Seahawks vs. Chargers: Previewing Seattle's Preseason Week 3 Matchup
Preseason records mean little in the grand scheme of things. These four games are more about weeding out the haves and have-nots, experimenting with lineups and rotations, and sealing holes in the vessel before setting out into the dangerous, relentless rapids of the regular season.
So, even though the Seattle Seahawks fell to 0-2 this preseason following a 14-13 loss to the Chiefs in Kansas City on Friday night, people shouldn't worry about the record.
There were some improvements and strong performances, particularly on the defensive side, but the lingering questions are far from completely answered.
Pete Carroll and offensive line coach Tom Cable's tinkering with the starting line appeared to give Seattle an upgrade over what it rolled out in Week 1, but this unit—which, admittedly, hasn't had enough time to properly jell—showed a real weakness in the run-blocking game.
Despite the loss, the most important check mark on any team's preseason list is health. Seattle hasn't suffered a major injury to a key rotation player, and according to several reports (more on that later), the Seahawks can expect some integral figures to return to the field this week.
There's a plethora of news and notes to hit on before previewing the 'Hawks Week 3 matchup with the San Diego Chargers, so let's get to a brief recap of Friday's Seahawks-Chiefs game before highlighting this Saturday's game.
Location: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego
Time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
TV: CBS
Week 2 Results and Recap
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Offensively, it was another discouraging week for the defending NFC champions.
Pete Carroll elected to keep the first-team offense—sans Marshawn Lynch, who hasn't played a single snap this preseason—in for the duration of the first half, but Russell Wilson and a newly restructured offensive line were unable to lead any drives into the end zone.
Wilson and tight end Jimmy Graham continued to establish a nice rapport with each other, with the former Saint hauling in all three passes thrown his way for 39 total yards, which led all Seattle starters.
In terms of pass protection, the offensive line—with Drew Nowak at center, Justin Britt at left guard and Garry Gilliam at right tackle, alongside solidified starters Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy—fared much better than in Week 1, especially considering Kansas City's intimidating pass rush and how little time this unit has spent together.
Although there was some visible improvement, several glaring issues were still prevalent in this matchup. Just one starting lineman, Sweezy, posted a negative pass-block rating, but all five were hit with negative run-blocking grades, per Pro Football Focus.
The typically dominant Seattle running game was easily cut down by the Chiefs. Stifled, cornered and trapped all game, the Seahawks managed just 78 yards on 25 attempts.
With Lynch sidelined and his blockers getting whupped on the line, Robert Turbin was (six carries, four yards) unable to assert himself and open up the passing game for Wilson.
It wasn't as claustrophobic for Wilson, and later R.J. Archer, in the pocket this week as compared to Week 1, but neither quarterback was able to establish a smooth rhythm; it was like a band performing a live show after just a week of practice—there are going to be some hiccups.
Rookie Tyler Lockett impressed yet again, though this time he showed his talent in the passing game. Lockett led all receivers with three receptions (on three targets) for 42 yards, including a seam from Archer that hit Lockett perfectly in stride for a 25-yard gain.
But as one would expect, the story for Seattle once again this week was its stellar defensive play.
K.J. Wright was swooping from sideline to sideline and bursting into the backfield, sometimes unimpeded, on seemingly every play. Slinging his body around and finding openings and gaps like Spider-Man gliding through the city, Wright (six tackles, two for loss) was a menace on each of his 35 snaps, per PFF.
Wright's parnter in crime, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, was responsible for Seattle's lone touchdown on the night. Late in the second quarter, with Kansas City in the shadow of its end zone, Wagner locked in on Alex Smith while patrolling the middle of the field, reading the quarterback's eyes and movements before perfectly jumping the route and snatching the pass intended for Jason Avant in stride. Wagner essentially jogged the 25 yards into the end zone.
Seattle held Kansas City to just 238 total yards and 3.8 yards per play, but a lack of big plays and several fruitless trips inside Chiefs territory ultimately doomed Seattle.
According to Pro Football Focus, other notable standouts included DeShawn Snead (plus-2.3 rating), Michael Bennett (plus-2.7 rating) and Kevin Pierre-Louis (plus-1.7 run-defense rating).
News and Notes
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Carroll and Cable Looking for Consistency from Starting Offensive Line
It's not exactly a secret: Seattle's offensive line has caused the most headaches (aside from some dude named Kam) this preseason.
Carroll and Cable have adjusted and fooled with their offensive line throughout training camp and practice session, turning the non-guaranteed positions into a constant game of musical chairs.
In Week 2, Seattle rolled out J.R. Sweezy, Russell Okung, Drew Nowak, Gary Gilliam and Justin Britt, and while the return was less than spectacular, it was an improvement over Week 1, especially considering how little time these puzzle pieces had to fit together leading up to the game.
