Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in Thanksgiving Loss to 49ers

Dominated on offense, defense, and special teams in front of their home crowd, the Seattle Seahawks dropped their fourth straight game to the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night. Reporter Corbin Smith dishes out his top five grades and other noteworthy performances from a tough Week 12 defeat at Lumen Field.

Coming out flatter than an opened three-week old sparkling apple cider, the Seattle Seahawks fell behind 21 points at halftime and couldn't orchestrate a comeback in a 31-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thanksgiving night.

While the Seahawks struggled in all three phases in prime time, even in a demoralizing home loss to their division rivals that knocked them to 6-5 on the season, several players played well in defeat. Revisiting the film, here are my top five grades and other notable performances from Week 12 at Lumen Field.

Leonard Williams

Overall Grade: 86.0 (Run Defense 85, Tackling 85, Pass Rush 89)

Continuing to make a positive impact as the Seahawks expected he would when they acquired him at the trade deadline, Williams surfaced as one of the team's few bright spots in prime time. Picking up where he left off after an impressive performance against the 49ers in September with the Giants, he created persistent problems for the opposing interior offensive line on Thursday night, including disrupting the pocket frequently as a pass rusher. Though he didn't get a sack, he registered a team-high six quarterback pressures and a pair of hits on Brock Purdy, including one that forced a third down incompletion and ensuing punt.

In the run game, Williams made of pair of run stops netting one yard or less, including stone-walling Christian McCaffrey at the line of scrimmage after demonstrating remarkable strength fending off a block with just one arm extended. Sniffing out a screen in the first quarter quickly after the snap, he raced outside in pursuit to blow up McCaffrey for a six-yard loss on third down, leading to the 49ers first punt of the game when the score was still close at 7-3.

Dee Eskridge

Overall Grade: 86.0 (Rushing 85, Kick Return 90*)

*Weighted for four kick returns

Stuck at the bottom of the depth chart in a deep receiving corps, Eskridge only played one offensive snap for the Seahawks on Thursday night, but he made the most of that single opportunity. Motioning inside from the slot before the snap, he took a handoff from Geno Smith on a jet sweep and rocketed down the line of scrimmage, turning upfield as he approached the sideline and flashing his 4.3 speed on a 10-yard gain for his team's first first down of the game.

Away from helping Seattle finally get a new set of downs on offense, Eskridge set up the team's lone scoring drive in the first half on special teams, nearly taking a kickoff to the house after San Francisco marched down the field to take a quick 7-0 lead. Finding a crease between blocks by tight ends Colby Parkinson and Brady Russell, the third-year wideout turned on the jets and made a defender miss before eventually being tripped up at the 49ers 33-yard line on a 66-yard return, setting up a Jason Myers field goal. He finished with four kick returns for 140 yards and an excellent 35.5 yards per return average, providing a spark in the third phase of the game.

Jordyn Brooks

Overall Grade: 82.0 (Run Defense 78, Tackling 81, Coverage 86)

Though he wasn't on top of his game and missed two tackles as a run defender along with allowing six receptions for 70 yards in coverage on Thursday night, Brooks still turned in a quality performance stuffing the stat sheet. Leading the team with 12 combined tackles, he made a trio of run stops resulting in just one yard gained and also stopped tight end George Kittle for a one-yard gain on a reception, running sideline to sideline to make plays all night long.

Making the play of the night for the Seahawks - and briefly giving them hopes to orchestrate a furious rally in the second half - Brooks benefited from being in the right place at the right time early in the third quarter. With the 49ers pinned deep in their own territory after a punt by Michael Dickson, Purdy's second down pass sailed high to McCaffrey and ricocheted off his right hand as the deflection landed in the linebacker's lap. With nothing but green in front of him, he returned the first pick of his NFL career 12 yards for a touchdown, trimming the deficit to 14 points and re-igniting the Lumen Field crowd.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Overall Grade: 82.0 (Receiving 85, Run Blocking 65*)

*Weighted for 11 run blocking snaps

Shutout in the first half, Smith-Njigba didn't make any receptions until the second half and only caught two passes in the entire game, but his highlight reel theatrics early in the third quarter warranted inclusion on this list. With the Seahawks facing 3rd and 9 from their own 11-yard line, Smith heaved a deep pass down the numbers to the rookie receiver, who had to track the ball back inside after releasing towards the sideline. Unable to run underneath the ball, he instead reached out with his right hand and plucked the pass out of the air on a phenomenal one-handed grab, picking up 34 yards on the team's longest play of the night.

