Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in 30-23 Loss to Steelers

While the Seattle Seahawks struggled to slow down a physical Pittsburgh Steelers offense in a difficult loss, Geno Smith and several of his pass catchers had strong outings in defeat. Reporter Corbin Smith hands out his top five grades from a challenging home finale at Lumen Field.

Suffering a devastating blow to their playoff hopes in the process, the Seattle Seahawks allowed over 450 yards of offense in a 30-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their home finale on Sunday.

While the end result didn't go how the Seahawks planned, however, several players shined in defeat, particularly on the offensive side of the football. After re-watching the game on All-22 film, here's a look at my top five grades and other noteworthy performances from an ugly loss at Lumen Field.

Geno Smith

Overall Grade: 88.0 (Passing 90, Rushing 84)

Some fans will point to Smith's crucial lost fumble in the fourth quarter as the dagger that sealed a gut-wrenching loss. But while that miscue obviously loomed large down the stretch with the Steelers scoring a field goal off the turnover, the Seahawks wouldn't have kept the game close without the quarterback's brilliance manipulating the pocket to avoid pass rushers and deliver accurate throws downfield with anticipation off platform. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he was under pressure on 54 percent of his drop backs and averaged 2.76 seconds to throw, the fastest average for any signal caller who was pressured more than 50 percent of the time this season.

With T.J. Watt and company coming after him all day long, such a pressure rate would appear to spell disaster. But Smith frequently evaded oncoming rushers by moving the pocket and dropping dimes, including a 33-yard completion to DK Metcalf after eluding Watt and a marvelous off platform 21-yard throw to Noah Fant after stepping up in the pocket to avoid defensive tackle Isaiah Loudermilk. Throwing for 290 yards and completing 65 percent of his passes, he completed six throws of at least 18 yards, racking up explosives in bunches. In addition to feathering a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba between three defenders in coverage, he also added a 25-yard scramble in the third quarter that set up a Jason Myers field goal, showing no issues from a prior groin injury in a dynamic performance.

Noah Fant

Overall Grade: 87.0 (Receiving 90, Run Blocking 70*)

*Weighted for five run blocking reps

Often neglected as a receiving option this year in part due to the arrival of Smith-Njigba, Smith looked for Fant early and often and the veteran tight end delivered as a downfield threat and creating with the ball in his hands. On Seattle's second touchdown drive in the second quarter, he came open over the middle on a crossing route and elevated in traffic to snag a 21-yard pass from Smith to move the chains. Fast forwarding to the third quarter, he reeled in a short pass in the flats and turned up along the sidelines before diving past the marker, setting up a Myers field goal to knot the game at 17 apiece.

Interestingly, Fant's best play didn't lead to points, but drew plenty of awes from the sellout crowd at Lumen Field. Immediately following a botched direct snap to Ken Walker III that led to an unideal 3rd and 17 situation, the former Iowa star fully extended his right arm on a high throw from Smith down the seam and plucked the ball out of the air one-handed for a highlight reel reception. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, he couldn't quite get to the first down marker. Overall, he caught five out of six targets for 59 yards and added 23 yards after the catch, making a substantial impact from start to finish in the passing game.

Ken Walker III

Overall Grade: 86.0 (Rushing 88, Receiving 86, Pass Blocking 75*)

*Weighted for two pass protection reps

Due to a lingering shoulder injury that flared up in the second half, Walker only received 10 carries on Sunday, but he diced up Pittsburgh's defense on those opportunities with a combination of filthy jump cuts and elite explosiveness. Playing a starring role in Seattle's first scoring drive, the second-year back bounced a duo run outside to his left, somehow managing to beat a pair of defenders to the sideline and turn upfield for an 11-yard gain. On the very next play, aided by a key block from DK Metcalf on the outside, he immediately found a large crease and bolted 13 yards untouched into the end zone to tie the score at 7-7.

As a former running backs coach, this is one of those plays that makes you go "No! No!... Yes!" with Ken Walker III bouncing duo run wide left and outrunning pair of defenders to turn up sideline for 11-yard gain.

Few backs could do this against NFL defenders. Special athlete. pic.twitter.com/9LBXx01BkP

— Corbin K. Smith (@CorbinSmithNFL) January 3, 2024

Bringing extra electricity to Lumen Field, Walker continued to create problems for the Steelers on the ensuing possession, twisting would-be tacklers into knots as he amassed 31 yards on only four touches to help pave the way for Smith's touchdown toss to Smith-Njigba. His overall stat line would have looked even better if not for a holding penalty on Metcalf bringing back a 24-yard run in the third quarter, which would have easily been his longest carry of the afternoon. Overall, he rushed for 48 yards on 10 carries while forcing five missed tackles and adding two receptions for 18 yards out of the backfield.

DK Metcalf

Overall Grade: 84.0 (Receiving 86, Run Blocking 65*)

*Weighted for 12 run blocking reps

Continuing a stellar final month of the season, Metcalf brought the fireworks to Seattle's passing game, creating chunk plays in a variety of ways. To jumpstart the offense, after taking an inside release down the seam, he extended his route outside once he saw Smith step up in the pocket to avoid Watt, providing his quarterback with a wide open outlet for a 33-yard pitch and catch. On the next series, he advanced the Seahawks into the red zone turning a short quick slant into a 21-yard gain, setting up Smith-Njigba's scoring reception three plays later with 15 yards after the catch.

Taking advantage of soft cushion in coverage, Metcalf again blitzed the Steelers with a 32-yard reception on a quick slant, picking up the majority of the yards with the ball in his hands without any defenders occupying the middle of the field. He later added another 15-yard reception for the Seahawks on their final scoring drive, as both second half catches led to Myers field goals. He wasn't able to reel in a pair of fade routes in the red zone and also had a drop in the end zone in the second half along with his holding penalty, but overall, he was one of the few major bright spots for the home team surpassing 100 yards on just five catches and averaged north of 21 yards per reception.

Seahawks Rapid Reaction: Defensive Implosion Leads to Gut-Wrenching 30-23 Loss to Steelers

Leonard Williams

Overall Grade: 82.0 (Run Defense 78, Tackling 88, Pass Rush 86)

With the Steelers grounding and pounding the Seahawks to a tune of 202 rushing yards, Williams wasn't completely exempt from allowing Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren to run wild. However, on a day where few of his teammates offered much resistance, the veteran defensive tackle had a solid day overall, winning several battles at the line of scrimmage to make quick plays in the run game and not missing any tackles. Just two plays into action, he stood up Harris for only a two-yard gain. Later in the quarter, he stone-walled Warren on a two-yard gain in the red zone, only for the back to follow up with an 18-yard touchdown on the next snap.

Doing the majority of Seattle's limited pass rushing damage on his own accord, Williams led the defense with five pressures, two quarterback hits, and the team's only sack on Mason Rudolph. With Pittsburgh facing 3rd and 8 from the opposing 13-yard line in the second quarter, he bullied right guard James Daniels with an overpowering bull rush before devouring the quarterback in the pocket, forcing them to settle for a short field goal. He added a second quarterback hit earlier in the quarter on Rudolph that led to an incomplete pass, offering the only tangible pass rushing contributions for a defense that struggled to pressure Rudolph most of the game.