Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson to Start Week 3 Versus Kansas City Chiefs

Per Pete Carroll's press conference earlier today via Seahawks.com, Russell Wilson will get the starting nod against the Kansas City Chiefs in this Friday's preseason matchup.

After Wilson's riveting performance last Saturday, many believed Wilson deserved a chance to play against a first-team defense. Those fans claimed that if Flynn got yet another start, Carroll's "competition" mantra was a complete farce.

Needless to say, Carroll is a man of his word. But don't read too much into this, my fellow Seattle Seahawks fans.

The Seahawks coach claims that he is defying "conventional wisdom" in doing this, and sees this competition stretching into the last week of the preseason. Therefore, let us not overpredict and dub Wilson the Week 1 starter. More than likely, Carroll wants to see if Wilson can maintain a high level of play going against significantly better defenders (but with a better offensive line), and if Flynn can dice up second-string players yet maintain poise when his offensive line caves in around him.

Ultimately, this is Russell Wilson's big-boy test.

Now, as many will point out, the third week of the preseason is usually considered the "dress rehearsal," in which the regular-season starters will see significant time. Since Wilson is not yet guaranteed the starting role, we can assume that Week 4 ought to serve this function more. (The Raiders may have their backups in the whole game, but we certainly won't waste reps).

So, in conclusion, get excited. Pete Carroll just took his shiny new toy out of the box, and he's ready to see what it can do.