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Seattle Seahawks: Shaquill Griffin’s 5 toughest matchups in 2019

By Samuel Teets

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 04: Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at CenturyLink Field on November 04, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 04: Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks reacts in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at CenturyLink Field on November 04, 2018 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 11: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams runs around cornerback Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 11: Wide receiver Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams runs around cornerback Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /

As Shaquill Griffin enters his third season, the young cornerback needs to take major steps forward if he wants to survive his 2019 schedule.

Last season, the Seattle Seahawks pass defense finished 17th in the league in yards per game, but they allowed the 14th highest completion percentage and opposing quarterback rating. The team only produced 12 interceptions, which tied for the 18th fewest in the league. Needless to say, it was a very average year for the Seahawks secondary.

All of Seattle’s defensive backs are hoping to improve in 2019, but the most pressure is building around third-year cornerback Shaquill Griffin. Griffin already moved from right corner to left last season, taking Richard Sherman‘s old spot.

Fans must hope Griffin’s rising confidence and reported improvement isn’t exaggerated, because Seattle’s top cornerback is in for a rough 2019 season. Right from Week 1, the Seahawks will face one of the greatest wide receivers in the game today. The crazy thing is, Griffin’s Week 1 matchup with Bengal’s star A.J. Green doesn’t even crack Griffin’s five toughest assignments this season.

There are plenty of tough matchups that actually didn’t break into the top five. While Green is the most significant among them, Griffin will still face plenty of other 1,000-yard receivers in 2019. In Week 5, he will have to deal with the Los Angeles Rams’ trio of wide receivers. Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods both posted over 1,200 receiving yards last season. Cooper Kupp was on pace for 1,132 yards when he tore his ACL last season.

Then, in Week 11 Griffin will draw former Pro Bowler Alshon Jeffery. While the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver isn’t as good as he was during his Chicago days, Jeffery is still a tough assignment. The Eagles also have speedster DeSean Jackson, who posted a league-best 18.9 yards per reception in 2018.

Week 12 has the Minnesota Vikings visiting Seattle. The Vikings have two star receivers. The first, Adam Thielen, put together eight consecutive games of 100 receiving yards or more last season. He finished with over 100 receptions and 1,200 yards on the year. The team also has Stefon Diggs, who caught 102 passes for 1,021 yards in 2018. Like with the Rams, this Week 12 will be a “pick your poison” scenario.

Speaking of the Rams, that’s exactly who the Seahawks will be facing in Week 13. Keep in mind, none of the players I just mentioned break into the top five hardest matchups for Griffin this year. 2019 will be a trial by fire for the young Seattle cornerback.

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