The Seattle Seahawks held on to beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-23, despite some of the strangest coaching of Pete Carroll’s tenure (Just one example: he put backup quarterback Trevone Boykin in the game with more than nine minutes left in the game when the win still wasn't a lock. This led to Earl Thomas tweeting, "So this game has turned into a preseason game.").

I don’t want to talk about this stupid game though. I can’t explain what happened, and we won anyway.

I do want to talk about this whole stupid season, because I do think I can explain some of it. And by talk, I mean write, and by write, I mean hand out some meaningless grades. Let’s do it!

Kicking: D

I love Steven Hauschka and Jon Ryan. I love them. But their output this season has been below average. A lot of this can be chalked up to errant snaps (WHY DID THIS TEAM LET LONGSNAPPER CLINT GRESHAM GO??), but a lot of their less-than-sharp performance has been a slightly less accurate kicking game. Punts haven’t had quite enough distance. Extra points have been blocked because the trajectory is just a bit flat. And in the NFL? Tiny margins matter. Next year, I expect the Seahawks to remedy this unit with a new snapper and some regression, but sheesh, what a disappointing facet of the team this season.

Neiko Thorpe and Deandre Elliott: A

The special teams coverage was the one aspect that stayed at an elite level. The team had to replace longtime gunner Ricardo Lockette after his neck injury with Thorpe and Elliott who are both superb as gunners, capable when pressed into service on defense. Thorpe and Elliott are the sort of great finds that have defined John Schneider’s tenure as Seahawks’ General Manager.

Russell Wilson: B

On the one hand, Wilson looked nothing like the wizard who destroyed the NFL in the second half of last season. On the other hand, despite playing behind a terrible offensive line and persevering through two significant injuries without missing significant time. he set a team record for passing yards. Also, it’s not his fault he was benched needlessly for Trevone Boykin (or as Twitter user Daggerhandz dubbed him the real “T-Bo”) against San Francisco. Let’s say B on aggregate.

Doug Baldwin: A-

Baldwin had a couple big drops this year, but he has been largely excellent, establishing himself as a premier slot receiver. He is a bargain, and he’s a great member of the community. I love having Doug on the Seahawks.

Jermaine Kearse: D-

This kills me. KILLS ME. But even as a member of #KearseKrew, I have to admit Kearse was poor in every phase of the game this season. His extension looks like a big mistake, as he hardly looks like a functioning piece of a contending team. He was one of the worst receivers in the league. He’s made huge plays for the Seahawks, but my word. What a disastrous season.

Jimmy Graham: A+ (on a curve)

Despite Pete Carroll’s consistent optimism last offseason, I was sure Jimmy Graham would miss time this year. There is no way a guy could bounce back from a torn patellar tendon in under a year and get on an NFL field. Except Graham did, and he was one of the league’s top receiving tight ends. His performance this year was an incredible testament to will.

Tanner McAvoy A+ (on a different curve)

No one made more huge plays for the Seahawks than the undrafted former QB out of Wisconsin. Was he the team’s most consistent receiver? No. But on a team short on offensive weapons, he was found money.

Michael Bennett, Frank Clark and Cliff Avril as individuals: B+, B+, A
The Seahawks Pass Rush: C

I do not know how to square these grades. Avril had the best season of his career. Despite injuries (and a surgery) Bennett was good. And Clark made strides in his sophomore year. And yet, the Seahawks defensive line was unintimidating. I don’t get it. Hopefully, the Seahawks get a premier interior rusher, because while the team has been good stopping the run up the gut, they haven’t hit QB’s with rushing up the middle.

Secondary: B
Earl Thomas played half the year and during that half of the season, the Seahawks secondary was excellent. Without Thomas? Not so great. With Richard Sherman (having another great year), DeShawn Shead (a decent showing), and Kam Chancellor bouncing back, you've got the makings of a great unit. Unfortunately, with Jeremy Lane regressing and the inability of any backup safety to replicate Thomas' contribution, the Seahawks' strongest unit morphed into something closer to average.

Offensive Line: F+

It was really bad this year. Justin Britt was a competent center (hence the +). The guard play was very bad. The tackle play? Catastrophic. Somehow the team is starting a mediocre basketball player at left tackle. The failure is total: The players are bad, the drafting is bad, the coaching is bad. It almost got Russell Wilson killed, and it made the season an uphill slog the whole way. Run blocking, which had been excellent in previous seasons, fell apart. Fixing the offensive line will be the biggest challenge Pete Carroll and John Schneider have faced since finding Russell Wilson. Something significant has to change.