Seahawks Preseason Dates, Kickoff Times Announced

Last week, the NFL officially released its schedule for the 2021 regular season. Along with that, the Seahawks' three preseason opponents were also unveiled, but with no clarification on which days the games would fall and when they would kick off.

On Friday, Seattle finally confirmed these dates and times.

Beginning in mid August, the preseason will return after being entirely canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an unfortunate development for many young players around the league who were unable to prove their worth to teams in game action. Earlier this offseason, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll even admitted how the lack of a preseason greatly impacted his "Always Compete" philosophy in a negative fashion last year.

"I didn't feel like, because of the format of last camp where we didn't have the offseason and we didn't have preseason games and the evaluations of players were so uniquely different than it's ever been," Carroll told reporters in a pre-draft press conference. "I didn't feel like I gave our roster - throughout the depth of the roster - the best opportunity I could have for their statement for where they fit into this club."

As part of the NFL's remodeled schedule, which expands the regular season to 17 games per team, the preseason will only consist of three games rather than four beginning in 2021. Therefore, the Seahawks will only play one game on the road and two at home this summer. All three games will be aired live on Q13 FOX.

Starting off on the road, they'll travel to Las Vegas for their first-ever meeting with the relocated Raiders on Saturday, August 14 at 6:00 p.m. PT. Barring any unforeseen setbacks in the nationwide fight against the pandemic, this will be the first time fans will be in attendance at Allegiant Stadium.

When the Seahawks return home a week later, emotions will likely be running high. Unable to admit fans into Lumen Field for the entirety of the 2020 season, they're expected to have an undetermined amount of 12s cheering them on as they go head-to-head with the Broncos on Saturday, August 21 at 7:00 p.m. PT.

And the good vibes won't stop there, with the Seahawks staying home for a dress rehearsal against the Chargers and new head coach Brandon Staley on August 28 at 7:00 p.m. PT. This will be an important night for many of Seattle's players on the proverbial "bubble," getting the opportunity to make a name for themselves with the Seahawks or another NFL team watching from afar.

After that, all 32 teams will get a week's rest before the start of the regular season. During that time, each roster around the league will be trimmed down to 53 players as teams prepare to compete for a shot at Super Bowl LVI. For the Seahawks, that journey will begin at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana against quarterback Carson Wentz and the Colts on September 12.