Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks grade out in their 40-7 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday night at CenturyLink Field:
OFFENSE
The Seahawks’ offense bounced back in a big way from its worst outing of the season. Seattle reached both the 40-point barrier and the 500-yard mark for the first time this season. Thomas Rawls finally looked like the running back who was so exciting last season as a rookie, rushing for 106 yards and two touchdowns. The offensive line still had its moments as quarterback Russell Wilson was sacked three times, but it was a major improvement from a week ago as the return of center Justin Britt seemed to make a difference.
Grade: A-
DEFENSE
The defense had one bad moment the entire game, and it came one play after Seattle was reeling from free safety Earl Thomas suffering a broken leg. Otherwise, the Seahawks gave up nothing, allowing just 271 total yards. The tone was set on the first play from scrimmage, when linebacker Mike Morgan had an interception on a tip drill to set Seattle up inside the Carolina 10-yard line. And once again the Seahawks kept Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in check.
Grade: A-
SPECIAL TEAMS
For the first time this season, return man Tyler Lockett looked to have the same speed he had last season, when he was named to the Pro Bowl as a returner as a rookie, and his 46-yard kickoff return immediately after Carolina scored to make it 10-7 helped keep the momentum on Seattle’s side. Kicker Steven Hauschka was Steady Eddie, going 4-for-4 in field goals. Punter Jon Ryan’s services were required just once, and the Panthers were never much of a threat in the return game.
Grade: B+
COACHING
A week ago Seattle coach Pete Carroll took the blame for not having the Seahawks ready from the beginning. However, there was no trouble with that against the Panthers. Seattle also did a good job of adjusting its offensive game plan early in the game, dialing up plays designed for quarterback Russell Wilson to get rid of the ball before the pass rush arrived. And defensively the Seahawks came up with a plan to prevent Newton from doing any damage with his legs.
Grade: A
OVERALL
This was Seattle’s most emphatic victory of the season, which was a tremendous response to last week’s 14-5 loss at Tampa Bay. The one damper on the game was Thomas’ injury, which could deprive the Seahawks of the services of their defensive center fielder the remainder of the season. Seattle improved to 8-3-1, and the Seahawks remained a half-game ahead of Detroit for the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
Grade: A-
Nick Patterson, Herald Writer
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