The Seahawks began their regular season winning a game at home on a missed field goal and ended it winning a game at home on a made one.
In between, the Seahawks provided more thrills and spills than most might have anticipated on March 8, when both Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner departed.
There were two overtime games — a win and a loss, each at home — and nine games decided by seven points or fewer.
Seattle went 4-5 in those games. Change one of those to a win and Seattle would have clinched a playoff spot before Sunday. Change one to a loss and the playoffs would have been gone before Sunday.
Such is life in the NFL.
The regular season, at least, ended on a happy note on the field, with one last one-possession game, a 19-16 OT win against the Rams on Sunday at Lumen Field, allowing Seattle to finish at 9-8 and with a winning record for the 10th time in Pete Carroll’s 13 years as head coach.
Here are grades.
Quarterback
Geno Smith called Sunday maybe his worst game of the season, and the stats backed that up. He tied a season high with two interceptions, which he’d done only one other time, and had a season-low passer rating of 65.7. But one thing Smith has indisputably proven this year is an ability to stay poised in the rough times, and he did so again, leading Seattle on three drives of 50 yards or longer in the fourth quarter and OT, all for scores or should-have-been scores, to pull the game out. Whether the team is convinced that Smith has shown he can be a franchise quarterback for the long term may be the biggest question that awaits. But that it’s even a question shows how much Smith has proved the last four months.
Grade: C-minus
Running back
Rookie Kenneth Walker III had to handle almost all of the running back duties, with a career-high 29 carries. And while the yards were tough to gain — 114 for an average of 3.9 per attempt — like Smith, he didn’t flinch and saved his best for last with a 20-yarder in OT to go over the 100-yard mark for the third game in a row (fifth of the season) and becoming the second rookie in Seahawks history to get more than 1,000 with 1,050. Walker also was credited with making the tackle on an interception by Jalen Ramsey on the game’s first play to help prevent a touchdown. DeeJay Dallas had a 27-yard run early in the game but didn’t touch the ball after taking a hard hit on a 3-yard loss on a reception early in the fourth quarter.
Grade: A-minus
Receiver
This was another matchup that looked rough going in with the Rams having a good set of corners, Tyler Lockett playing at less than 100% and the Seahawks going with untested second-year player, Cade Johnson, as the third receiver with Marquise Goodwin and Dee Eskridge out. DK Metcalf also had what is always one of his toughest matchups with Jalen Ramsey, who had two interceptions — both on Metcalf targets. Metcalf had three receptions for 40 yards on eight targets and has four catches for 43 yards on 13 targets in the last two games. But Lockett fended off the aches to make two huge catches — a 36-yard TD in the third quarter and a 17-yarder in OT to help set up the winning field goal. Johnson (2-21) and Dareke Young (2-24) each made the first catches of their career.
Grade: B
Tight end
Not quite the big production of last week from this group, but there were a few big moments, notably Colby Parkinson’s 32-yarder on a second-and-11 that set up the tying field goal in the fourth quarter. And his 15-yarder got Seattle going on its only TD drive.
Grade: B-minus
Offensive line
It looked ugly at times on the field. But then you look at the stats and see Seattle rushed for 197 yards, the Seahawks’ third-highest total of the season, and 5.5 per carry against a defense ranked 10th in the NFL against the rush at 109.9 per game. Smith was given time just often enough to pull off a few big plays when it mattered most. Gabe Jackson went all the way at right guard with Phil Haynes out with an ankle injury, and Abraham Lucas also returned to go all the way at right tackle after sitting out last week with a knee injury.
Grade: B
Defensive line
Seattle got four sacks from its front-line players, and five overall, tying the second most of the season and the most since a win over the Giants on Oct. 30. And after the Rams had a good second quarter rushing the ball to finish with 95 on 13 carries at halftime, the Seahawks held L.A. down from there as the Rams had just 51 yards on 15 attempts in the second half and OT. The most notable individual performance may have been from 35-year-old Bruce Irvin, credited with 1.5 sacks. And Darrell Taylor kept his late-season momentum going with another sack to finish with 9.5, moving him past Uchenna Nwosu for the most on the team.
Grade: B-plus
Linebacker
After a few shaky moments in the first half on some Rams misdirection, the first full game without Jordyn Brooks ended up going OK. Cody Barton took over in the middle and had a team-high seven tackles, one on a third-down play on the Rams’ first series following Ramsey’s first interception to keep L.A. to just a field goal. Tanner Muse got most of the snaps at weakside linebacker and had three tackles. Alexander Johnson, called off the practice squad, saw his first action and also had three tackles.
Grade: B
Secondary
There were a couple of rough moments early. Cornerback Michael Jackson appeared to lose contain on what turned out to be L.A.’s longest run of the day, a 32-yarder by Cam Akers that set up a field goal. Johnathan Abram was called for illegal contact on a third down. And the Seahawks gave up third-down conversions of 6 and 10 yards on L.A.’s lone TD drive in the second quarter. But Quandre Diggs saved the day with his sprint to pick off Baker Mayfield’s pass in OT, and Coby Bryant had a pretty active game with six tackles and a sack.
Grade: B-minus
Special teams
That Jason Myers missed a 46-yarder at the end of regulation that could have ended the game sooner is hard to overlook. But, otherwise, this was a positive day as Myers made four other field goals — including the winner — and Michael Dickson again punted well. He also took the hit on the running-into-the-punter penalty that helped turn the game around in the fourth quarter. Dallas had a 20-yard punt return. And the unheralded play of the game was Young’s open-field tackle on Seattle’s OT punt that pinned the Rams at their own 26.
Grade: B