Report Card: Top Performers in Seahawks’ 38-35 Loss to Buccaneers

Unable to seize an opportunity for a big home win, the Seattle Seahawks came up short in a 38-35 offensive track meet against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, falling to 3-2 on the season despite a huge game from Sam Darnold and the offense at Lumen Field.

Looking back at the All-22 film and reviewing the game, which players shined brightest in defeat for the Seahawks? Here are my top five grades and other noteworthy performances from Week 5:

Sam Darnold

Overall Grade: 90.0 (Passing 90)

Many will point to Darnold’s unfortunate interception on his final throw that deflected off defensive tackle Logan Hall’s helmet and into the hands of linebacker Lavonte David as the decisive play that cost the Seahawks a victory on Sunday. But before that ill-fated turn of events, the veteran quarterback couldn’t have played much better, starting with a 24-yard completion to Cooper Kupp on his first throw from scrimmage. Though a pair of penalties, a missed field goal, and a botched Jalen Milroe speed option kept his team from scoring a point on their first three possessions, he opened the contest completing seven of his first eight pass attempts and finally found pay dirt with a six-yard bullet to Jaxon Smith-Njigba between three converging defenders on a slant in the end zone to kickstart a barrage of scoring.

Leading five consecutive touchdown drives for Seattle, Darnold did it all with precision and accuracy, throwing across his body rolling out to his left to hit Dareke Young for a 36-yard completion and launching a 53-yard bomb to Smith-Njigba on the first two possessions of the second half to lead to a pair of scores, including a two-yard rollout pass to AJ Barner. Continuing to play magical football in and out of the pocket to will his team to a brief lead, he evaded oncoming pressure on a blitz by the Buccaneers on a gutsy 4th and 2 pass play and kept his eyes downfield, eventually linking up with rookie Tory Horton for a 21-yard touchdown that sent the crowd into a frenzy. He finished with 341 yards, four touchdowns, and 10 yards per attempt, completing 20-plus yard passes to four different receivers along the way, and it’s unfortunate his final throw put a blemish on a remarkable performance.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Overall Grade: 89.0 (Receiving 90, Run Blocking 75*)

*Weighted for 18 run blocking reps

At the epicenter of Seattle’s offensive onslaught over the final 32 minutes of game action, Smith-Njigba maintained his torrid start to the 2025 season engaging in an explosive play war against his former college teammate Emeka Egbuka. Interestingly, he only had one catch for 13 yards in the first quarter and didn’t have any receptions of more than 13 yards in the first 30 minutes of action, but he quickly put that slow start behind him, drawing a 12-yard pass interference penalty to extend a drive and beating cornerback Kindle Vildor on a quick slant to cut Tampa’s lead to 13-7 right before halftime.

Out of intermission, Smith-Njigba started to stack up chunk plays, first skying above safety Antoine Winfield to reel in a contested 53-yard catch on a go ball from Darnold midway through the third quarter to set up Barner’s first touchdown. He later added a 22-yard snag over the middle with a decent amount of yards after the catch in the fourth quarter, leading to Horton’s touchdown that put Seattle back in front 35-28. Turning in one of the finest games of his career to this point, and somehow doing so somewhat quietly, he tallied a team-high eight receptions for 132 yards and 16.5 yards per reception. He also blocked hard on the outside in the run game, helping spring Ken Walker III on a couple of explosive outside rushes.

AJ Barner

Overall Grade: 87.0 (Receiving 92, Pass Blocking 75*, Run Blocking 84)

*Weighted for six pass protection reps

Deemed by many scouts and draft analysts as a traditional blocking tight end with minimal receiving upside coming out of Michigan, Barner keeps silencing those critics by living in the end zone and quickly becoming a fan favorite for his “Barn Stomp” celebration, which he’s gotten plenty of practice conducting this year so far. Equaling his touchdown total from last season in just five games, he came open on a drag route in the back of the end zone for a two-yard scoring catch from Darnold in the third quarter and then knotted up the game on the ensuing drive by breaking through a Lavonte David tackle to rumble past the goal line for his second score of the afternoon.

