Seahawks Beat Dolphins: Defensive Grades

Seattle Seahawks vs Miami Dolphins: Despite being the overwhelming favorite, the Seahawks squeaked out a narrow week one victory behind their dominant defense. Here are my position by position grades for the defense.

The Seahawks defense has long been the backbone of the Pete Carroll era. After an offensive heavy draft, people believed that this would be the year that Russell Wilson and the offense supplant the defense as the team’s primary focus. The defense quashed those notions on Sunday, as they carried the Seahawks to a week one win despite a sputtering offense. Here are my grades for the defense after Sunday’s week one victory.

1. Defensive Line: B

The defensive line’s performance was mixed. Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, and Cassius Marsh had a sack each. Cliff Avril should have had a sack and a safety on the last play, but it didn’t count due to a clock error.

Jarran Reed was a monster inside, clogging up interior running lanes. He also had two key deflections. The only way to go is up for the rookie from Alabama. Marsh was the player of the game. In addition to his strip sack, he also added two key special teams tackles and a blocked field goal that would have tied the game at six.

After a dominant preseason, Quinton Jefferson was very quiet, notching one tackle. Frank Clark flashed immense potential, and Tony McDaniel looked very good as a rotational run stopper. But, the defensive line was far from perfect.

There were several times, especially on Miami’s touchdown drive, where Ryan Tannehill had all day to throw as Seattle was stonewalled by Miami’s offensive line. Hopefully, the line can become more consistent as the year goes on.

Next: The Linebackers Impress