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Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in 26-21 Win vs. Jets

Playing suffocating defense behind Leonard Williams and Julian Love, the Seahawks improved to 7-5 after shutting down the Jets in the final three quarters.

Corbin K. Smith

Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates his interception return for a touchdown during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) celebrates his interception return for a touchdown during the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
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Continuing to stack wins as they push for an NFC West title, the Seattle Seahawks rebounded from a dreadful start on the road to beat the New York Jets 26-21 at MetLife Stadium.

With their defense leading the charge once again, who stood out in Seattle's third straight victory? After reviewing All-22 film from Sunday's comeback win in East Rutherford, here are my top five grades and other notable performances from Week 13.

Leonard Williams

Overall Grade: 92.0 (Run Defense 86, Tackling 92, Pass Rush 94, Coverage 98)

In the words of coach Mike Macdonald, Williams indeed has been "playing out of his mind" over the past two games, easily playing the best football of his career in all phases. Though he missed out on a sack due to a face mask penalty on New York's second drive, he amended for that mistake by blocking an extra point moments later. Then in the second quarter, with the Jets poised to add to their 14-point lead inside the Seahawks 10-yard line, "Big Cat" dropped back smoothly into coverage like an oversized linebacker and picked off Aaron Rodgers, hauling tail after the catch for a remarkable 92-yard touchdown to swing momentum back to the visiting sideline.

Already accounting for a 15-point swing on his own accord in the first half, Williams continued to be a game wrecker as Seattle shut down New York drive after drive. With the Jets trying to mount a late rally following a touchdown by Zach Charbonnet, he found his way to Rodgers not once, but twice, posting his second consecutive multi-sack effort. Tallying five pressures and adding a tackle for loss on Braelon Allen for good measure, he should be a slam dunk for Defensive Player of the Week honors with a historic performance that hasn't been matched since at least 1980.

Julian Love

Overall Grade: 87.0 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 92, Coverage 84)

Continuing to play lights out as a do-it-all safety in Macdonald's defense, Love left nearly as big of an imprint on Seattle's success stifling New York as Williams did. In the first quarter, teaming up with cornerback Riq Woolen, he helped knock the ball out of Breece Hall's hands for a fumble, but the defense couldn't recover. Fortunately, he made up for that missed opportunity in the third quarter when his left shoulder punched the ball out again, allowing Tyrice Knight to recover near midfield and set up a Jason Myers field goal that trimmed the deficit to two points.

Down the stretch, Love came up big in coverage for the Seahawks, often taking away downfield opportunities bracketing Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson from two-deep looks. When Rodgers tried to hit Wilson on a crossing route in the fourth quarter, he rocketed up and jarred the ball away from the receiver's hands with a massive hit, leading to a punt three plays later. Then, with the Jets trying to mount one last comeback attempt, he deciphered a quick screen to running back Isaiah Davis and stopped in his tracks for no gain in Seattle territory, putting Rodgers and company behind the sticks as they ultimately failed on fourth down a couple snaps later.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Overall Grade: 85.0 (Receiving 90, Rushing 80, Run Blocking 70)

Though Smith-Njigba had his lowest receiving yardage output in five games and didn't score a touchdown on Sunday, he continued to come through with big plays as Geno Smith's go-to target in key situations, catching three of the team's five passes that went for at least 20 yards. Fueling Seattle's first touchdown drive after New York built an early 14-0 advantage, he caught two 25-yard receptions, including finding a soft spot in the zone coming back to his quarterback on 3rd and 9 to extend the drive past midfield with a new set of downs.

But Smith-Njigba's most notable catch came on a decisive 4th and 6 conversion late in the third quarter. After the Seahawks lost five yards on a false start penalty, he came open from the slot on a corner route, allowing Smith to loft the ball to him towards the sideline for a critical 24-yard catch and prolong the possession, which ended with a Myers field goal to cut the deficit to two points. He added a five-yard run on a jet sweep on the ensuing drive, helping Seattle march downfield for the game-winning touchdown and finishing with 79 total yards on five touches.

