Seahawks vs. Ravens: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Seattle

The Seattle Seahawks overcame a sloppy start and an injury to running back Thomas Rawls to convincingly defeat the Baltimore Ravens on the road, 35-6.

Quarterback Russell Wilson threw five touchdowns for the second time in three weeks, leading an offensive onslaught against a reeling Ravens secondary.

Wideouts Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett were Wilson's main targets, each catching six passes and multiple touchdowns. Baldwin finished with three scores and 82 yards, while Lockett hauled in two touchdowns and led the team with 104 receiving yards.

The final score isn't indicative of a sloppy, awkward first half that saw Rawls leave the game with an ankle injury and the Ravens stay within one score at halftime.

After bursting out to a six-carry, 44-yard start, Rawls injured his ankle after being gang tackled behind the line of scrimmage. Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle reported on Twitter that Rawls' ankle is broken, and that the undrafted sensation will miss the rest of the season. 

Shortly after, third-year runner DuJuan Harris lost a fumble in Rawls' place. He finished the game with 18 carries and 42 rushing yards.

But Seattle's defense returned the favor with a minute left in the first half. Rookie defensive end Frank Clark forced a fumble from Ravens rookie runner Javorius Allen, and Wilson hit Baldwin for a 14-yard score two plays later to take a 14-3 lead.

Baltimore quickly answered with a field goal to end the half, but it would make no difference in the game. Those were the last points the Ravens would score.

Seattle held the Ravens to a franchise-low four rushing yards in the first half.

In the second half, the Seahawks were ruthless on both sides of the ball. The lack of a legitimate rushing attack didn't phase Wilson, who threw three more touchdowns to Baldwin and Lockett.

Seattle's offensive line flat-out balled on Sunday, allowing zero sacks and providing Wilson with more than adequate time to throw his five scores. That protection should be directly tied to how open Seahawks receivers were all day long.

Although Seattle's defense didn't allow many points, Ravens quarterback Jimmy Clausen did throw for 274 yards. Cornerback Richard Sherman intercepted Clausen late in the game on an off-target pass.

Even so, the Seahawks decimated the Ravens in a complete team victory. Seattle is now 8-5 and looking like a dangerous playoff team in the regular season's final stretch.  

Grades

Gail Burton/Associated Press

Quarterback: A+

How do you give Wilson any lower of a grade? He has been arguably the league's best quarterback during the last four weeks, and Sunday's performance was no different.

Wilson displayed surgical precision throughout the game. After another day with five touchdowns and zero picks, all you can say is that Wilson is on fire right now, and there's no sign that fire will be dimming any time soon. 

Running Backs: C

Without Rawls, Seattle's rushing attack severely suffered.

Fred Jackson was ineffective, only rushing for 15 yards on seven carries. 

As mentioned, Harris lost a fumble not long after getting into the game. To his credit, he ran hard after losing the fumble. The Seahawks were fortunate that their passing offense carried them to a win on Sunday.

Wide Receivers: A

The combination of Baldwin, Lockett and Jermaine Kearse was an unstoppable one against the Ravens.

When the Seahawks' trio weren't torching Ravens defenders, they were unbelievably open. Wilson's chemistry with his receivers is getting visibly better each and every week.

On three separate third downs, Baldwin moved the chains on the same short out route. The Ravens were incapable of covering Baldwin or any other Seattle receiver.

Tight Ends: C

Luke Willson dropped an easy touchdown in the end zone, and Cooper Helfet only caught two passes for 20 yards. Helfet showed nice moves on a 17-yard catch-and-run, however. The ineffectiveness of this group has yet to catch up to the Seahawks.   

Offensive Line: A

This group has improved immensely from a few weeks ago. They are giving Wilson time to put up elite numbers and impressively showing up in run-blocking.

Offensive line coach Tom Cable deserves a ton of credit for shoring up this position group.

Defensive line: B   

Seattle's defensive front wasn't as ferocious as it has been in recent weeks, and it's why Clausen racked up 274 passing yards. Michael Bennett registered Seattle's only sack, and Clark did force a fumble, which linebacker Bobby Wagner recovered.

The defensive front also held the Ravens to 28 total rushing yards, which is notable. 

Linebackers: B

Not much to talk about here, as this group played solid and tackled well but didn't come up with any game-altering plays.

Defensive Backs: B-

This group allowed far too many yards to Clausen and the Ravens receivers. Safety Kam Chancellor left the game with a tailbone injury, which couldn't have helped the secondary's cause.

Frankly, Ravens receivers often outmatched Seahawks defenders in single-coverage situations.

But they did enough to win, and Sherman's interception keeps this group from receiving a C.

Special Teams: A

This group essentially played mistake-free, which is all you can ask for on any Sunday. 

Coaching: A

Seattle beat Baltimore in dominant fashion, which is important. Coach Pete Carroll and his staff had the team in the right mindset against an inferior opponent. 

If the Seahawks are indeed a contender, then they need to keep pummeling teams like the Ravens. Seattle's coaching staff deserves a ton of credit for the team's late-season resurgence.

Seahawks Suffer Key Injuries

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The incredible rookie season of Thomas Rawls came to an abrupt end Sunday, as the undrafted running back suffered a broken ankle on the Seahawks' opening possession.

Obviously, it's a huge blow for the Seahawks going forward.

The only good news is that Rawls' injury shouldn't make a huge difference in the short-term, as the Seahawks play the Cleveland Browns next week. They are a good enough team to win against another inferior opponent without Rawls.  

Harris will likely get the bulk of the carries until Marshawn Lynch returns. That date, of course, is still yet to be determined. 

And, despite losing a fumble, Harris showed plenty of grit and burst on many runs after the mistake.

More good news? With how well Seattle's offensive line is playing, whoever is running the football should have some good holes to dash through. 

Chancellor left the game with a tailbone injury and didn't return, but Coach Carroll said that he has a chance to be back by the end of the week, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. 

Again, Seattle's strength of schedule helps the team in this situation. Even if Chancellor can't play next week, the Seahawks should still handle the Browns. 

Bennett and cornerback DeShawn Shead both left Sunday's game with minor injuries, but both came back to play. 

Carroll: Rawls Just Exemplifies What We're All About

Nick Wass/Associated Press

There's no way to avoid it: Rawls' injury is the most important news coming out of Sunday's win.

Coach Carroll is understandably upset for his star rookie.

“He just exemplifies what we’re all about—toughness, hard-nosed, committed, grit and all that stuff," Carroll said during his postgame press conference. "We love the guy and we’re going to really miss him. He has really been a great asset to us this year and we love the way he has played."

The most important part of that quote? Carroll listing toughness, grit and commitment as the ingredients that the Seahawks are made of.

And that grocery list, if you will, has made itself apparent in recent weeks.

And that's why, despite the injury, the Seahawks will keep rolling. Seattle has branded itself as a tough football team in recent years, and that toughness has finally shown up late this season.

The Seahawks will be OK.

Part of the reason why they'll be OK is due to the offensive line's recent uptick in play. 

"It all starts up front," Wilson said in his postgame press conference. "We are running the ball well and throwing the ball well."

After allowing 31 sacks in the season's first seven games, Seattle's offensive line has only allowed eight in the last six games. It's why Wilson is the first quarterback since 1960 to have a passer rating of 138.5 or better in four straight games.

If this historic aerial attack continues, there aren't many teams that will be able to keep up with the Seahawks in the postseason.

Ethan is a Seattle Seahawks Game Day Correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ebai_today for Seahawks coverage and musings about the NFL.