NFL News & Analysis

NFL Week 9 PFF ReFocused: Seattle Seahawks 40, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34

The Seahawks emerged as victors in this Week 9 thriller by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 40-34.

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PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game and the other games played this week will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle. ELITE subscribers can view player grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats.

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Final Score

Seattle Seahawks 40, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34

Seattle Seahawks

Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean seemed to get targeted on every throw, and the biggest play he gave up—on a day where he gave up quite a few—was on a deep crosser to D.K. Metcalf, who had him by a step then kept on going all the way to the house.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is our top-graded quarterback this season, and that won't change after this game. Wilson has an uncanny ability to consistently make perfect deep throws like the one that hit Tyler Lockett for the team's first score.

Wherever Bobby Wagner lined up on the field, he made a positive impact. He put fierce pressure on the pocket, attacked his gaps to frustrate blockers, and helped to stall plays throughout the game. His most electrifying play came when he darted through an A-gap to sack Jameis Winston that set up a three-and-out on Tampa Bay’s opening drive of the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks' secondary did not play well in this one. No matter who they threw at, Mike Evans found a way to take advantage. While the Russell Wilson-led offense is as dangerous as any in the NFL, if the team expects to make another run at a Super Bowl, they will need to play better against the pass.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It was a game of three Jameises. The Jamies Winston who shredded the Seattle secondary in tandem with superstar Mike Evans over the first three quarters, the Jameis who began the fourth quarter with a three-and-out and a fumble lost, and then, there was the Jameis who reconnected with Evans to drive the Bucs’ offense on two consecutive scoring drives to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Eerily similar to Week 8 versus Tennessee, Mike Evans came out of the gate white-hot against the Seahawks, with gains of 17 and 21 yards on the first drive. However, dissimilar to last week, Evans saved some gas for the fourth quarter, snagging passes of 25 and 23 yards to help the offense keep pace with Seattle to force overtime. Evans took quite a bit of punishment throughout the game and deserves a large portion of the credit for the team’s entertaining showing.

Rookie linebacker Devin White had two huge plays knocking the ball loose from Seattle Running Back Chris Carson. One unluckily bounced out of bounds and the other, while recovered, didn't lead to points.

The Bucs struggled to get pressure in the first half. Their few sacks came late after lots of time in the pocket for Russell Wilson. In the second half, Shaquil Barrett went to work on the right side of the offensive line, and the time to throw decreased as a result.

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