Smith-Njigba would add a second catch later on the drive on a slot bubble screen, slipping behind a block for a seven-yard again. Unfortunately, a potential touchdown opportunity at the end of the possession was thwarted by uncalled pass interference when officials didn't flag Ambry Thomas for pulling on the receiver's arm and hindering his ability to work back to the pylon for the catch. Seattle was forced to settle for a field goal and the rookie wasn't heard from the rest of the night.

Zach Charbonnet

Overall Grade: 80.0 (Rushing 83, Receiving 80, Pass Blocking 56*)

*Weighted for five pass blocking snaps

Making the first start of his career in the place of injured starter Ken Walker III, Charbonnet rushed for 47 yards on 14 carries, averaging less than 3.5 yards per carry. But beyond raw stats, the second-round pick out of UCLA did a fantastic job of consistently turning nothing into something in the run game and gave the Seahawks a much-needed boost on offense in the second half. After producing only three first downs as a team in the first half, the rookie back accounted for four first downs on the ground by himself in the final two quarters and did so with shaky blocking in front of him for the most part.

Charbonnet's two best runs came after halftime, starting with a 2nd and 3 carry where he managed to make star defensive end Nick Bosa miss in the backfield, broke a second tackle, and plunged forward turning what looked to be a tackle for loss into a five-yard gain and new set of downs. Then in the fourth quarter, he bolted outside on an off tackle run and took advantage of a reach block by Charles Cross, backing his way to extra yardage after contact for a 10-yard gain. Contributing beyond the run game, he added four catches for 17 yards in the passing game, forcing a missed tackle and generating 21 yards after the catch.

Other Notable Performances

While the rest of Seattle's offensive line struggled mightily against a talented San Francisco front, Cross was an outlier with a solid game allowing just three pressures and no sacks while also springing Charbonnet on his longest run, earning a 79.0 grade. Blocking well as an extra pass protector and turning his lone target into a 21-yard gain, tight end Will Dissly had one of his better games of the season with a 78.0 score. Dealing with difficult circumstances behind shaky protection, Geno Smith played better in the second half and finished with 180 passing yards, but he also had four turnover worthy plays and an interception, resulting in a 76.0 grade. Tyler Lockett caught three out of five targets, failing to catch either contested throw in his direction and receiving a 75.0 grade. Drops were problematic for DK Metcalf, who had two passes bounce off his hands and also failed to get his feet inbounds on a well-thrown deep ball by Smith, netting a 66.0 grade. Subbing in for an injured Jason Peters most of the second half, right tackle Stone Forsythe endured a challenging night, giving up five pressures and two sacks for a 48.0 grade.

Jumping in for Riq Woolen, who was benched in the first half due to a shoulder injury, Mike Jackson made the move look like a smart one, as the veteran cornerback allowed just one catch for seven yards and earned a 79.0 grade. Safety Jamal Adams allowed five receptions on six targets, but one of those resulted in a tackle for loss and he also made another tackle in the backfield defending the run, receiving a solid 78.5 overall mark. Devon Witherspoon had an up-and-down night, registering a remarkable back-handed pass deflection and a tackle for loss while also missing a pair of tackles and allowing a touchdown to Brandon Aiyuk, netting a 74.0 score. Linebacker Bobby Wagner finished with nine tackles and two quarterback hits, but he was caught out of position on a few big runs by McCaffrey and allowed 19 yards on two receptions in coverage, leading to a 72.0 score. In the trenches, Boye Mafe had four pressures, but he wasn't able to turn any of those into quarterback hits and also missed two tackles in the run game, scoring a 71.0. Dre'Mont Jones also had three pressures that didn't result in quarterback hits or sacks along with only one solo tackle, receiving a 70.0 grade.

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