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# Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks’ 18-16 Nail Biting Win vs. Colts
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/report-card-top-performers-seattle-seahawks-indianapolis-colts/
- Published: 2025-12-17T16:00:19.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:57:02.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori, Jason Myers, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed

Facing a far more formidable challenge than many expected and trailing for much of regulation, the Seattle Seahawks had to grind out an 18-16 home victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, using six Jason Myers field goals to finish off a late comeback and avoid a major letdown.

Looking back at a finish that wound up being way too close for comfort, who stood out for Seattle during the team’s fourth straight win that kept them tied atop the NFC West standings? Here are my top six performers from the Seahawks’ nail-biting Week 15 victory at Lumen Field:

### Jason Myers

**Overall Grade**: 95.0 (Kicking 95)

It isn’t abnormal for a kicker to win a game in the closing seconds in the NFL, as it seems to happen multiple times each week. But it’s far more rare to see a kicker put an entire offense on his shoulders as Myers did on Sunday, booting six field goals and drilling all of them between the uprights on a gloomy, cool winter day. With Seattle’s offense unable to finish any of its drives with a touchdown, the veteran didn’t blink regardless of the pressure, including nailing a game-winning 56-yard field goal with room to spare as the clock rolled under 20 seconds to play. The performance marked the 42nd time in NFL history that a kicker has made at least six field goals with a 100% conversion rate in a single game, per Pro Football Reference, moving him into the league lead with 37 made field goals this season and second overall with nine made kicks of 50-plus yards.

### Nick Emmanwori

**Overall Grade**: 88.0 (Run Defense 90, Tackling 88, Pass Rush 80, Coverage 92)

No, Emmanwori didn’t produce a rarely achieved feat on Sunday as he did one week earlier in Atlanta, lacking an interception or blocked field goal this time around. But Seattle’s rising rookie safety once again turned in a fantastic performance, starting off with a bang to single-handedly wreck the Colts first offensive possession. 44-year-old quarterback Philip Rivers tested him twice on that series, only for the versatile defender to get his hands on a fluttering wheel route to running back Jonathan Taylor and break up a crossing route over the middle on third down to force a punt. In addition, he hauled down Taylor at the line of scrimmage in backside pursuit on that drive, doing a bit of everything from the outset.

Later in the first half, Emmanwori came on a blitz and looked to have a straight path to Rivers, only for the quarterback to make his job a lot easier by stumbling at the midfield logo, getting up, and slowly jogging two yards upfield for the safety tapped him down for a sack. While it will only show up in the box score as a regular tackle, the second round pick’s most important play came on Indianapolis’ final possession when he snuffed out a screen to Taylor, managed to slither away from All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson’s block attempt, and stuffed the back in space for a minimal gain. If he would have been blocked or missed the tackle, the back might have had a 30-plus yard gain. Continuing to play outstanding football at a variety of positions, he finished second on the team with seven combined tackles and led the unit with two pass breakups to go with his second sack of the year.

### Byron Murphy II

**Overall Grade**: 86.5 (Run Defense 94, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 78)

With minimal chances to rush the passer, Murphy didn’t record any pressures on Rivers on Sunday, but that had more to do with the Colts quarterback getting rid of the football rapid fire than anything else. There were still several occasions where the second-year defender knocked his opponent backwards off the ball, speeding up Rivers’ clock and coaxing a few rushed, balloon-like throws, particularly in the second half. In that sense, he remained disruptive in the passing game even if it didn’t result in any sacks, quarterback hits, or even pressures into the pocket, making his presence felt without numbers to back up his effectiveness.

But while Murphy didn’t have any production to show for some quality rushes, the same need not be said defending Taylor and the run game, where he was utterly dominant all day long. On the first play from scrimmage, he shucked away guard Matt Goncalves’ hands and powered past the blocker to stuff the back in the hole for a two-yard gain. In the third quarter, he turned in arguably the most impressive play of his career to this point, dropping down to one knee against a double team without giving up any ground before splitting the blockers and blowing up Taylor at the line of scrimmage for no gain. He would add two more run stops under three yards and his work against double teams opened things up for other defenders to come in and clean up Taylor and Ameer Abdullah, holding Indy to under 3.6 yards per carry.

