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Jan 3, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (42) reacts after an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half at Levi's Stadium. Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Seahawks PFF grades: 2 unlikely heroes on top for clutch win over 49ers

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 3:00 PM ET

Any lingering doubters and haters regarding the 2025 Seattle Seahawks were put on silent mode last night, when Seattle clinched the division and the No. 1 seed in the conference by decimating the hottest offense in the NFL in their win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Throughout the season, their top performers have generally been WR1 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, or one of several superstars leading Mike Macdonald's monster defense.

For their regular season finale, the Seahawks went a different direction. Dominating at the line of scrimmage from start to finish, Seattle's top grade this week from Pro Football Focus wound up going to left guard Grey Zabel. Let's break it down plus some other notable marks for Week 18.

Grey Zabel leads Seahawks offense

PFF has been pretty harsh on Seattle's first-round draft pick this season. They made an exception for Zabel's exceptional game against the 49ers, though. For his efforts allowing zero sacks, zero hits and zero hurries and a few massive lead blocks, Zabel earned the highest grade on the team, coming in at 93.4 overall, with a 91.6 in run blocking.

Ken Walker takes second place

Several of those big blocks from Zabel opened up space for Seattle's most-productive playmaker this week, starting running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker racked up 97 yards rushing on just 16 carries and chipped in another 36 yards on four catches. For his efforts, PFF gave Walker an 81.5 overall grade, second-best on offense.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba wins bronze

The next-highest grade for the Seahawks offense this week went to JSN, who was highly-productive as per usual. This time he put up six catches on eight targets for a team-high 84 receiving yards. PFF gave him a 76.7 overall offensive grade against the 49ers.

Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Sam Darnold only average

While we liked what we saw from No. 14 - outside of missing Zach Charbonnet on the opening drive in the red zone, PFF was not so impressed by Sam Darnold this week. He went 20/26 for 198 yards and had zero turnovers but he also had no touchdown passes. Darnold earned a 60.2 overall grade from PFF, which is pretty close to exactly-average in their grading system.

Jake Bobo, Rashid Shaheed at the bottom

Two unexpected names came in at the bottom of Seattle's offensive grades this week. In the spot normally reserves for right guard Anthony Bradford, WR4 Jake Bobo came in last place with a 44.7 overall grade. Bobo got dinged for some brutal run blocking, with a 31.4 in this area.

Rashid Shaheed was supposed to dominate the 49ers given how poorly they have done against WR2s so far this season, but he didn't make any real impact on offense. Despite putting in 33 snaps, he was only targeted once and finished with two yards. PFF gave him a 52.4 overall for his trouble.

Drake Thomas paces defense

We also had a new face at the top of the Seahawks' defensive grades against the 49ers. Off-ball linebacker Drake Thomas made the biggest play of the game, with a minor assist from Lady Luck, as Boye Mafe's tip and Christian McCaffrey's juggle of the ball led to it winding up directly in Thomas' hands. The INT led to a team-best 90.1 grade in coverage and a 91.2 overall, tops on defense.

DeMarcus Lawrence shines again

It's difficult to overstate how big of an impact the DeMarcus Lawrence signing has mae this year. Even in a very crowded Seahawks defense he's found a way to stand out more often than not. Lawrence wound up posting just one tackle and one QB hit, but PFF gave him an 82.1 overall grade, good for second-best on defense this week.

Leonard Williams on the wrong end

Last but not least, we get a reminder that these grades are subjective and that smart people can disagree on these things. Seattle's most-consistent superstar on defense wound up with the lowest grade for any starter this week, with defensive end Leonard Williams coming in at 56.6 overall. That tied him with rookie nose tackle Rylie Mills. Only Brandon Pili (33.5 overall) came in lower for this unit.