Seahawks gameday grades: Week 1 versus Packers

The Seahawks suffered  their eighth consecutive road loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The final score of 17-9 was a far cry from last December’s blowout, but the final result still ended in defeat.

An eight point loss to an elite team on the road isn’t necessarily discouraging. There were plenty of positives that came out of week one despite the loss. Unfortunately there were also some concerning negatives.

Let’s take a look at how the Seahawks graded out in week one:

Defensive Line: (A)

Nazir Jones is incredible! The fact that he intercepted an Aaron Rodgers bullet pass at point blank range, then proceeded to outrun everyone for what should’ve been a pick six was nothing short of amazing.

The defensive line made life tough on Aaron Rodgers Sunday afternoon as they sacked the All-Pro quarterback four times on Sunday. Rodgers was also hit eight times and was under pressure all day thanks to a relentless Seattle pass rush.

It’s safe to say the addition of defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson makes this unit as scary as it looks on paper.

The D-line was also strong in the running game as they seemingly plugged up all running holes. The Packers  managed just 84 yards on the ground.

If I had to pick one minor qualm with the defensive line it would be the fact that they didn’t do as good of a job as they could’ve with contain on Rodgers. He was able to roll out with relative ease at times. However, that’s pretty minor when looking at how well the group played overall.

Linebackers: (B+)

The linebackers looked to be in midseason form on Sunday, as they were flying around all over the field. Having Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright leading the charge in the middle of the defense has to help defensive coordinator Kris Richard sleep soundly at night.

The only thing the linebackers could’ve done slightly better was making plays in pass coverage. They just missed on breaking up a few critical passes that could’ve possibly swayed the outcome. Again, that’s nitpicking a little.

Defensive Backs: (A)

The Legion of Boom had a fantastic first outing against arguably the most lethal QB in the league. The secondary didn’t give Rodgers any layups minus one stupid Rodgers quick snap free play special. Which I really can’t blame them for. That tactic is so gimmicky and ridiculous, I refuse to spend any more time discussing it.

Rookie Shaq Griffin was thrust into full time duty after Jeremy Lane was ejected for a phantom punch (horrible call). The rookie held up really well all things considered. Even though the Packers attempted to pick on him the entire game, Griffin didn’t flinch. I really liked what I saw from the newcomer.

Also, the human missile, Earl Thomas, was a monster. I never get sick of watching that guy cover ground.