averaging a pedestrian 6.5 yards per attempt. He also wasn't effective on third downs, completing one out of five passes for 28 yards while getting sacked on three other drop backs. But when the Seahawks needed him to carry them, Wilson did just that with both his arm and legs and played like an MVP. With the game knotted up at seven a piece early in the third, he turned back the clock to 2013 by turning the corner and exploding past multiple defenders before diving to the pylon for a 16-yard touchdown run. When the 49ers tried to blitz him, they paid dearly, as he completed five out of nine passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns, including spectacularly spinning out of a sack by cornerback Dontae Johnson to find Freddie Swain for a 13-yard score.
Alex Collins
Overall Grade: 87.0 (Rushing 88, Receiving 92, Pass Blocking 82)
Since returning to the Seahawks early in the 2020 season as a practice squad signing, a leaner, quicker Collins has been a revelation and continued his impressive redemption story with a sensational effort in all phases on Sunday. With the offense stuck in quicksand, he provided an immediate spark by slipping out of the backfield and catching a quick dump off from Wilson late in the second quarter, sprinting down the sidelines for 28 yards and the team's first first down of the game. Then in the fourth quarter, putting his Irish dancing background to perfect use, he used his quick feet and vision to slither through the 49ers defense for a 14-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 28-13. He finished the day with 44 rushing yards and 34 receiving yards while forcing three missed tackles on just 12 touches and also had a couple nice blitz pickups in pass protection as a cherry on top.
Ryan Neal
Overall Grade: 85.0 (Coverage 82, Tackling 90, Run Defense 88)
Just like he did a year ago when he came out of nowhere as a key contributor for the Seahawks, Neal simply made positive things happen while playing a season-high 26 defensive snaps out of the team's dime package. Making the most of his first extended playing time in 2021, he produced four tackles, including stuffing rookie Trey Lance on a third down quarterback keeper in the third quarter to force the 49ers to punt. In coverage, he did exactly what coach Pete Carroll and defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. hoped he would by helping neutralize Kittle. He gave up two receptions for 21 yards on three targets, but the lone completion to Kittle was stopped well short of the first down marker and the 49ers missed a field goal on the very next play. On a drive later in the game, he got his hand on another third down pass intended for Kittle, leading to yet another punt. The ex-Southern Illinois standout earned himself more snaps moving forward.
DK Metcalf
Overall Grade: 82.5 (Receiving 84, Run Blocking 76)
Similar to Wilson, this was far from Metcalf's finest game. As Seattle's offense sputtered during most of the first half, he had two third down passes from Wilson slip out of his hands, including a well-thrown bomb on a vertical route down the right sideline that appeared to be punched out of his hands by cornerback Emmanuel Moseley. He also had a blatant drop on an out route that would have moved the chains. But as he's always done when he makes mistakes, the All-Pro bounced back, reeling in a 28-yard grab to move Seattle into the red zone for the first time. Using an exquisite release to get inside leverage on a slant for a 12-yard touchdown two plays later, he lowered his shoulder and powered into the end zone to tie the game. He wrapped up a solid afternoon with four receptions for 65 yards and broke two tackles along the way.
Other Notable Performances
None of Seattle's offensive linemen played well for most of the first half, which lowered their respective grades significantly. But center Kyle Fuller continues to make steady progress, as he allowed just one pressure in pass protection and laid a few quality blocks in the run game to help Collins find room to operate, earning himself a 74.0 overall grade. Tackle Cedric Ogbuehi bounced back after getting burned by a speed rush from Dee Ford and giving up a quick sack early, surrendering no additional pressures and performing well in the ground game for a 76.0 grade. On the outside, Freddie Swain made the most of limited opportunities, catching three passes for 20 yards and receiving an 80.0 overall mark.
Narrowly missing out on the top five, Jamal Adams played his best game of the season thus far. The star safety gave up only one reception for eight yards and laid a massive hit on Kittle to help knock the ball out of his hands in the end zone. He also had a key breakup on a double pass intended for Kittle, though an argument can be made a better first pass would've left him exposed. A pair of missed tackles also lowered his grade a bit, but he still finished with an 84.0 coverage mark and 81.5 overall. D.J. Reed was outstanding sliding back to right cornerback and like Adams, only a missed tackle kept him out of the top five with an 81.0 overall grade after allowing just one catch for seven yards. Carlos Dunlap didn't record a single tackle, but he was consistently harassing Lance in the second half and if not for a few obvious holds that weren't flagged, he may have had multiple sacks, earning himself a solid 77.0 grade.
