The Seattle Seahawks definitely didn't look in Week 1 as they did for most of 2022. In fact, they looked a lot worse. Of course, lots of weird things can happen in Week 1s of the NFL so maybe we can just write the loss to the Rams off as an accident?
That said, the loss certainly didn't look like an accident. The Rams were better prepared and hungrier than Seattle. Heck, even quarterback Geno Smith said that it appeared the Rams just wanted the game more than Seattle.
That should never happen, of course. That is especially true for a Pete Carroll-led team as he is a rah-rah guy who wants his teams to be super fired up every time they walk on the field. Speaking of the head coach, I don't have a coaching grade in the grades that follow, but if I did, the staff would receive an F for Week 1. But that's only because I cannot grade them lower.
Seattle Seahawks grades in loss to Rams in Week 1
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith
Geno Smith's raw numbers aren't awful except for the amount of yards (112) he threw. He was 16 of 26 and had a touchdown with no interceptions. If he had thrown for 240 yards, he might have had a decent day overall and no one would have thought twice. But was the reason the Seahawks offense so horrible because of Geno Smith or was the inconsistent play-calling of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron the issue?
Plus, let's be honest. Smith missed a wide open Jake Bobo running down the middle of the field on the flea-flicker where he ended up scrambling for 6 yards. Smith is tall enough and the field was open enough where Bobo should ave been able to be seen, but Smith didn't attempt the pass for some reason. The completion would have been for at least 25 yards. Does it change the outcome of the game?
But for all the Geno haters out there, this isn't the game to point out for why Seattle needs to replace him. He didn't even turn the ball over and after tackles Charles Cross and Abe Lucas left, he had no time to throw. Was Geno Smith perfect? Far from it. But he was better than the overall playcalling.
Grade: C-
Rest of Seahawks offense
Wide receivers
The numbers are just really sad here. DK Metcalf led the team in receiving yards with 47, but he led all receivers by 30 yards. That's horrendous. If Metcalf has 47 yards in each game this season he will finish 799 which is, well...bad. Worse, DK Metcalf once again lost his head and got an unsportsmanlike penalty called on him. Metcalf is a good dude, but he needs to control himself better on the field.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett were mostly invisible. Maybe that is through no fault of their own, though Smith-Njigba did have a drop. Lockett was bullied by the Rams secondary.
Grade: C-
Tight ends
Will Dissly started off fairly well with a couple of catches in the first half, but those would be the only times he was targeted. Noah Fant should be capable of having a good year feeding off of what should be a good Seahawks receiving trio, but Fant wasn't even targeted. The entire offense not only looked like they didn't play much in the preseason but that they didn't practice at all this offseason.
Grade: D+
Offensive line
Just look at the numbers. Seattle had 13 first downs and averaged 3.9 yards per play. 3 point 9. The Seahawks also got outgained 426 yards to 180 for Seattle. Yes, Cross and Lucas left the game early, but the offense wasn't exactly scoring touchdowns before they left. The offensive line certainly didn't look better than the 2022 version; It looked worse.
Grade: F
Seahawks defense and special teams
Defensive line
Here's a positive: When the Rams ran the ball on first and second downs, which they did 37 times, they gained 61 yards. The run defense overall was better. Otherwise, it appears Dre'Mont Jones, the Seahawks huge offseason free agent acquisition, might already be stealing Seattle's money. Jones had 2 tackles and zero tackles-for-loss or quarterback hits. The entire unit had 1 QB hit and that was from Jarran Reed. And the group had zero TFLs.
Grade: D-
Linebackers
Normally I would try to break this group down into edge rushers versus inside linebackers, but this entire group was equally bad. Only Uchenna Nwosu had a quarterback hit and he had only 1. Seattle sacked Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford zero times. Bobby Wagner was in on 19 tackles but was terrible in pass coverage.
Grade: D-
Secondary
Yes, the secondary got zero help from the pass rush, but Stafford's numbers - 24 of 38 for 334 yards - should have been even better but Van Jefferson dropped a potential touchdown pass after a blown coverage. The Seahawks seemed to set back and allow completions underneath and on out-patterns and allowed two receivers to go for over 100 yards receiving.
Grade: F
Special teams
Finally, some positivity. Punter Michael Dickson punted four times with a 59.0 yards per punt average. His first punt went 65 yards in the air and should have been downed inside the Rams' five-yard line except that Artie Burns blew downing the ball. Jason Myers missed a field goal he should have made but made two of three. DeeJay Dallas had one punt return for a solid 18 yards. Plus, the Seahawks were able to block a field goal attempt by the Rams.
Grade: B