Seahawks offensive and defensive grades from week three victory

The Seattle Seahawks improve to 3-0 after defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 38-31, in another thrilling game.

The Seattle Seahawks are now 3-0 in the 2020 NFL Regular Season after picking up a victory over the Dallas Cowboys. I know this is surprising for Seahawk fans as Seattle typically starts slow and picks it up in mid-October, early November. But, no one really thought Russ would be allowed to cook like this, and yet, here we are.

America’s Game of the Week definitely did not disappoint and 12s are walking away with a smile on their face as the Seahawks won, but it was not all pretty for the winners. Here we grade their performance.

Truthfully, does Russell Wilson ever disappoint? Russell Wilson was once again fantastic and in typical Seahawk fashion, he delivered when called upon in crunch time. In the fourth quarter, after the Dallas Cowboys kicked a field goal to go up 31-30 on a 16 play, 70-yard drive that nearly ate up 5 minutes of the play clock, Wilson answered. The Seahawks struck back with an 8 play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with a DK Metcalf touchdown followed up by a successful two point conversion.

Wilson once again threw for 5 touchdowns. He is the first Seahawk quarterback to ever throw for 5 touchdowns in back to back games. He is also the first quarterback to ever throw for 14 touchdowns within the first three games in NFL history. Wilson finished the game completing 27 of 40 passes for 315 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Another A+ performance by the future MVP.

Last week, the Seahawks found a nice balance between the run and pass game. They ran for 30 times and threw for 28 times. In a time where Russ is Cooking, the Seahawks once again strayed away from the run game today. Although they rushed for over 100 yards, they attempted 26 runs while throwing 40 times.

The Seahawks only trailed twice in this game. The first, it was 3-0 and the second came in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys took the lead, 31-30. Carson was the lead back with 14 carries for 64 yards. The Seahawks only have one rushing touchdown on the year, which is something no one would have thought of prior to the start of this season. The Seahawks once again had no fumbles and rushed for over 100 yards. I will take that any day of the week. But, they receive a B+ because the run game wasn’t as dominant as it could be.

Tyler Lockett was unbelievable today. He was targeted 13 times and caught 9 of those for 100 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was all over the place and has this amazing trait of finding the soft spot in the zones. For someone his size, he is not afraid to go over the middle. Lockett was Wilson’s security blanket tonight and their years of chemistry and trust showed off in today’s game.

But, they are receiving a B+ because D.K. Metcalf cost us 7 points tonight. After another impressive deep throw by Wilson, Metcalf thought no one was near him and started to jot into the end zone instead of sprinting and finishing the play. As a result, rookie Trevon Diggs popped the ball out causing a touchback. If he had finished that play, this game could have been completely different, but he showed up late in the game when called upon. Was very proud of the way he responded, but a mistake like that is unacceptable. Olsen also had a nice game after coming off last week’s performance with 0 catches.

It was disappointing to see Damien Lewis go down today. Hopefully, he is back out on the field soon. The Seahawks offensive line played a nice game. They gave Wilson plenty of time on certain plays but also allowed 4 sacks. 3 of which came Aldon Smith, a man the Seahawks are very familiar with.

Early in the game, the Cowboys pass rush was causing havoc in the backfield causing Wilson to make some poor throws. They had 8 total hits on our quarterback and if it wasn’t for Wilson’s escapability, then they would have had at least 5 sacks. But, the Seahawks offensive line showed up when called upon and ultimately helped the team march down the field and take the lead back late in the game. They also cleaned up the penalties, with only one false start today.

I just have to say, I love Alton Robinson. I know many Seahawk fans were excited about his debut and he did not let us down. The Seahawks raved about him during camp and he showed why today. The defensive line only had 2 sacks, but both of them were game-changing plays. The first came in the first drive of the second half with Jarran Reed hitting Dak causing a fumble. The second came late in the fourth when Dallas was trying to tie it up and it was none other than Alton Robinson, who came up big with the sack. The Seahawks almost had a third sack on the next play, but instead caused Dak into a turnover that sealed the deal.

The Seahawks defensive line was excellent today against the run. Zeke could not get his rhythm and it caused him to make mental mistakes in the passing game. But, again, on most plays, Dak had too much time in the pocket and that allowed them to make big plays down the field. They must clean that up as the season progresses.

Another brutal injury today was the one to rookie LB Jordyn Brooks. Brooks is another guy who the 12s are extremely excited about and today, in his debut starting at linebacker, he suffered an injury. Hopefully, he is back on the field soon. Also, how cool was it to see Shaquem Griffin back on the field today with his brother? Griffin plays a part in this grade as he made some big plays late in the game. The Seahawks dropped him into coverage, ultimately playing the role of a spy and he made some big tackles.

Bobby Wagner and KJ Wright were all over the place today. Zeke had 14 carries for 34 yards. He was completely shut down and the linebackers played a crucial part in that. All season long they have been great against the run. Today, they also displayed some nice coverage skills as they were able to contain the TEs for the Cowboys.

Perhaps, the worst part of today’s game was seeing Jamal Adams go down with a groin injury. After the game, it was announced that it is a strained groin. I certainly do hope it does not keep him sidelined for long. The secondary today had its moments, but we missed Quinton Dunbar. The Seahawks secondary gave up too many big plays down the field. Before the half, Shaquil Griffin had a nice interception that resulted in points, but they let up too many big plays that allowed Dallas to get back into the game.

Although they came up with the stop at the end, they let up 3 easy touchdowns today. That can not happen. Although Cooper and Lamb did not have big numbers in the box score, it was the other wideouts that caused damage. Halfway through the game, it looked as if the Seahawks secondary was making a statement with their solid play, but they let up in the second half and made some mistakes that resulted in big plays. The Seahawks secondary needs to improve. Opposing teams are averaging nearly 500 yards. That is not acceptable for a team that wants to win the Super Bowl.