Jets vs. Seahawks: Final Grades and Analysis for Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks were in control throughout the game, but it took until the fourth quarter for them to pull away from the New York Jets and win 28-7 in Week 10. Led by their dominant defense, the Seahawks held the Jets to 185 total yards and are now 6-4 on the season.

Let’s take a look at the Seahawks’ final postgame grades and evaluations.

Quarterback

Final Grade: B+

The four-quarter grades do not exactly average out to a B+, but let us just say that I raised his overall grade based on improvement. I was admittedly pretty rough on Wilson early on, as he and the offensive line did not seem to be working well together. Still, the rookie had a great fourth quarter and that is when it counts, right?

Fourth Quarter: A-

Now that was a pretty throw. Just when you think Wilson is going to end up with a bad day, he puts one over the top to Sidney Rice and gets the offense moving in the right direction again.

Third Quarter: C

Wilson had better buy dinner for the entire defense, because it is keeping the Seahawks in this game. The drive at the end of the third quarter has potential. Let us see if Seattle can put this game away.

Second Quarter: C

At this point Wilson looks a little frazzled, and he put the ball on the turf again. The Jets are definitely doing a good job of collapsing the pocket and forcing Wilson to run immediately. The touchdown drive will restore some faith in the offense.

First Quarter: C+

Wilson is a study in contrasts. The first drive was virtually perfect as Wilson put the ball right on the money to Golden Tate for the touchdown. After that, he tried to do too much with his feet, and that fumble should have been avoided.

Running Backs

Final Grade: B

If you look at the final stat line, the numbers look great but it took awhile for the running game to get going. I love how Lynch never seems to lose his intensity, even when the game is well in hand. Seattle will go as far as "Beast Mode" can carry it.

Fourth Quarter: A-

Just like that, Lynch rushes for 15 yards and goes over 100 for the game. The holding call was unfortunate, because his touchdown run was fantastic. Thankfully, the receivers bailed out the penalties committed by the offensive line. Lynch just keeps on grinding.

Third Quarter: C

Lynch never seems to give up on the run, but he just is not getting very far today. His longest run of the day so far is nine yards.

Second Quarter: B-

The fumble was a tough blow, but after that it was essentially the Marshawn Lynch show on the touchdown drive. Credit Beast Mode for pounding the ball into the end zone. I guess 52 yards at halftime is adequate.

First Quarter: D

Pretty slow start for the running game. Lynch and Robert Turbin just are not moving the ball against the stingy Jets defense.

Wide Receivers

Final Grade: B

Much like Wilson, the receivers were up and down all game but got it done in the fourth quarter as the Seahawks were able to pull away. The stats for the receivers are not going to blow anyone away, but Wilson is building rapport with key guys and they are making catches when they are needed most.

Fourth Quarter: A

First Sidney Rice catches a beautiful ball from Russell Wilson.  Then, Golden Tate shows off his acrobatic moves again. Finally, Tate finds his pal Rice in the end zone. I guess Tate wanted his own touchdown pass after seeing his teammate Rice pull that off last week.

Third Quarter: C

They still seem to be struggling to get open. Wilson is giving up pretty quickly on the receivers and defaulting to the scramble.

Second Quarter: C

The receivers just are not providing Wilson with a lot of targets. At the end of the first half, Wilson has only found his receivers six times. In their defense, the Jets do have a very good secondary.

First Quarter: C

Golden Tate and Doug Baldwin looked great on the opening drive. After that, the receivers either did not get open or Wilson did not see them.

Tight Ends

Final Grade: B+

It did not really seem like Zach Miller was getting particularly involved in this game early on, but he finished with a solid five catches for 37 yards. Miller caught several clutch balls for key first downs as well.

Fourth Quarter: A-

Nice catch on 4th-and-2 to keep the ball in Seattle’s hands for the remainder of the game.

Third Quarter: B+

That was a great catch by Zach Miller that could have been stopped short of a first down. You love to see a guy bully his way across the first-down marker. Tight ends are still not a big factor in this game, though.

Second Quarter: D

Can you grade a group of players that really are not involved? One target, and no catches. Zach Miller only has two catches for eight yards at halftime.

First Quarter: B

Zach Miller had a nice first-down catch on 3rd-and-2, but other than that the tight ends were not targeted.

Offensive Line

Final Grade: C-

Not a particularly good day for the offensive line. Wilson was constantly scrambling and the line gave up four sacks. He may have held onto the ball too long on a few plays, but it seemed like the pocket kept collapsing throughout the afternoon. Lynch did go over 100 yards again, so you could argue that the line was somewhat effective.

Fourth Quarter: C-

Offensive holding. False start. Are you kidding me? Now, go thank Golden Tate and Sidney Rice for bailing you out after you put the Seahawks 1st-and-goal on the 23-yard line.

Third Quarter: C

The inability to move the football starts with the offensive line, as Wilson seems to be opting to scramble pretty early. When your team does not score any points in the quarter, it is a good indication of how the line is playing. 