### Leonard Williams

**Overall Grade**: 85.0 (Run Defense 88, Tackling 90, Pass Rush 84)

Not to be outdone by his younger understudy in Murphy, “Big Cat” did plenty of damage of his own in the trenches on Sunday, giving Nelson and the rest of the Colts’ offensive line issues out of the gate. After teaming up with Murphy to stonewall Taylor on the first play of the game for a two-yard gain, he levied a big hit on Rivers on third down to close out the drive, with the pressure leading to a rushed throw that Emmanwori wound up breaking up to force the punt. Before halftime, he added a two-yard run stop and blew up a screen to tight end Tyler Warren, shrugging off a blocker and chasing down the rookie from behind for a one-yard loss.

Out of the break, Williams offered Seattle’s most tangible form of a pass rush on an afternoon where Rivers’ quick trigger made the opportunities to do so few and far between. He pressured the quarterback two additional times, including blasting Rivers after he tried to scramble out to his right on a second down throw on Indy’s final drive, finishing with a team-high three pressures and two quarterback hits. He also added a second demolished screen to his stat sheet, thwarting a mid-fourth quarter drive by hauling down Abdullah for a three-yard loss on 3rd and 5 to lead to another Colts punt, wrapping up yet another stellar outing with two tackles for loss to help keep another opponent under 17 points for a third straight game.

### Rashid Shaheed

**Overall Grade**: 85.0 (Receiving 90, Run Blocking 60\*)

Truly starting to find his groove catching passes from Sam Darnold after a slow start with his new team, Shaheed helped get the Seahawks on the board for the first time in the closing moments of the first quarter, returning a kickoff 30 yards to set up the offense with great field position and adding a 13-yard reception to help position the team for a Jason Myers field goal. Down 10 late in the half, his nine-yard reception kick-started Seattle’s final drive of the half on a strong note, setting up another field goal to go into the break trailing by only one score despite a mostly lethargic performance on the offensive side of the ball.

Fast forwarding to the the end of the third quarter, Shaheed provided the first real spark the Seahawks had in the passing game all afternoon long, coming open on a deep out route and slipping through a tackle after the catch for a 27-yard gain to lead to Myers’ fourth field goal and cut the deficit to one. After the Colts had recaptured a 16-15 advantage inside two minutes to play, the speedy receiver wisely turned up along the sideline for a 28-yard kick return before promptly going out of bounds to save as much clock as possible. On the ensuing snap, he came open over the middle for a 17-yard reception and added an eight-yard catch before running out of bounds, putting Myers within range for a 56-yard game winner. Eclipsing 65 receiving yards for a second straight week, he finished with second on the team in receptions (five) and receiving yards (74), coming up big down the stretch in another positive step forward connecting with Darnold.

### Jaxon Smith-Njigba

**Overall Grade**: 83.0 (Receiving 84, Run Blocking 64\*)

Proving that even Smith-Njigba can be human from time to time, the star receiver had a horrible drop in the second quarter, letting what could have been a 30 or even 40-yard play on a crossing route fall to the turf when he tried to turn and run before he had possession of the football. But even with that drop, he still had three receptions for 31 yards before the half, and he more than capitalized on opportunities to amend for that mistake as the Seahawks started to mount their comeback in the closing 18 minutes. Only two plays after Shaheed's 27-yard snag, he came open over the middle again and this time, he saw Darnold’s missile into his hands, turning upfield for a 29-yard gain that pushed the offense into the red zone for the first time to set up Myers for a short field goal.

Following another forced punt by the Seahawks’ defense, Smith-Nijgba opened the next drive with a seven-yard reception for a positive first play from scrimmage. He struck again four plays with a classic “no, no, yes!'“ reception, cutting inside before looping his way back outside in an unconventional path towards the sideline, slipping a tackle and turning the pitch-and-catch into a 39-yard gain deep in Colts’ territory to lead to yet another Myers field goal that finally put the home team in front by a point. Though he didn’t make another catch and he’s likely still stewing over his egregious drop, he finished with seven grabs for 113 yards, becoming the first player 23 years old or younger to produce 13 games with 90 or more receiving yards in the same season.