Seattle Seahawks Week 15 Report Card: Grades for Every Starter vs. Chicago Bears

The Seattle Seahawks played a near-flawless second half against the Chicago Bears, turning a 14-7 first-half deficit into a commanding 38-14 win.

The following slides offer highlights and grades for each starter's performance in the Seahawks win over the Bears.

Sunday's game was remarkably similar to the Seahawks season. The team looked sluggish and lethargic much of the time in the first half of both, only to rally and look respectable in the second.

The Bears were moving the ball almost at will while the Seahawks offense was stagnant over the first 30 minutes.

The ground game was not producing and Tarvaris Jackson was struggling to find targets in the passing game. 

Seattle has looked lethargic at the start of several "early" games this season. As they've done several times before, they came out looking energized and ready to play in the second half.  

Pete Carroll and the coaching staff also made several halftime adjustments to put the players in position to win the game. 

Paul McQuistan, LT: B+

This grade is based solely on Paul McQuistan's performance in this game. It would certainly be higher if circumstances were taken into consideration...such as McQuistan moving from his normal guard position to play left tackle and having to face Julius Peppers.

McQuistan wasn't able to hold a block against Peppers early in the game, allowing him to knock the ball from Tarvaris Jackson's hand for a fumble and the Bears' first touchdown.

This was the only sack surrendered on the day though, as Jackson had time to throw on most plays.

Yardage for Marshawn Lynch wasn't quite as plentiful against the Bears. The offensive line wasn't able to move the Bears front seven around as well as they had done to other units in recent weeks.

McQuistan also made a heads-up play on a fumble in the second quarter. Brian Urlacher was perched over the ball but McQuistan dove in and recovered the errant snap. The play led to a punt but it did keep Chicago from adding more points to the scoreboard at the end of the first half.

Robert Gallery: B+

Gallery was solid all around in Chicago. He was tough in pass defense and adequate in run blocking.

On the sack, though, Gallery did fail to notice the trouble McQuistan was having with Peppers. He was looking for a man to block; helping on the back-end of McQuistan's block would have saved Seattle a turnover.

Max Unger, C: B

Max Unger has been solid for the Seahawks this season. Aside from his blocking duties he's been able to direct the rest of the offensive line effectively.

Unger was on top of assignments in Chicago as well. The blown blocking schemes that plagued Seattle early in the season were not present in this game.

Unger was not able to help bore holes in the middle of the Bear defensive front. He had a mixed review in goal line rushing attempts, though. Thanks to a second chance offered from a Bears penalty he was able to make up for a big loss on a rushing attempt by Leon Washington.

He helped spring Marshawn Lynch for a two-yard touchdown run, giving the Seahawks an early 7-0 lead.

The biggest issue Unger has had this season is errant snaps to the quarterback. He again missed on a snap, sending the ball off of Jackson's ankle. Seattle was fortunate to recover the ball.

Lemuel Jeanpierre, RG: B+

Lemuel Jeanpierre has done an admirable job filling in for John Moffitt since his injury. He is a testament to the effectiveness of Tom Cable in keeping the offensive line plugging along despite losing three of five starters for the season...and all five for at least two games.

Jeanpierre was solid in pass blocking and adequate in blocking for the running backs. He did have a penalty for holding which helped stall a short drive at the end of the first quarter.

Breno Giacomini, RT: B+

The Chicago Bears had Peppers lining up on both sides of the defensive line. Breno Giacomini was adequate in picking up the rush, but did allow penetration in the offensive backfield.

Giacomini also allowed several rushing plays to get shut down before they began. As was the case with the entire offensive line, solid play was the cornerstone of his game.

Zach Miller, TE: A-

Seattle has become accustomed to using Zach Miller in pass blocking. Against the Bears, Miller was able to remind Seattle's fans why the Seahawks signed him to a big contract in free agency.

Miller caught four balls on five targets, gaining 23 yards. One of them was a big 12-yard gain on third and 11. 

Miller was also instrumental in blocking yet again. Tom Cable knows him well and has used him effectively to bolster the offensive line following the numerous injuries.

Mike Williams, WR: B

Just when Tarvaris Jackson and Mike Williams appeared to be on the same page...Williams suffered a broken ankle and will be lost for close to the next year. 

Williams had 31 yards on two catches. He almost made a nice catch on one of his other two targets, but wasn't able to secure the ball while going out of bounds.

Seattle will turn more to Ben Obomanu and possibly Ricardo Lockette, who was added to the 54-man roster last week.

Golden Tate, WR: A-

Since taking over for the injured Sidney Rice a few weeks ago, Golden Tate showed what he could be capable of in an expanded role in the Seahawks offense. He had several solid catches and moved well with the ball.

In addition to 61 yards on four receptions, Tate forced a pass interference call on a third down play. The 16 yard gain gave Seattle a first down, extending a drive that resulted in a field goal.

Seattle will need even more production from Tate for the remainder of the season with the loss of Williams. The second-year player looks to be ready to elevate his game.

Michael Robinson, FB: B

Michael Robinson's play appears to have changed right in step with the adjustments made to the Seahawks ground game at mid-season.

Robinson has been a solid blocker. He's also added a few big plays as a receiver out of the backfield this season.

