4 'Best-Case Scenarios' For Seahawks in Preseason Finale With Chargers
Tonight at Lumen Field, the preseason will finally come to a close.
Over eight quarters of exhibition football thus far, the Seahawks have scored just 10 points. They've lost two games by a combined score of 50-10, all while resting the majority of their starters on both sides of the ball. And though none of it counts in the end, coach Pete Carroll is hoping his squad puts together a more respectable effort before they head into the regular season.
"This is a chance to finish the preseason on a good note," Carroll told reporters on Friday. "We're certainly going for that. We didn't like the first couple and so we're looking to make a better statement about where we are."
Here are four best-case scenarios to help them do just that.
Going into Week 1 healthy
This one is obvious, but after losing linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven and receiver John Ursua to season-ending knee injuries last week, coming out of this game healthy is of the utmost importance to the Seahawks. Injuries have hampered many of their key players this summer, so avoiding any further additions to their laundry list of ailments is the goal.
Expected to play, Seattle's offensive starters get off to strong start
As Carroll first alluded to following the team's 30-3 loss to the Broncos last week, several starters are expected to make their 2021 debuts on Saturday night. On offense, that includes quarterback Russell Wilson, free agent addition Gerald Everett and others. While it's unknown how much of a run they will get in this one, proving efficient in their first real game action under new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron would certainly be a welcome sight.
Set to start at strongside linebacker in Week 1, Darrell Taylor looks more the part
As to be expected for a player who hasn't played football in nearly two years, Taylor looked fairly raw in Seattle's first two preseason games. Versus the Raiders, he was explosive off the line of scrimmage and nearly recorded multiple sacks. But against the Broncos a week later, he was a non-factor off the edge and continued to struggle mightily against the run. If he's going to be the Seahawks' starting strongside linebacker, he'll need to show more now that he has a couple games under his belt.
With Geno Smith back in action, Seattle's receiving corps hopefuls get well-deserved opportunity
It's no secret as to why the Seahawks have only scored 10 points this preseason. With Russell Wilson resting and Geno Smith recovering from a concussion suffered early on against the Raiders, Alex McGough and Sean Mannion took the bulk of snaps under center the past two weeks. Consequently, several turnovers and three-and-outs followed and McGough now finds himself a free agent.
But the ones who truly lost out in all of this were the handful of receivers the Seahawks have battling it out on the back end of their roster. Seattle wideouts were targeted 40 times versus Las Vegas and Denver, with 21 going to Cade Johnson, Cody Thompson and Aaron Fuller for 11 receptions worth 116 yards. Having a more capable passer in Smith should lead to a higher volume and, naturally, provide more upside for a significant uptick in production from the past two weeks. That could make for a fun back-and-forth between the aforementioned trio of pass catchers as they aim for a spot on Seattle's active roster.
