Grading the Seahawks at the Cardinals:

Oct 17, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner (39) intercepts a pass intended for Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd (15) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Seahawks game against the Cardinals this week might not have come across as a dominant performance on the scoreboard but if you watched the game you would have seen as the Seahawks completely controlled the game from the very beginning. If it wasn’t for a couple of timely blindside hits on Russell Wilson, the Seahawks would have won this game by more than 20 points. The Seahawks had a three score lead early in the 4th quarter before they relaxed their secondary and just rushed the passer.

Offense: B+

Quarterback: B+

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks Offense was finally able to score a Touchdown on their opening drive. Wilson quickly moved the Seahawks down the field before hitting Sidney Rice on the run while avoiding pressure; he threw the ball 45 yards for the Touchdown. Wilson was 18 for 29 for 235 yards and 3 Touchdowns. Wilson continues to throw the ball with more and more accuracy each game; he also ran the ball 8 times for 29 yards. Wilson did get hit a number of times, and he fumbled the ball 3 times and lost 2 of the fumbles.

Running Backs: A

Marshawn Lynch didn’t have huge numbers against the Cardinals but he was able to impose his will. Lynch had numerous runs that he plowed over multiple defenders. Lynch had a particular run where he lower his helmet and sent Darnell Dockett’s helmet flying and Lynch went down into the end zone, the Touchdown didn’t stand as the review showed that Lynch was down inside the 1 yard line but his presence was felt. Marshawn Lynch had 21 carries in the game for a hard fought 91 yards and 1 Touchdown.

Wide Receivers: B+

The Seahawks Receivers had an outstanding game as they were able to create separation in their routes and Wilson was able to consistently hit them in stride. Golden Tate led all Seahawks receivers as he pulled in 4 catches for 77 yards, followed by Sidney Rice who had 3 catches for 50 yards and 1 Touchdown. Wilson also hit his Tight Ends for a pair of Touchdowns as Zach Miller and Kellen Davis were the recipients. Miller had the catch of the game as he caught a ball that Wilson placed perfectly high so that Miller was the only player who could catch it for the Touchdown in the back of the end zone and Miller toe tapped his feet prior to going out the back of the end zone.

Offensive Line: C+

The Offensive line only gave up 3 sacks totaling a loss of 26 yards, but Wilson was under duress most of the night as he constantly had to scramble to avoid getting sacked. The Seahawks offensive line is still missing Breno Giacomini and Russell Okung and it continues to show in pass protection as Wilson continues to take hit after hit. James Carpenter also left for two series as he tweaked his ankle but he was able to return. The line was able to create plenty of holes for Marshawn Lynch to run through at times, but when it came to pass protection there were too many holes for the Cardinals to fill.

Defense: A-

Defensive Line: A+

The Seahawks Defensive Line was in Carson Palmer’s face all night as they totaled 7 sacks for a loss totaling 54 yards. Seattle was all over the Cardinals as they only allowed 30 rushing yards throughout the game. The sacks came from almost everyone that played along the Defensive line as Chris Clemons, Cliff Avril, Tony Mcdaniel, Clint Mcdonald, and Michael Bennett all had a sack. Seattle created pressure all night and made Palmer extremely uncomfortable in the pocket. This unit seems to keep getting better each week now that everyone is fairly healthy and active.

Linebackers: B+

Malcolm Smith had a great game as he lead all Seahawks in tackles as he tallied 9 tackles, 1 sack and 2 tackles for loss as he seemed to fill the void of Bobby Wagner sitting out the game with an injury. KJ Wright had 7 tackles and he also had .5 sacks as he too seemed to fly all over the field and was constantly around the football. The Linebackers did an outstanding job filling the gaps and stuffing the run but again their weakness showed a few times as they were beat in coverage at times. Bruce Irvin who is still getting used to playing Linebacker and being out in coverage, Irvin had 4 tackles and showed his range as he closed on a swing pass into the flats and had a solid open field tackle.

Secondary: A-

The Seahawks secondary had a great game as they made great open field tackles and played air tight defense in the first 3 quarters. In the 4th quarter they backed off and went into a prevent defense and the Cardinals were finally able to move the ball with the Seahawks playing in a soft zone. The Legion of Boom had 2 interceptions as both Earl Thomas and Brandon Browner picked off Palmer. Browner picked off a pass and had blockers all around him but he tripped himself at the 5 yard line and tumbled down at the 1. Richard Sherman had blanket coverage throughout the game and nearly had 2 interceptions himself. Larry Fitzgerald was held to 2 catches totaling 17 yards.

Special Teams: B

The Seahawks special teams had a fairly transparent game as there were no blocked punts or field goals as that has clearly been a black eye for the Special Teams the last two weeks. Steven Hauschka was 2 for 2 on field goals as he continued his strong play hitting from 51 and 42 yards. Jon Ryan had 3 punts averaging 41 yards a punt and none of the punts landed inside the 20, although one of his punts barely touched the goal line as it came down.

Overall: A-

This was a great game for the Seahawks on the road as they dominated this game from the opening kickoff. The Seahawks controlled this game in every aspect except for their Offensive line. As this season goes on the Seahawks should get back their missing pieces to their offensive line and should be able to protect their star quarterback. The Seahawks have struggled winning on the road in the and so far this season they have been much better on the road with a 3 – 1 record this being a short week the Seahawks were very dominant.

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