The Seattle Seahawks made it interesting after falling behind big in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers. However, they just weren't able to dig out of the rather deep hole they dug for themselves. Three turnovers did them in more than anything else, and they wound up losing at home for the second week in a row by the score of 36-24. It's another frustrating loss for the Seahawks considering the comeback that they had going for them.
Here are our studs and duds for this week's game.
Dud: QB Geno Smith
Seahawks veteran Geno Smith might be one of the most underrated starting quarterbacks in the NFL today, but there's no denying that this was a pretty putrid game from number seven. His inexcusable first interception in the first quarter put his team in an early hole and his equally-unacceptable pick in the middle of the fourth quarter basically finished the Seahawks off. Smith ended the game with a line of 30/52 for 312 passing yards, one score, two interceptions and a 65.5 passer rating. Geno gets a D+ grade from us this week.
Dud: WR DK Metcalf
Smith's numbers could have been better if the Seahawks had gotten a better effort out of star wide receiver DK Metcalf. To be sure, Metcalf made a couple of big plays, including a 30-yard catch and run early in the game. However, Metcalf also refused to fight for a couple of critical targets and seemed to have a miscommunication with Smith on the second interception. DK wound up with only three receptions on 11 targets.
Dud: RT Stone Forsythe
This horse is already long dead and we've also beaten the tar out of its ghost too, but it's worth repeating just how damaging right tackle Stone Forsythe's pass protection has been for this team. Forsythe struggled once again on practically every rep tonight against Nick Bosa, even when he had Zach Charbonnet and Noah Fant chipping in to help. Jason Peters can't get promoted from the practice squad fast enough.
Stud: KR Laviska Shenault Jr.
The game would have been over a lot earlier if not for a huge spark the team got in the middle of the third quarter from kick returner Laviska Shenault Jr., who went off for a 97-yard touchdown against the 49ers, forcing three missed tackles along the way. Shenault's play more than made up for a fumble earlier in the game.
Dud: KR/PR Dee Williams
While one return specialist is thriving, the other is absolutely bottoming out. Undrafted rookie Dee Williams continues to make poor decisions on practically every kickoff that comes his way. The Seahawks were extremely lucky that they got away with his hand touching the ball on a muffed punt return, which is one of far too many mistakes he's made this season. The Seahawks need to find someone else for this role, as in like yesterday.
Stud: LB Jerome Baker
Defensively the Seahawks were sloppy in a lot of ways, but they did have a couple of bright spots amid all the darkness. One of them was inside linebacker Jerome Baker, who made several impressive stops, including one TFL and one pass breakup.
Stud: DL Leonard Williams
The shorthanded defensive line continues to struggle, especially without Uchenna Nwosu to set the edge. It wasn't all bad in the trenches, though. Big Cat Leonard Williams put in another sharp game, racking up four tackles (one for a loss) and two quarterback hits.
Dud: Seahawks run defense
However, overall this unit underperformed in a bad way once again, especially against the run. While they were better in the second half that had more to do with the shoulder injury that sidelined Jordan Mason, who averaged 8.1 yards per carry while he was on the field. Even with Mason out, backup running back Isaac Guerendo finished them off with a 76-yard run inside the two-minute warning. As a team the Niners averaged over seven yards per attempt on the ground.
Dud: Seahawks pass rush
Seattle's pass rush was equally toothless against the 49ers. Brock Purdy consistently had plenty of time to work in the pocket and the pressure game that was so lethal the first three weeks of the season for this team was completely ineffective. In the end they didn't get to Purdy for a single sack and managed just four quarterback hits altogether. Despite the usual accuracy issues, Purdy wound up posting over 250 passing yards and three touchdowns.
