Continuing its free fall in October in November Seattle Seahawks Due to a series of self-inflicted mistakes, he was unable to maintain a 10-point lead in the first half and lost his fourth consecutive home game against the Los Angeles Rams, losing 26-20 in overtime.

Amidst a back-and-forth affair, the Seahawks had several strong performances despite falling short in the standings and ultimately falling to last place in the NFC West. After reviewing the All-22 film from Sunday’s contest at Lumen Field, here are my top five marks from Week 9.

General Note: 88.0 (Run Defense 90, Tackle 92, Coverage 84)

Jones, who looked much more comfortable after the second week of practice adjusting to his new team and new scheme, took center stage Sunday for a much-improved run defense that yielded under 70 rushing yards and under three yards per carry. In a strong performance against his former team, he recorded nine tackles, including three rushing stops of three yards or less, with his most notable play coming at a crucial moment late in the third quarter. As the Rams advanced to the one-yard line, he threw a ball through the play-side A gap, sending Kyren Williams flying in the backfield for a two-yard loss, which eventually led to a short field goal and held them. out of the end zone.

Showcasing his fluid athleticism, Jones also made a noticeable positive difference in the Seahawks’ coverage, regularly taking away centerers who fell into deep hook responsibility. In one example, Matthew Stafford took a throw over the middle and the veteran defender was looking to get a hit on his first interception of the season, but was unable to fully recover the deflected pass and had to settle for the pass being broken up. . His game, which allowed two catches on four targets for 20 yards, was a breath of fresh air after Sean McVay regularly torched Seattle’s defenders.

General Note: 87.0 (Receive 90, Run Inhibit 76*)

*Weighted for 14 run blocking snaps

Sunday’s contest did not start well for Smith-Njigba; Smith-Njigba leapt across the middle of his chest and threw a catchable pass that found its way into the hands of Jaylen McCullough for the interception. But from there, he bounced back in year two with the debut that fans had been eagerly awaiting, finally making his presence felt as a downfield weapon. After the Seahawks took a 6-3 lead late in the second quarter, Smith took advantage of free play after a Rams linebacker jumped offside and connected with him on a 46-yard corner route. Two minutes later, Smith-Njigba opened up in the end zone with a cross and kicked a 24-yard field goal to increase the lead to 10 before halftime.

In the second half, Smith-Njigba continued to stand out with big plays, although not all of them. Left wide open midway through the third quarter, Smith hit it for a 40-yard gain on 3rd-and-16, but Mike Jerrell made the interception to negate the explosive catch. After another 38-yard gain was erased by holding Jerrell for the second time, he turned in the clutch with a 29-yard reception and hit a big hit on a 14-yard corner route to send the game into overtime. . Finishing with 180 yards on seven catches with two scores, he could have eclipsed 250 yards with a better chance.

General Note: 85.0 (Run Defense 82, Tackle 86, Coverage 88)

Bryant, who took advantage of the opportunity to start in place of the injured Rayshawn Jenkins, continues to state that he remains in the squad even when the veteran player returns from hand surgery. While he flew all over the field and got a bad stink as a tackler, which wasn’t a fluke due to a holding penalty against the Rams, he produced five solo tackles and made his presence felt with two key pass breakups.

On a play after Jones tackled Williams for a loss, Stafford attempted to pass to Davis Allen in the end zone for third-and-goal. But Bryant was able to get his hand in front of the opponent and deflect the ball into the air, nearly allowing teammate Julian Love to dive under the ball for the interception and forcing the Rams to kick a field goal. Then, following Smith’s second goal to Smith-Njigba to tie the score, the third-year defender became a heat-seeking missile at the midfield post, ripping past Demarcus Robinson and launching the ball onto a deep ball; Game-winning Rams field goal attempt before regulation ended.

General Note: 84.5 (Defensive Rush 80, Tackle 88, Pass Rush 86)

On the stat sheet, Williams failed to get the better of Stafford on Sunday, but he played a leading role in Seattle’s efforts to limit Los Angeles to just 13 offensive points by frequently warming up the quarterback. In the first half, he was responsible for two of the team’s kicks on Stafford; these included splitting the double team with a well-executed swimming move and a big shot into the pocket to entice the third to rush the ball in the first quarter. He also tackled Riq Woolen in the second quarter, knocking Stafford to the ground.

Additionally, Williams left a positive mark on Seattle’s stellar run defense on Sunday, finishing with three running stops. Stafford teamed up with Byron Murphy II to insert Williams at the line of scrimmage for no gain before throwing a short touchdown pass to Robinson in the third quarter. He then walled Williams again for a one-yard gain and held his own in the trenches against an undermanned Los Angeles offensive line. In addition to making four interceptions, he generated six pressures on Stafford while playing as nose tackle, 3-tech defensive end and stand-up outside linebacker.

General Note: 82.0 (Passing 85, Running 70*)

*Weighted based on six rushing attempts

Some may wonder how Smith was rated so highly after two backbreaking interceptions in the red zone in the fourth quarter, including a pick-six returned by rookie Kam Kinchens. But on defense, tight end AJ Barner was stuck in the secondary, preventing the quarterback from getting to where he expected it to be. It could be argued that two of his three picks were not his fault, and despite those mistakes, he made some elite throws all day while under relentless pressure from the Rams front line.