In addition to his pair of touchdowns, Barner caught three passes netting 10 yards apiece, with two of those moving the chains for first downs, setting a new single-game career high with seven total receptions in the process. Away from his pass catching contributions extending drives and finishing in the red zone, he blocked well at the point of attack all afternoon in the run game as an inline tight end, making a key block on a linebacker on Walker’s 31-yard run early in the third quarter and washing a slanting defensive end down the line of scrimmage to spring the back on another 22-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Dareke Young

Overall Grade: 86.0 (Receiving 88, Run Blocking 75*, Special Teams 90)

*Weighted for one run blocking rep

Though he only played a grand total of four offensive snaps on Sunday, Young made his mark in that limited action and directly contributed to three of Seattle’s five touchdown drives. On his lone target, with Darnold scrambling out to his left under duress on a designed play action bootleg and a flag being thrown in the secondary, the quarterback lofted a deep ball to the fourth-year receiver as he approached the sideline on an out route. With a defender draped all over him, Young somehow reached back behind his helmet and plucked the ball out of the air while getting both feed down inbounds, reeling in a 36-yard catch that surpassed his entire career yardage up to that point and jumpstarting a drive to open the third quarter that ended with a Zach Charbonnet touchdown run.

Away from that explosive in the passing game, Young provided a jolt on special teams in the return game, slicing through Tampa Bay’s coverage with 43 and 50-yard kick returns that gave the Seahawks fantastic starting field position. Those returns led to Smith-Njigba’s touchdown late in the second quarter and Barner’s second touchdown early in the fourth quarter. In addition, Young led the team with three special teams tackles, including unloading a massive hit stick on returner Josh Williams.

Cooper Kupp

Overall Grade: 85.0 (Receiving 84, Run Blocking 86)

Kupp wasn’t perfect by any means, having a pass deflect off his hands that would have been an interception if not for a pass interference penalty against Smith-Njigba on another spot on the field. But that play ultimately didn’t count and the savvy veteran made the most of the remainder of his opportunities, including plucking the ball and managing to get his feet down inbounds before momentum dragged him to the sideline for a 24-yard catch on Seattle’s first play from scrimmage. He then muscled his way past the marker on a 3rd and 4 reception to move the chains in the second quarter, added another key third down conversion moments before Smith-Njigba’s touchdown, and came through with a crucial reception off a deflected pass in the shadow of the Seahawks’ own goal post for a nine-yard gain in the fourth quarter.

While Kupp impressed as a receiver with six catches for 59 yards and four first downs that mostly came in crucial third down situations, however, his run blocking proved to be an even bigger asset for Seattle on Sunday. Living up to his reputation as a physical blocker who enjoys getting after it digging out cornerbacks and safeties, he dished out two effective blocks on Walker’s 31-yard run early in the third quarter. On several occasions, he crack blocked defenders from the slot to open up running room on perimeter runs as well, playing a vital role in the Seahawks rushing for over 120 yards against one of the top run defenses in the NFL.

Other Notable Performances

Averaging nearly nine yards per carry, Walker had one of his best performances of the season with several explosive runs and even chipped in with a key pass block on Darnold’s final touchdown to Horton, earning an 84.0 score. Up front, right tackle Abraham Lucas had his highest graded game of the season with one pressure allowed and a strong performance in the run blocking department, scoring an 82.0. Horton took advantage of his four targets, catching three of them for 39 yards and a score to notch an 81.0 grade. Left tackle Charles Cross yielded a couple late pressures, but overall, he did a fine job protecting Darnold’s blindside and contributed to Walker’s stellar day as a runner, earning an 80.0 mark. Penalties at key moments in the first half hurt guard Grey Zabel and center Jalen Sundell in the grade department, but neither player gave up a pressure or a quarterback hit while being serviceable in the run game, earning 78.0 and 76.5 scores respectively.

Few players stood out in an ugly defensive showing for the Seahawks, but rookie safety Nick Emmanwori had a steady performance in his return from injury, producing a pressure and three run stops for an 80.0 grade. Safety Ty Okada wasn’t to blame for a busted coverage on Egbuka’s 57-yard catch in the third quarter and allowed just one catch on four targets for a 77.0 grade. Uchenna Nwosu missed out on a couple opportunities to finish in the pocket, but the veteran edge rusher did have a partial sack and four pressures, standing out as the only defensive lineman who did much of anything in the pass rush category for a 76.0 mark. Linebackers Ernest Jones and Drake Thomas had rough afternoons, combining for three missed tackles and 130 receiving yards in coverage for 63.0 and 61.0 scores respectively. None of Seattle’s cornerbacks performed well in the defeat, with Riq Woolen (68.0) missing a pair of tackles, Josh Jobe (57.0) getting torched for the aforementioned big play by Egbuka, and Nehemiah Pritchett (40.0) giving up two touchdowns in a little over a quarter of play.