Tag: boye mafe

PFF grades for every Seahawks defensive player at midseason

Here are the full grades for everyone who’s put in at least 50 snaps on defense.

The Seahawks have played eight games, putting them roughly at the halfway point on their 2023 schedule. For the next few days we’ll be doing a sort of mid season review. We’ve begun by examining the Pro Football Focus grades for each player who’s put in significant time on the field. On offense, Seattle has been led by rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo.

On defense, it’s not been difficult to figure out who the top performer is. Returning veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner is having another outstanding season and has posted the highest grade for this unit. Second-year edge rusher Boye Mafe and rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon are also on the high end of PFF’s defensive grades for Seattle.

As for the bad part, several key players on this side of the ball have brutal grades, including free safety Quandre Diggs and cornerback Riq Woolen. Here are the full grades for everyone who’s put in at least 50 snaps on defense.

Best and worst PFF grades for the Seahawks from Week 9

Here are the best and worst performers on both sides of the ball this week for the Seahawks according to PFF’s grades.

The Seahawks are coming off a brutal loss to the Ravens, but there were at least a few silver linings. Defensively, Seattle got another strong performance from second-year edge Boye Mafe, who earned the highest grade on the team this week. Rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, cornerback Tre Brown and newcomer Leonard Williams also posted strong grades. The rest of it is pretty ugly, though – especially in the trenches.

Here are the best and worst performers on both sides of the ball this week for the Seahawks according to PFF’s grades.

Studs and Duds for the Seahawks from their blowout loss to Ravens

Studs and Duds in Seahawks 37-3 blowout loss to Ravens

The Seattle Seahawks suffered a historic loss on Sunday. They tied a 41-7 blowout defeat to the New York Giants in 2010 as the second worst loss in the Pete Carroll era. Their 37-3 humbling by the Baltimore Ravens is second only to a shocking 42-7 smackdown by the Los Angeles Rams in 2017.

To say things went south fast for the Seahawks is the understatement of the weekend. For a failure of this magnitude, everyone on the team has to wear some of the blame, and it’s hard to find positives when there’s a 34-point loss on the books.

There will be a few Studs listed out of fairness to what they accomplished in the game, but the reality is there isn’t many great things to say about what happened in the Charm City.

First half highlights: Seahawks trail Ravens 17-3

First half highlights: Seahawks trail Ravens 17-3

It’s a brutal start to Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks and 12’s everywhere. The first half is decidedly in favor of the Ravens, who have imposed their will on offense and defense over Seattle. What started as a strong defensive battle devolved into Baltimore mostly dominating.

The Ravens have extended their NFL-leading streak of consecutive games with at least 100 rushing yards to 25-straight games, as they accomplished this midway through the second quarter. As it stands, Baltimore has 121 total yards on the ground as a team.

Meanwhile for the Seahawks, the highlight reel has been a little more bare. Linebacker Boye Mafe did provide a brief spark, strip sacking quarterback Lamar Jackson and recovering the fumble. Mafe has now recorded a sack in six-straight games, tying Michael Sinclair for the franchise record.

Seattle’s offense has been an abysmal 1-for-8 on third down, but they did start to get something cooking towards the end of the first half. Their first 20 plays of the game netted 50 total yards, but the Seahawks double that output on this pass to wide receiver DK Metcalf.

Unfortunately, all Seattle could get out of this was a 33-yard field goal from Jason Myers to avoid a first half shutout. However, Tre Brown forced a fumble from wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. on the ensuing possesion, giving the Seahawks one more shot in Baltimore territory before the first half concluded.

But, as it has been all first half, Seattle’s offense was unable to truly capitalize, as Geno Smith fumbled it back to the Ravens on a strip sack. The once-stout Seahawks offensive line has been bullied to the tune of allowing four sacks. Baltimore did what Seattle couldn’t, and got points from an opportunistic fumble.

The Ravens will receive the ball to start the third quarter.

Be sure to follow @TheSeahawksWire on Twitter for live updates, analysis and highlights during the game.

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Boye Mafe strips Lamar Jackson for his 6th sack of the season

Geno Smith throws INT to Geno Stone

Inactives for the Seahawks and Ravens

Boye Mafe strips Lamar Jackson for his sixth sack of the season

The only highlights we may see today may be of the defensive variety.

The only highlights we may see today may be of the defensive variety.

Watch Seahawks second-year outside linebacker Boye Mafe get to Lamar Jackson for a strip sack.

That’s Mafe’s sixth sack of the season and Jackson’s ninth fumble. Still, the Seahawks were unable to take advantage and went three and out after taking possession. Baltimore still leads 7-0.

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Geno Smith throws INT to Geno Stone

Inactives for the Seahawks and Ravens

Seahawks Week 9 injury report: only 2 players DNP

Seahawks Week 9 injury report: only 2 players DNP

Health has been a concern for the Seattle Seahawks this season, and typically Wednesday practices have been particularly brutal when it comes to injury reports. Fortunately, heading into Week 9, this Wednesday practice appears to be a bit of an outlier. Instead of the usual slew of names appearing as limited or did not practice, it’s a fairly light week.