Geno Smith

Overall Grade: 83.0 (Passing 85, Rushing 75*)

*Weighted for two rushing attempts

Looking back at Sunday, Smith likely had a few throws he would have loved to have back, including a red zone pass to tight end Noah Fant that wound up being a few inches too far out in front of the receiver's reach. But despite dealing with a decent amount of pressure from a talented Jets defensive front, he played a clean game without any turnovers and completed several tricky passes downfield to help Seattle claw back into the game after an unideal start. To jump start their first scoring drive, he stepped up in the pocket after a play fake to evade an oncoming rush and feathered a perfect ball over the fingertips of Jamien Sherwood in coverage to Smith-Njigba for a 25-yard gain.

In their first possession of the second half, Smith kept dropping dimes from the pocket, hitting DK Metcalf in stride with Sauce Gardner draped all over him in tight coverage for a 28-yard completion and finding Metcalf later in the drive for another chunk play to advance into the red zone. His most impressive throw of the day came to Smith-Njigba on the crucial 4th and 6 conversion, as he bailed to his left to escape an oncoming rusher before launching the pass off his back foot with precision, leading the receiver perfectly for a 24-yard gain. Putting in another quality day at the office, he threw for 206 yards without an interception while completing a respectable 64.5 percent of his attempts.

Devon Witherspoon

Overall Grade: 83.0 (Run Defense 86, Tackling 80, Coverage 88)

Always playing aggressive with relentless energy, Witherspoon may have left a tackle or two on the field on Sunday, but the disruptive defensive back caused plenty of problems for Rodgers and the Jets offense. One sequence of plays in the third quarter showcased his unique skill set, starting with the diagnosis of a bubble screen to Xavier Gibson and blowing the receiver up for a one-yard tackle for loss. On the very next snap, he ran hip to hip with Davante Adams down the numbers, leaving little room for Rodgers to squeeze the ball to him downfield on an incompletion, leading to another punt.

Primarily matched up against Adams, Witherspoon allowed one reception the former All-Pro on three targets for 19 yards, largely erasing him after the veteran got off to a quick start catching a touchdown on the second series. His presence also limited targets to Adams and Wilson in the final three quarters, as Rodgers often had to go elsewhere to running backs and tight ends with the downfield passing game not finding any success. The second-year cornerback's play goes beyond the box score and he was pivotal in preventing the Jets from having a single pass play of more than 20 yards along with keeping the passing attack under 190 yards for the game.

Other Notable Performances

Catching only four out of nine targets, Metcalf wasn't as efficient as Smith-Njigba, but he still averaged 16.5 yards per reception and helped stretch the Jets defense in the second half, finishing with an 81.0 score. Rushing for 28 yards on just four carries and forcing a pair of missed tackles, Charbonnet brought some juice to Seattle's run game and also played well picking up blitzes, receiving an 80.0 overall mark. Making his first career start, while he did receive two penalties, rookie guard Sataoa Laumea allowed one pressure in pass protection and made a key block to spring Charbonnet on his touchdown, receiving a 77.0 overall grade. Tackle Abraham Lucas yielded a sack on Smith and two pressures, but he helped the Seahawks find some success running the ball after halftime with some physical blocking off the edge, netting a 75.0 score. Center Olu Oluwatimi had a difficult time dealing with All-Pro defender Quinnen Williams, allowing three pressures and earning a 69.0 grade, his lowest since taking over as the starter three weeks ago.

Narrowly missing out on the top five, cornerback Riq Woolen forced a fumble on Hall and only allowed a single catch on six targets in coverage, receiving a stellar 82.0 grade. Continuing to play well alongside Love in the secondary, Coby Bryant dished out a key quarterback hit on New York's final offensive play to force an incompletion and yielded just seven yards on two catches, earning an 81.0 score. Dre'Mont Jones didn't register a sack or quarterback hit, but he generated consistent disruption with four pressures and held up well against the run, receiving a 79.0 score. In the middle, Tyrice Knight played another clean game overall with five tackles, no missed tackles, and one catch allowed on three targets for a 79.0 grade. Josh Jobe endured his toughest start as a Seahawk, allowing six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown, receiving a season-low 70.0 mark.

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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.

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