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Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers in 36-24 Loss to 49ers

Turnovers and busted assignments cost the Seahawks against the 49ers, but several veterans shined despite falling short at Lumen Field.

Corbin K. Smith

Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett Addresses Team's Chronic Slow Starts
Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett Addresses Team's Chronic Slow Starts /
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Limping into a mini bye week, the Seattle Seahawks couldn't finish off a valiant comeback effort on Thursday Night Football, falling short in a 36-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers that dropped them out of first place in the NFC West for the first time since Week 1.

Even in a third consecutive defeat, including the second loss at Lumen Field in five days, several Seahawks shined under the lights. After reviewing All-22 film from Thursday's prime time loss, here are my top five grades from Week 6.

Leonard Williams

Overall Grade: 86.0 (Run Defense 84, Tackling 78, Pass Rush 88)

Though the Seahawks were gashed for over 200 rushing yards and failing to sack Brock Purdy once on Thursday night, Williams wasn't part of the problem, and things could have been much worse if not for his standout play. In the first half, he twice delivered big hits on Purdy as he unloaded the football to force incompletions in Seattle territory, thwarting promising drives and forcing San Francisco to settle for a pair of field goals to keep the game within reach. He finished the game as the only Seahawk who mustered multiple hits on Purdy in a game where he generally stayed clean as if he was playing flag football.

As a run defender, Williams did have a tackle slip out of his grasp, but he also recorded two tackles for loss while seeing action in multiple alignments. On 49ers' second possession, he joined forces with linebacker Tyrel Dodson to blow up Jordan Mason for a one-yard loss two plays before the opponent was forced to punt. Later in the half, Seattle slid the veteran defender outside to play big end and he knocked All-Pro tackle Trent Williams backward as he crashed down the line of scrimmage, shedding his block attempt for another tackle for loss as San Francisco settled for a short field goal.

Tyler Lockett

Overall Grade: 85.0 (Receiving 88, Run Blocking 65*)

Continuing to enjoy a quiet bounce back season after falling short of 800 receiving yards last season, Lockett easily was Geno Smith's most reliable target against the 49ers. While the savvy veteran couldn't reel in an overthrown corner route that resulted in an interception on the Seahawks' opening possession, after the offense couldn't get untracked for most of the first half, the 31-year old showed he still has plenty of juice as a vertical threat, coming open on go route for a 37-yard reception that set up a Jason Myers field goal heading into intermission.

Fast forwarding to the fourth quarter, though Lockett had one potential touchdown catch bounce off his fingertips in the back of the end zone on a tricky red zone pass, he redeemed himself only a few plays later. Facing a 4th and goal from the 49ers nine-yard line, Smith rifled a strike to the wideout on an in-breaking route in the end zone as pressured closed in on him in the pocket to cut the deficit to six points with two minutes left to play. Overall, he caught four passes for 64 yards and a score, standing out as a rare bright spot on a tough evening for the offense as a whole.

Jerome Baker

Overall Grade: 83.0 (Run Defense 78, Tackling 80, Pass Rush 85, Coverage 86)

Like most of his defensive counterparts, Baker got caught in bad positions a few times defending the run and contributed to allowing a couple of explosive rushes to happen on Thursday night. But he brought much-needed energy to the unit flying sideline-to-sideline from start to finish and turned in several crucial stops to keep the game from getting out of hand early and help the Seahawks try to mount a second half comeback. In the first quarter, after stuffing Mason on a one-yard run, he broke up a Purdy pass intended for Mason, forcing the 49ers to settle for three points on their opening drive.

In the second quarter, with San Francisco already up 13-0 and driving deep into Seattle territory, Baker sniffed out a fullback screen to Kyle Juszczyk and destroyed the play for a three-yard loss to again force the opponent into kicking a field goal. He stuffed Jusczczyk again in the third quarter on a short swing route for no gain as the 49ers punted two plays later, handing the ball back to Smith and company trailing by just six points. Overall, he had three tackles netting one or fewer yards, two pressures, and a pass breakup, turning in his best game as a Seahawk so far in defeat.

Charles Cross

Overall Grade: 81.0 (Pass Blocking 83, Run Blocking 79)

Seattle undoubtedly had trouble protecting Smith and opening up run lanes for Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet on Thursday night, but Cross put some excellent play on tape against top competition. While he did give up three pressures and a quarterback hit, he held his own against Nick Bosa and Leonard Floyd, producing a quality 97.1 percent pass blocking efficiency rate. He smoothly handled several twist stunts and also picked up the blitz cleanly on multiple occasions, demonstrating smooth feet as well as a quality anchor to fend off power rushes.

As a run blocker, Cross didn't have many opportunities with Walker or Charbonnet running off tackle to his side, but he won the majority of his one-on-one battles in the trenches. At the end of the third quarter, he delivered a key down block for Walker to explode behind at the goal line for a one-yard touchdown to push Seattle back to within six points. He also made a nice kick out block on another five-yard run by Walker earlier in the game.

Devon Witherspoon

Overall Grade: 81.0 (Run Defense 78, Tackling 80, Coverage 84)

As far as impact performances go, Thursday wasn't Witherspoon's best game as a pro. With that said, he quietly had a stellar outing that will go overlooked because of Seattle's struggles defending the run and giving up big plays in the passing game, even though he wasn't to blame for either of those problems. Purdy stayed away from him the passing game like he was the plague, only targeting him one time with the hard-hitting corner upending George Kittle in his tracks for just a three-yard gain.

Like most of his teammates, Witherspoon was far from perfect defending against the run, missing a tackle and taking a poor angle on another big run by Mason. However, he brought his hard hat on a jet sweep by the hard-nosed Deebo Samuel and corraled him for just a one-yard gain, helping force one of two consecutive fourth quarter punts by the 49ers. He finished with five tackles, including tripping up Isaac Guerendo at the end of a 76-yard run to prevent a touchdown, while allowing just three receiving yards in coverage.

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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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