3 Up, 3 Down: Winners, Losers from Seahawks Disappointing Week 9 Defeat Against Bills

After a commanding victory over the 49ers, the Seahawks hit the road and traveled across the country for their Week 9 showdown against the AFC East-leading Bills. 

While quarterback Russell Wilson was excited to participate in his career first game in Buffalo, it won't be a performance he'll want to remember, as he was knocked down 16 times, sacked five times, and turned over the football four different times. Falling behind by 17 points in the second quarter, Seattle couldn't crack the scoreboard until just six and a half minutes before halftime and never fully recovered in a 44-34 defeat.

Along with struggling on offense, the Seahawks defense deserves plenty of blame for this troubling loss, as they allowed 415 passing yards and were charged with a pair of crucial penalties late in the game that ended the team's slim comeback hopes. Failing to produce stops throughout the first half, they allowed the Bills' offense to score on four of their first five drives, which played a major factor in the loss.

Let's dive into our three big winners and three losers from the Seahawks’ first matchup at Bills Stadium since the 2008 campaign.

Three Up

DK Metcalf

Following a strong showing against San Francisco, Seattle relied heavily on Metcalf once again and the second-year pro didn’t disappoint, as he led his team in receptions (seven), targets (nine), and receiving yards (108). Even though his impressive performance wasn’t enough to earn his team the victory, he still deserves a ton of credit for serving as one of the lone bright spots in this losing effort.

Setting up his team’s first score of the game, the Ole Miss standout caught a 41-yard pass down the left sideline in the second quarter, which ultimately led to Wilson’s one-yard touchdown run. Adding a touchdown of his own late in the game, the 6-foot-4 pass catcher connected on a seven-yard pass during a fourth-down conversion, trimming his team’s deficit to just 10 points with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.

Carlos Dunlap

Playing in his first game with the Seahawks, Dunlap certainly didn’t waste any time making a strong first impression with his new club, as he served as one of the top performers on the defensive side of the ball. Though the defense endured some early issues creating pressure on quarterback Josh Allen, the 6-foot-6 defensive end was the lone exception, producing a quarterback hit on the first play of the game.

Along with creating three solo tackles and three tackles for loss, the former Bengal also helped bring Allen down early in the second quarter, ultimately forcing the Bills to settle for a 44-yard field goal. Making an impact following Wilson’s first of two fumbles, the two-time Pro Bowler found a way to reach around his blocker to record his first sack with Seattle, ultimately forcing another field goal from 22 yards away. Later in the half, he corralled Zack Moss six yards in the backfield for another tackle for loss.

Jamal Adams

After missing the last four games due to a groin injury, Adams made his triumphant return and picked up exactly where he left off as a pass rusher, which helped the defense make a few key stops in the second half. Though he still has some things to clean up in pass coverage, his four solo tackles, three quarterback hits, 1.5 sacks, and one tackle for loss significantly outweighed his issues in the secondary.

Making his presence felt in the second half, the 6-foot-1 strong safety exploded into the backfield and brought Allen to the ground for his third sack of the season, forcing the Bills to punt for the first time in the game. With his team trailing by just seven points in the fourth quarter, the 25-year old safety teamed up with defensive tackle Jarran Reed for another sack that would’ve ultimately forced a punt. Unfortunately, the LSU standout’s illegal contact penalty on third down continued the drive and allowed Buffalo to extend its lead to 34-20.

Three Down

Quinton Dunbar

Making his second consecutive start on the left side of the defense – with teammate Shaquill Griffin still sidelined with a hamstring injury – Dunbar failed to perform effectively and looked exhausted at times in the secondary. Despite finishing with six solo tackles (team-lead), the 28-year old became a major liability in pass coverage and probably should’ve been benched sooner than the fourth quarter when Linden Stephens checked in for him.

While the defense as a whole allowed far too much cushion in zone coverage, the 6-foot-2 cornerback was particularly ineffective against Bills receivers Stefon Diggs and John Brown – who combined for 217 receiving yards – and he also allowed Gabriel Davis to score his team’s third touchdown of the first half against him on a pop pass from Allen. Though it’s still unclear how severe the Florida product's knee injury is, this was easily his worst showing of the season and his health remains in question moving forward.

L.J. Collier

Coming off a somewhat quiet Week 8 performance – one total tackle and one quarterback hit – the Seahawks were looking for Collier to help the pass rush continue improving during their Week 9 matchup. But while the defense created plenty of pressure in the backfield, which resulted in 7.0 sacks and 10 quarterback hits, the second-year pro didn’t factor into any of that stellar production.

Unlike his line mates, the 25-year old struggled to break free from his blocker as a pass rusher and was also taken out of the running game, especially at the goal line in the fourth quarter where he was easily pushed aside to help create a running lane for running back Zack Moss. To make matters worse, the TCU standout was charged with a horse collar penalty midway through the first quarter on Allen, which allowed the Bills to score their second touchdown of the game on the next play.

Russell Wilson

Despite being considered the front-runner for the MVP award coming into this game, this performance against the Bills will definitely be one Wilson will be looking to move past fairly quickly, as he struggled mightily through all four quarters. While the 31-year old completed 28 of his 41 pass attempts for 390 yards and two touchdowns, he was sacked five different times and committed four turnovers (two fumbles and two interceptions).

Unfortunately for the veteran signal caller, his first pick of the game negated a potential scoring chance, as the offense was positioned at Buffalo’s five-yard line, and three of his four turnovers led to a combined 16 points for the opponent. In addition, the six-time Pro Bowler also underthrew a handful of his passes, including a deep throw into the end zone to receiver Freddie Swain that could have closed the gap before halftime.