Seahawks Report Card: Top Performers From 24-20 Win vs. Browns

From the outset, Mafe also set the tone as a run defender, keeping his outside shoulder free on a power sweep and joining forces with Jamal Adams to bring down Jerome Ford for a third down tackle for loss on the game's opening drive. He also made a pair of tackles at the line of scrimmage where he took on pulling guards at the point of attack and shed the blocks before quickly closing in on the ball carrier. In total, he registered four run stops netting four or fewer yards and also recovered a fumble on a sack by Jordyn Brooks to set up a touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Tyler Lockett, capping off a complete day for the rising sophomore.

Jordyn Brooks

Overall Grade: 88.0 (Pass Rush 90, Run Defense 86, Tackling 90, Coverage 84)

Coming off a fantastic finish against Arizona a week earlier, Brooks picked right up where he left off while seeing an uptick in playing time against a more run-centric Cleveland squad. After making one run stop on the opening series, he came through untouched through the C-gap on a third down blitz and blasted an unsuspecting Walker on a blind side sack, knocking the ball out of his hands with the hard hit for Mafe to recover in Browns territory. Thriving as a rusher, he has now tripled his previous career-best with 3.5 sacks already in 2023.

Along with racking up 10 tackles, a pair of run stops netting three or fewer yards, and two quarterback hits, with the exception of getting caught out of position on a long screen catch by Pierre Strong, Brooks had a quality game in coverage for the Seahawks as well. He was directly targeted twice by Walker, allowing just eight yards on two catches, and did a fine job taking away opportunities in the middle of the field all afternoon long. He also made a nice play hauling down tight end David Njoku two yards short on a third down reception, but unfortunately, Seattle gave up a first down via penalty on the ensuing fourth down conversion attempt.

Stone Forsythe

Overall Grade: 86.5 (Pass Blocking 83, Run Blocking 88)

In just his third career start at right tackle, Forsythe accepted the challenge dealing with a dynamic pair of edge rushers in Myles Garrett and Za'Darius Smith head on and turned in the best game of his career thus far. On Seattle's opening possession, he executed a reach block on 3-tech defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, hooking the defender back outside to create a crease for running back Ken Walker III, who cut back against the grain and rocketed through the hole for a 47-yard run deep into Cleveland territory. A couple plays later, the third-year blocker successfully kicked out a defender to allow receiver Jake Bobo to turn upfield on a jet sweep for a three-yard touchdown run.

In the screen game, Forsythe teamed up with rookie guard Anthony Bradford to pancake a linebacker as Jaxon Smith-Njigba picked up 19 yards on a 2nd and 15 play. As for pass protection, while he did get beat a couple of times by Za'Darius Smith off the edge, he didn't allow any quarterback hits or sacks on Smith and held up quite well in his handful of reps matched up against Garrett in an impressive display. When he did get beat, he showed off his athleticism recovering to keep his hands on the rusher, buying Smith time to maneuver the pocket and extend plays. With Abraham Lucas' status still uncertain, the former sixth-round pick has earned himself at least one more start in his absence.

Riq Woolen

Overall Grade: 85.0 (Coverage 86, Run Defense 84, Tackling 85)

After starting his sophomore season off slowly by his standards, Woolen came through with his best game of the season by a wide margin. With Walker testing him early, he did give up a 20-yard catch to Amari Cooper along the sidelines that extended a drive near midfield and got tagged with a questionable pass interference penalty that negated a 4th and 2 pass breakup. But the Pro Bowler redeemed himself big-time as he made a diving interception on an errant throw by Cleveland's backup quarterback deep in Seattle's territory, managing to get his hands underneath the ball to secure the pick and send the visitors back to the sideline without any points.

Coming out of halftime, after the Browns had advanced the ball quickly past midfield, Woolen showed off his sub-4.3 speed flying up in run support to push speedy veteran Marquise Goodwin out of bounds for a five yard loss. He would later add a second pass breakup, likely kicking himself for not snagging what would have been a game-ending turnover as it bounced off of his hands in the final minute of regulation. Even with that missed opportunity, however, he allowed just two receptions on five targets with an interception, pass defensed, and tackle for loss, taking on a starring role in another steady defensive performance for the Seahawks.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Overall Grade: 84.0 (Receiving 87, Run Blocking 72)

Statistically, Smith-Njigba only had 36 yards on three receptions and Lockett had a far bigger afternoon in both categories. But when the Seahawks needed a spark on Sunday, the dynamic rookie came through in pivotal moments and did so in the most unexpected fashion imaginable by delivering big plays on screens on two different occasions. Following a five-yard loss on a reverse by Dee Eskridge midway through the first quarter, Smith quickly flung the ball out to his young wideout on a quick screen on 2nd and 15 and turned on the jets behind blocks from Forsythe and Bradford, eventually slipping to the sideline for a scintillating 19-yard gain to set up Lockett's touchdown grab.

After largely going missing in the middle two quarters, Smith-Njigba came through in the clutch again after Smith had marched the Seahawks inside the 10-yard line with under a minute remaining. Successfully getting the cornerback across from him turned inside with a quick stutter step, he caught a bubble screen from Smith and exploded outside. With DK Metcalf making an excellent block in front of him outside the numbers, he tip-toed along the sideline before sprinting into the end zone for the game-winning score, showcasing the quickness and after the catch ability the team thought they were adding to the mix picking the playmaker out of Ohio State.

Other Notable Performances

Hauling in a team-high eight receptions for 81 yards, Lockett just missed out on a top-five grade with an 83.5 overall score. In the backfield, Zach Charbonnet also came up just short in his best game as a pro, generating 30 yards after contact on five carries and excelling in pass protection for an 83.0 mark. Receiver DK Metcalf only caught five out of 14 targets, but the majority of those misses were uncatchable and he reeled in all but one of Geno Smith's throws in his vicinity while also dishing out several key blocks for an 81.0 score. Considering the level of difficulty in his assignment blocking against Myles Garrett, tackle Charles Cross did a fine job allowing just four pressures and one sack, earning a 79.0 score. Center Evan Brown also played well in pass protection, yielding just two pressures from the pivot position for a 78.0 score. At right guard, Anthony Bradford allowed two of the three hits on Smith and had some struggles in pass pro, but he had several key blocks to spring Ken Walker and Charbonnet as well as a pancake on a screen, receiving a 74.5 score. Under center, Smith executed some difficult throws, but he also had several uncharacteristic misses and threw two interceptions, netting a season-low 71.0 grade.

Continuing to play at a high level in his 12th season, Bobby Wagner had six tackles against the run for three yards or less and a pair of tackles for loss to go with a pass breakup, earning an 83.0 overall grade. Leading the team with five pressures and tying Mafe with three quarterback hits along with a tackle for loss, Dre'Mont Jones quietly had a strong outing generating interior penetration for an 82.0 score. Jarran Reed also kept his great season going with three run stops of two yards or less and a pair of pressures for an 80.0 mark. Safety Jamal Adams missed a chance to bring down Njoku on a 41-yard screen, but he was otherwise excellent amassing eight tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection with his helmet that turned into a critical interception for teammate Julian Love in the fourth quarter, netting him an 80.0 grade as well. Love missed a pair of tackles, but he only gave up two receptions in coverage and his interception vaulted his score to 78.5 for the game. The Browns largely avoided rookie Devon Witherspoon, who allowed one catch on five targets in his direction and had two tackles for a 76.0 grade.