Seattle Seahawks grades from Week 14 victory over the Texans

The Seattle Seahawks still have a slim chance at the playoffs and won a must-win game over the Houston Texans. Next up are the Los Angeles Rams in what will obviously be a tougher matchup.

The Texans were what we thought they were. That is, not at all good. I was a little concerned at the beginning of the game when the Texans took the opening kickoff and drove down the field with ease for a touchdown.

But after that drive, the Seahawks settled down and outscored Houston 33-6 the rest of the way. Here are the grades from Week 14.

Seattle Seahawks grades in Week 14 victory over the Houston Texans

Quarterback

Russell Wilson had his second solid game in a row. He wasn’t quite as sharp against the Texans versus the 49ers but this is splitting hairs a bit. He didn’t need to be great because a certain running back was. Still, Wilson was 17 of 28 for 260 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Grade: A-

Running backs

So clearly the Seahawks were saving Rashaad Penny for nearly four years for this one game. OK, I joke. But Penny played as if he had never been hurt. He gained a career-high 137 yards and scored 2 touchdowns. Maybe some of this was due to the Texans atrocious rush defense but Penny did show some good things against the 49ers too. Penny was great on Sunday so credit is due his way.

Grade: A

Receivers/tight ends

Tyler Lockett is the best receiver the Seahawks have. He isn’t as athletically gifted as DK Metcalf but few humans are. Still, Lockett seems to find openings in defenses that most receivers can’t and he may have the best hands of any receiver in the NFL. He also went over 1,000 yards receiving for the season, his third straight year of doing so. In Seattle history, only he and a guy named Steve Largent have done that.

Grade: A

Offensive line

Seattle averaged 6.7 yards a carry and Russell Wilson wasn’t sacked and hit just once.

Grade: A

Defensive line

Al Woods may be 500 years old but over the last half of the season, he is playing like a Pro Bowler. All 5 of Seattle’s quarterback hits came from defensive linemen (Darrell Taylor had 2 when he was lined up at end.) The Texans averaged just 2.5 yards a carry and the pass rush got better as the game wore on.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks both once again went over 10 tackles for the game. Wagner also got a tackle-for-loss. Pass coverage is still somewhat an issue, though, and when the Texans moved the ball early it was because the linebackers didn’t drop back deep enough. Again. This will get exposed against a better team and that might come in Week 15 against the Rams.

Grade: B

Secondary

It took a little longer to adjust to not having Jamal Adams available but once the communication got better in the second quarter, the Seahawks secondary was much better. Texans quarterback David Mills completed his first 14 passes (pretty embarrassing for Seattle) but after that completed just 18 of 35 passes and didn’t get another touchdown after the first drive. And Seattle eliminated the truly big play.

Grade: B

Special teams

One of the bad days for special teams compared to how they normally are. Michael Dickson was great again with two of his three punts being downed inside the Texans 20. His first half punt was downed at the Houston 2 and this allowed Seattle to get the ball back and score to end the half (before the Texans made a 62-yard field goal). But kicker Jason Myers missed two extra points (again, against a better team this might have hurt a lot more) and Seattle gave up a 43-yard kick return.

Grade: C