No Need to Stress About Seahawks' Lackluster Preseason... Yet
The Seahawks suffered their second straight beatdown to start the preseason on Saturday night against the Broncos. After losing to the Raiders in Las Vegas 20-7 a week prior, Seattle was downed by Denver 30-3. In the regular season, this would cause for panic and pandemonium in the streets of the Emerald City, and rightfully so - this team has high expectations.
However, context is key here.
First and foremost, the most important player on the offense, nay, the team, nay the city of Seattle, has yet to play a snap in either preseason game. Russell Wilson stood by and watched as his quarterback counterparts Geno Smith, Alex McGough, and Sean Mannion flounder through eighth quarters of subpar football.
Wilson is arguably the most valuable player to his team in the NFL. If, God forbid, Seattle's eight-time Pro Bowler were to go down for significant time with an injury, disaster would strike. This team would be dead in the water.
Speaking of which, dead in the water is a good way to describe the play of this team thus far in the first two preseason contests. However, much of that has been against the other team's assumed starters while Seattle rests and protects their own.
The Seahawks' offense tallied 10 total points in the first two games. Along with Wilson, DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Duane Brown have yet to play a snap as well. Meanwhile, the Broncos nearly looked like the squad that will take the field Week 1 of the regular season, with many starting defenders playing multiple series. Pro Bowler Justin Simmons intercepted third-string quarterback Alex McGough on the opening drive. Hardly seems fair.
The 50 points allowed by the defense might concern some fans more. However, keep in mind, Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Carlos Dunlap, Poona Ford, and Benson Mayowa all missed a second consecutive game. That adds up to 13 total Pro Bowls missing from the defense. That cannot be overstated. The results on defense mean little in regards to predicting success in the regular season.
This does not mean preseason games are utterly meaningless and we should do away with them completely. The fringe roster players and rookies may disagree with you. These are vital opportunities for them to strut their stuff and earn a spot on an NFL roster and fulfill their dreams. It's also a chance for coaches to sort out issues in play calling and positioning ahead of the regular season.
It's also worth noting that if starters play in next weekend's preseason finale against the Chargers as indicated by coach Pete Carroll, that game will provide a far more legitimate litmus test to know where the team is going into the regular season. If the group struggles with Wilson, Wagner, and others playing a few series, that would be a bit more discerning.
But even if that happens, don't sweat the wins and losses quite yet. Don't let your blood pressure boil over quite yet. There will be plenty of time to do that come September.
