Seahawks vs. Bears: Defensive grades for Seattle

As opposed to the Seahawks offense on Monday, the defense wasn’t horrible. In fact, after Chicago’s first drive, they were good, injuries and all.

I will be honest and say I assumed the Seahawks defense would be terrible on Monday. They were playing without Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, among others. There was no way they were going to slow down the Bears, right?

Well, mostly that is what the defense did. After an opening 96-yard drive for the Bears, Chicago only gained 175 on nine drives until the final one-play kneel-down by Chicago. That is 19 yards a drive. That is good Seattle defense. And good coaching from defensive coordinator Ken Norton, Jr.

Here is how the Seahawks graded in Monday’s loss to the Bears.

Defensive line

Frank Clark had his second sack in as many games for the Seahawks against the Bears. Clark is on pace for 16 sacks in 2018. But it would be a very quiet 16 sacks. Clark seems to get his sacks but is inconsistent within the game. He doesn’t change the game himself.

Rasheem Green played pretty well against Chicago. But Seattle still needs a pass rush from anyone else not named Frank Clark.

Grade: B

Linebackers

I was prepared to give an F to this group prior to Monday’s game. But then rookie Austin Calitro played very well. And recent signee Mychal Kendricks was phenomenal. Kendricks had a sack and a pass breakup. Calitro called all the defensive plays and led the team in tackles with 8. Neither player is better than Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright but at least Seattle knows they will have quality depth at the position when the starters return.

Grade: B+

Secondary

Earl Thomas and Bradley McDougald have been fantastic through two games. This is no surprise but they have probably been better than expected still. According to Pro Football Focus, Thomas is the top graded safety in the league and McDougald is third. Both were excellent against the Bears.

Shaquill Griffin had two interceptions against Chicago. The picks came on back-to-back drives. Akeem King played opposite Griffin and was not great. Receiver Allen Robinson had 10 catches against Seattle, mostly on King.

Grade: B+

The defense overall played well. Chicago’s offense is not great, of course, but as banged-up as Seattle is on defense Chicago could have looked that way. Ken Norton Jr. did a good job getting his group ready to play. The Seahawks may have lost on Monday, but it was the fault of the defense.