He notched another against the Bears, taking a swing pass from Tarvaris Jackson and turning it into a two-yard touchdown reception.

Robinson isn't going to make fans forget about Mack Strong or Leonard Weaver, but he has certainly earned the respect of the fan base over the last two months.

Marshawn Lynch, RB: B

Perhaps we've become a touch spoiled when it comes to Marshawn Lynch. He'd rushed for over 100 yards in five of Seattle's last six games. He also had scored a touchdown in nine consecutive games played.

Lynch didn't have the same amount of running room against the Bears and also seemed to lack that extra kick in the first half.

Lynch was also met in the backfield a lot more often than he'd been accustomed to lately. That was evidenced by reaching a huge milestone on the season...three times.

Yes, twice Lynch reached 1,000 yards on the season, only to lose enough yards on his subsequent rush to fall back below the watermark. Three was a charm, though, as Lynch recorded his third career 1,000 yard season and first as a Seahawk.

Lynch gained just 42 yards on 20 carries. However, he scored two touchdowns in the game to extend his streak to 10-straight games.

Tarvaris Jackson, QB: B+

I typically find judging Tarvaris Jackson to be about the most difficult task with grading the Seahawks. He has some plays that make one wonder if he could actually be a franchise quarterback, only to follow it up with a decision that questions him starting beyond the current season.

His first half against the Bears was unremarkable.

With a 7-0 lead and standing in his end zone, he failed to recognize the pressure coming from behind. It is easy to appreciate that he was attempting to make a play to pick up a first down, but he allowed Julius Peppers to knock the ball out of his hand, leading to a Chicago touchdown.

That would be the only sack he'd allow on the day, though. He was able to spread the ball to open receivers and get rid of the ball when he needed to.

In all, Jackson hit 11 different targets with passes. Anthony McCoy dropped an easy pass, though, leaving Seattle with completions to 10 different receivers. Jackson was 19/31 (61 percent), 227 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT and a QB rating of 94.4. 

The first half was miserable for Jackson and the offense, which keeps this grade from being higher. Still, he gave the Seahawks what they expect from him. He did just enough to help the team win and not too much to push the game to the opposition.

Chris Clemons, Red Bryant, Raheem Brock, DEs: A

Given the manner in which the Seahawks rotate their defensive linemen, it is difficult to exclude a player simply because he wasn't on the field on the opening play.

Chris Clemons and Raheem Brock provided pressure on Caleb Hanie early and often. They both had two sacks, two tackles for losses and two QB hits. Clemons added in a pass deflection while Brock notched five tackles on the day.

Not to be outdone, Red Bryant had another interception. This time, though, he would high-step into the end zone to cap off a 20-yard return for a touchdown.

Bryant was a bit suspect with tackling responsibilities, but by and large the Bears avoided him when rushing the ball.

Brandon Mebane, Alan Branch, Anthony Hargrove, Clinton McDonald, DT: B+

The defensive tackles didn't have the same fire in the first half that the Seahawks and their fans have become accustomed to watching. There were some missed assignments and a lack of fire off the ball. They also had a few instances of tackling issues, helping to extend drives.

The group made up for lost time in the second half. They clamped down on the Bears run game and helped to pressure Caleb Hanie.

The versatility and depth of this unit is a major change from the prior season. They are a big part of why the Seahawks have been able to turn around their 2011 season.

K.J. Wright, Leroy Hill, David Hawthorne, LB: B+

It was hard to find a weak link in the Seahawks defense against the Bears. Subtle as they were, there were a few items the Seahawks could work on.

The team continues to struggle with tight ends and receivers releasing into passing routes. Teams with better tight ends will be able to exploit this weakness if the Seahawks manage to sneak into the playoffs.

Wright and Hawthorne led the team in tackles. Both had a tackle for loss, while Wright also had a QB hit.

Leroy Hill added four solo tackles, giving the linebackers a total of 19 tackles.

Brandon Browner, Richard Sherman, CB: A

The Seahawks cornerbacks are quickly become one of the better units in the NFL. It seems as though every week huge game-changing plays are being tallied by Brandon Browner and Richard Sherman.

Browner eclipsed Dave Brown's single-season record for total return yards off interceptions. He did it in grand fashion, returning an errant pass 42 yards for a touchdown. This was the 6'4" former CFL player's sixth interception of the season.

Richard Sherman wasn't to be outdone, as he recorded his third interception on the season.

Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Safety: A

Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas teamed up twice in an effort to create turnovers against the Bears. It is only fitting the two worked in unison in this effort as they are quickly becoming a feared unit on the Seahawks.

They comprise the best young safety tandem in the NFL.

With no score and the Bears taking over on offense for the second time, Kam Chancellor made an opportunistic hit on Johnny Knox. He separated him from the ball. leading to a fumble recovery by Earl Thomas.

Later in the game the two synced up again...this time for an interception. It was Chancellor setting up Thomas again, this time tipping a pass to the back of the end zone. Earl Thomas ran under the ball for his second turnover on the day.

Chancellor had six tackles on the day, while Thomas had four. 

The duo continues to cover a lot of ground, offering deep help when needed and being fast enough to step up in run support.