Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 30-24 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Lumen Field:
OFFENSE
Seattle’s injuries at running back finally became too much to overcome as the Seahawks managed zero running game. Therefore, it was up to quarterback Geno Smith to carry the load, and he wasn’t up to the MVP-caliber standard he’s set this season. Smith did throw three touchdown passes, including two in the second quarter as Seattle got back into it after falling behind 17-0. But he also threw two interceptions and had his lowest completion percentage in a game this season (58.3 percent). This was despite getting solid protection against a team that blitzed a lot.
Grade: D+
DEFENSE
As bad as Seattle’s run defense has been in recent weeks, this may have been the worst the Seahawks have been dominated by an opponent’s rushing game. There were no illusions about what Carolina was going to do on offense, and Seattle couldn’t do anything to stop it, giving up 223 yards on the ground. The defense did make one big goal-line stand in the third quarter, but that was largely a product of the Panthers inexplicably calling four straight pass plays after having first-and-goal at the 4. Seattle, which has been one of the league’s better takeaway teams this season, forced no turnovers.
Grade: F
SPECIAL TEAMS
Where the heck has Godwin Igwebuike been hiding? The answer is on Seattle’s practice squad. Igwebuike was called up for the first time Sunday and made a huge impact in the return game, reeling off two long kickoff returns that set up scoring drives on short fields. Punter Michael Dickson had an uncharacteristic mediocre day, with none of his four punts dropping inside the 20. Kicker Jason Myers made all his kicks, but the Seahawks were unsuccessful on his last-second onside-kick attempt.
Grade: C+
COACHING
Seattle made a few effective adjustments on defense in the second quarter after falling behind 17-0, but that begs the question why the initial defensive scheme allowed short passes to receivers with space in front of them in the first place, considering the Seahawks were facing a run-heavy team on its third starting quarterback. Head coach Pete Carroll lost a challenge — he’s 0-for-4 this season when throwing the red flag — and when combined with an unnecessarily-burned timeout it left the Seahawks with just one at the end of the game when trying to save clock. And will the coaches ever devise a way to stop the run?
Grade: F
OVERALL
This was a disastrous result for the Seahawks. Seattle, fighting for its playoff life, was at home against a 4-8 Carolina team that’s undergone a coaching change and cycled through quarterbacks like Lance Armstrong. Instead of getting back on track, the Seahawks lost for the third time in their past four games, all against teams with losing records. With San Francisco continuing to roll, despite suffering injuries to key players, the NFC West may now be out of reach, and Seattle now needs to make up ground just to get back in the wild-card picture.
Grade: F
– Nick Patterson, Herald writer
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