Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 34-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday at CenturyLink Field:
OFFENSE
Talk about a tale of two halves. The Seahawks were absolutely dreadful in the first half as the offensive line was a mess — quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked five times and Seattle couldn’t score on four straight plays inside the 1-yard line. Things turned around dramatically in the second half, when the Seahawks scored four touchdowns, including one with 1:00 remaining that should have given Seattle the lead. Receiver Doug Baldwin had a career day, catching 13 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.
Grade: C+
DEFENSE
It was a strange game for Seattle’s defense. For a lot of the game the Seahawks seemed fine, keeping Arizona star running back David Johnson in check. However, Seattle’s defense, which prides itself on closing out games, succumbed late in the contest as the Cardinals scored on four of their final five drives. That included allowing Arizona, which had only one timeout remaining, to move the ball 50 yards in the final minute to set up the game-winning touchdown.
Grade: C-
SPECIAL TEAMS
It was a nightmare game for Seattle’s special teams. Kicker Steven Hauschka’s struggles against Arizona continued as he had a field goal blocked in first quarter, then missed wide on an extra-point attempt after the Seahawks’ final touchdown that would have given Seattle the lead with 1 minute remaining. Punter Jon Ryan also had a punt blocked late in the third quarter that gave the Cardinals a short field to score a touchdown and take an 11-point lead, forcing the Seahawks to play catch-up the rest of the way.
Grade: F
COACHING
Credit the Seahawks for making an offensive adjustment. Seattle’s offensive line was overwhelmed for much of the first half, but a switch to having Wilson get rid of the ball quicker took some of the pressure off the line and allowed the Seahawks to get into an offensive rhythm. However, Seattle had difficulties figuring out what to do in goal-line situations. Seattle’s defense made good choices on the blitz late in the game, but got away from that on the game’s final drive.
Grade: C
OVERALL
Seattle had everything left to play for, with a bye in the first round of the playoffs within their grasp, while the Cardinals had nothing at stake, having already been eliminated from the postseason. But the script was flipped on the Seahawks. Seattle not only lost its bid to have a perfect season at home, the Seahawks fell behind Atlanta — and possibly Detroit, depending on its game Monday — in the NFC standings and now need help if they want to avoid the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Grade: C-
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