Second Quarter: C+

The offensive line seems to be struggling a bit today. I don’t know if Wilson is hanging onto the ball too long, or if the line is just struggling to deal with their scrambling quarterback. That was a killer holding penalty at the end of the first half.

The line has given up three sacks in first half.

First Quarter: C

The opening drive was impressive, but the offensive line is not protecting well as Wilson is doing a lot of scrambling. The holding call was probably a result of Wilson waiting too long to get rid of the ball.

Defensive Line

Final Grade: A-

The defensive line was definitely a strength for the Seahawks in this game. It held the Jets to 84 yards on the ground, and the longest run was nine yards. Seattle kept the pressure on Sanchez all day and finished with three sacks, including two for rookie Bruce Irvin. I guess that first-round pick worked out after all. 

Fourth Quarter: A

At this point in the game, the defensive line does not have to worry much about the running game, as New York will need to air it out. Overall, the defense did a great job keeping the Jets off balance all day long.

Third Quarter: A

Just when it looks like the Jets might start moving the ball down the field, the defensive line stiffens up and sacks Sanchez. The line is still giving up some yards on the ground, but nothing substantial. 

Second Quarter: A-

It was nice to see the line buckle down after the Jets threatened in the red zone. New York has 48 yards on the ground at halftime.

First Quarter: A-

The defensive line is giving up yardage on the ground, but so far the Jets are not moving the ball down the field. Give the line credit for batting down Sanchez’s pass on third down to end their second drive.

Linebackers

Final Grade: A-

It wasn't a perfect day for the linebackers, but it was pretty close. New York did get a few runs through the line, but they did not get far. Bobby Wagner finished with nine tackles and now has 72 on the season.

Fourth Quarter: A

This was a pretty quiet quarter for the linebackers as the Jets had the ball for less than three minutes.

Third Quarter: A-

The linebackers are playing patiently and just waiting for Mark Sanchez to run out of options before they get ready to pounce.

Second Quarter: A-

Containment continues to be the name of the game for the linebackers as the defense is doing a great job of stifling the New York offense.

First Quarter: A-

The Jets are resorting to short-yardage throws, and the linebackers are doing an adequate job of containing the length of these passes.

Defensive Backs

Final Grade: A-

Seattle did give up a couple of long passes, but none of them led to scores. When the pass defense needed a big play, it got one. Sanchez finished 9-for-22 for 124 yards and a pick. This is why the secondary is so well regarded in the NFL. 

Fourth Quarter: A

Optimus Prime takes down Mark Sanchez and forces the fumble. I think the secondary has definitively put its mark on this game.

Third Quarter: A-

Mark Sanchez challenged the defensive backs on a long throw, and Kerley got sandwiched. I do not know if Sanchez is going to try a throw like that again.

Second Quarter: B+

The secondary went for a blitz and left a wide receiver in space for a big gain. Thankfully, the interception by Optimus Prime made up for it. Sanchez still is not challenging the secondary a great deal.

First Quarter: A

The reputation of the defensive backs is obviously being felt. Sanchez is completing some passes, but the Jets are not taking a lot of shots downfield.

Special Teams

Final Grade: A-

The game was pretty clean in terms of special teams play. There was not a ton of big plays on either side of the ball. For Seattle, the special teams were very solid. There was not a lot of fanfare. Instead, they just did their jobs.

Fourth Quarter: A-

The first real lack of containment in the game occurred as the Jets ran a kickoff back to the 35.

Third Quarter: A-

Not a lot of action for special teams in the third quarter. Solid punts, but little else.

Second Quarter: A

Special teams play has been virtually flawless. That fumble recovery on the punt coverage was huge for setting up the touchdown.

First Quarter: A-

The special teams did just about everything right. Kickers put the Jets in poor field position and Leon Washington had a nice return. Still no TDs for Washington.

Coaching

Final Grade: B+

I will give the coaching staff the benefit of the doubt in this game despite some offensive struggles in the second and third quarters. The game plan eventually wore the Jets down, and Pete Carroll stayed aggressive throughout the entire contest. Credit Seattle for taking the game to New York and setting the tempo.

Fourth Quarter: A

The trick play from Golden Tate to Sidney Rice was gutsy and it typified the play-calling for the day. The offense did have some issues, but I like that the coaches feel confident enough to try these types of plays.

Third Quarter: C

Throwing on first down is a nice way to be unpredictable, but it helps when your passing game is more in sync. Wilson is not making this an easy game to coach.

Second Quarter: C+

Carroll needs to give his offensive line a little pep talk. Lynch is not getting a lot of holes and Wilson is going to get killed. I still like the aggressive play-calling, particularly that flea flicker.

First Quarter: B-

Give Pete Carroll credit for going right after the Jets in the first quarter and being aggressive with the passing game. It's hard to grade the play-calling when your players are putting the ball on the ground.

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