The Seahawks managed to escape their Week 8 game against the Cleveland Browns unscathed when it came to injuries, which is great. Seattle will need all the health they can get going into Baltimore to face the Ravens.

Below is the full practice report from Wednesday:

Leonard Williams could be the final piece for Seahawks’ evolving defense. Grade: A

The Leonard Williams trade gives the Seahawks another force multiplier in a defense that’s been evolving right under your nose.

The Seattle Seahawks, after their 24-20 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, find themselves ranked 15th overall in Defensive DVOA, and ninth against the run. Both pretty decent upgrades over the 2022 season, when the Seahawks ranked 22nd in Defensive DVOA, and 24th against the run. Seattle did a lot in the offseason to upgrade their interior defensive line, signing former Denver Broncos star Dre’Mont Jones and journeyman Mario Edwards Jr., and bringing Jarran Reed back after seasons in Kansas City and Green Bay — Reed was Seattle’s second-round pick in 2016.

So, the Seahawks have had multiple guys who can stop things up inside, and can also show out in multiple fronts. That process accelerated seriously on Monday, when general manager John Schneider dropped the hammer on a trade that sends former New York Giants and New York Jets lineman Leonard Williams to the Emerald City for a second-round pick in 2024, and a fifth-round pick in 2025.

For the Giants, the thought process is obvious — they’re sellers at 2-6, and they were going to have trouble re-signing Williams, who’s in the last year of the three-year, $63 million contract extension he signed in 2021. 2024 is a void year in that contract, so the Seahawks rented Williams for the second half of the season and however far they make it through the postseason, and the Giants will eat a lot of the 2023 money.

For the Seahawks, this move gives them four legitimate inside/outside guys who can all disrupt the quarterback and stop the run, which is an obvious boon for defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt just as young edge-rushers Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor starting to show up hard. Add in a linebacker group led by Bobby Wagner that’s playing lights-out, and a secondary with as much talent as any NFL team could boast, and… well, this might not be a return to the Legion of Boom, but it’s pretty impactful.

What does the tape show for Seattle’s newest defender, who has two sacks, 22 total pressures, 14 tackles, and 13 stops this season? Let’s get to it.

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Seahawks players offer their thoughts after beating the Browns

Let’s see what the players had to say after it was over.

The 2023 Seattle Seahawks are officially a team you have to take seriously. Sunday’s victory over the Cleveland Browns proved that they are not only a legitimate top-10 team themselves, but they’re capable of beating other heavyweights around the league, as well. Let’s see what the players had to say after it was over.

Here are some clips of the Seahawks talking with the media after the game.

9 Seahawks highlights from their Week 8 victory over Browns

The Seattle Seahawks are getting good at winning ugly.

The Seattle Seahawks are getting good at winning ugly. Despite getting shut out by the Cleveland Browns in the second quarter, the third quarter and most of the fourth, they got the points they needed when it mattered in crunchtime. With under two minutes to play, Geno Smith led them on a touchdown drive to steal the lead and they went on to win by a score of 24-20.

Here are nine highlights from today’s game.

First half highlights: Seahawks lead Browns 17-14

First half highlights: Seahawks lead Browns 17-14

It’s been an explosive first half between the Seattle Seahawks and the Cleveland Browns. Instead of it being another defensive slugfest as many may have predicted, it’s been an afternoon filled with early fireworks on both sides. Fortunately, the Seahawks have had more.

Seattle started the game with an opening drive touchdown, scoring in the red zone to help alleviate some of the woes they’ve faced in this part of the field. Fan favorite rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo got things going with his three-yard touchdown run.

The Seahawks’ strong start continued with linebacker Jordyn Brooks forcing a fumble on this sack of PJ Walker. Second year defender Boye Mafe recovered, setting Seattle up nicely in Cleveland territory.

The Seahawks capitalized on the turnover, as Geno Smith found Tyler Lockett in the corner of the end zone, after he survived the pass rush. Smith’s pocket presense was exceptional in the first half.

Cleveland was able to finally get on the board following Seattle’s second touchdown, and cut the lead to 14-7.

On the Seahawks’ next possession, wide receiver DK Metcalf helped set up Seattle’s offense in great field position. The Seahawks were unable to find the end zone this time, but they did manage to extend their lead to ten with a field goal, making it 17-7.

The defense held strong on the next outing by the Browns offense, as second year cornerback Riq Woolen snagged his first pick of the year.

Cleveland followed up the interception by scoring a touchdown on the ground, once again cutting into Seattle’s commanding lead.

Geno Smith was intercepted right before halftime, as the Seahawks were attempting to add more points to their narrow lead. The Browns will get the ball to start the second half.

Be sure to follow @TheSeahawksWire on Twitter during the game for live updates, highlights and analysis.

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