Carroll told reporters that this unit has a good chance to start now, per Seahawks.com:
"We’ll see if they can hold it together and hold off the guys who are battling with them, but we feel good enough about it, we liked the way that they mixed together. They have real chance. So we’ll keep that intact again this week and take it one week at a time.
I was really happy to see the line play together and have success, communicate well. Drew had a nice first start. He's in the middle of it all. Justin Britt looked really comfortable at left guard, played really solid football. He filled up the space so nice. Garry, who had a great matchup with Justin Houston, fared pretty well over there. It was a really good first showing by the fellas.
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With more time to jell leading up to Saturday's game in San Diego, Carroll and Cable are hoping this is the week they can finally write those names in front of Russell Wilson down in pen.
Offensive Line Contingency Plans
Prior to Seattle's game with Kansas City, rumors began to emerge of a possible Evan Mathis-to-Seattle deal.
Mathis had been spotted in Seattle and was expected to go in for a physical with the team.
During Monday's press conference, Carroll confirmed what the Twitterverse already knew: Seattle was interested in the two-time Pro Bowler and former Philadelphia Eagle, and a meeting had indeed gone down.
"It went very well," Carroll said, per Seahawks.com. "He’s a terrific guy. He would obviously bring us experience and all that, but there’s a lot of issues here that we have to take care of to get that in order. We got the information we needed."
Well, all of those points became moot on Tuesday when news of Mathis signing with the Broncos emerged.
The Broncos' official Twitter account announced the signing Tuesday afternoon, dashing whatever hopes the Seahawks may have had of bolstering their line.
Carroll and Co. are typically quick to react, though; in this case, they had already brought in former Miami Dolphin center Samson Satele as a sort of contingency plan, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan (h/t the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Adam Lewis).
Satele started all 16 games for the Dolphins last season, rating as an above-average run-blocker but a net-negative pass-blocker, per Pro Football Focus.
Kam Chancellor Holding Firm
There's not much in the way of positive updates regarding the Kam Chancellor holdout situation.
Thursday marks day 27 of Chancellor's holdout, and though he's steadfast in his demands and integrity regarding his stance, his bank account is poised to take a major hit, according to former Minnesota Vikings general manager and Sporting News contributor Jeff Diamond:
"Chancellor could be out $1 million if he holds out the entire month of August, and the team can now seek a percentage of a holdout's pro-rated signing bonus, which is $250,000 in Chancellor's case. There also is the fact that salaries have increased significantly, so that if a player misses a regular season game, he would be out one-seventeenth of his salary — about $264,000 for each regular-season game Chancellor misses.
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On Monday, Carroll told reporters "nothing's changed" in regard to the Chancellor impasse, per the News Tribune's Gregg Bell.
The 27-year-old strong safety has shown no signs of letting up, especially after receiving backing from teammates such as Bruce Irvin and Doug Baldwin.
It doesn't appear that these crossroads will converge anytime soon. Expect this fiasco to drag out for at least another week or two, with a distinct possibility that it runs into the regular season.
Latest Injury News
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The NFL does not require teams to list official injury reports during the preseason, so it is somewhat difficult to glean with 100 percent accuracy who is injured, how severely and how it might affect his role in upcoming games.
But even without an official listing, we can go by reports from practice, the coaching staff and the team's official site to produce a makeshift injury report of players who are questionable or ruled out entirely leading into Seattle's second preseason game:
| Player | Position | Injury | Source |
| Tarvaris Jackson | QB | Ankle | Seahawks.com |
| Bruce Irvin | LB | Concussion | Seahawks.com |
| Chris Matthews | WR | Shoulder | Seahawks.com |
| Jordan Hill | DT | Groin | Seahawks.com |
| Frank Clark | DE | Ankle | Seahawks.com |
| D'Anthony Smith | DT | Rib | Seahawks.com |
| Kona Schwenke | OL | Knee | Seahawks.com |
| Earl Thomas | FS | Shoulder | John Boyle |
| Tharold Simon | CB | Shoulder | Seahawks.com |
Pete Carroll expects Jackson back to the opening of the regular season, per Seahawks.com: "We’re really shooting for the opener right now at this point with him and think that he’ll make that. He wants to try to play next week and we’re going to try to get that done, we’ll see if that happens."
Bruce Irvin had to go through the NFL's concussion protocol tests following a hard hit against Kansas City, and there's a real possibility that he sits out both this week and next week.
Carroll seems to be taking a cautiously optimistic approach to the situation: "He seems to be OK, feels all right and all that, but we have to take the process very seriously.”
Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times noted that Matthews isn't back just yet but is expected soon.
In more unfortunate news, offensive tackle Kona Schwenke was waived and placed on injured reserve after the team deemed his knee injury "serious."
On a positive note, Carroll expects to have the bulk of his secondary—sans Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas—back on the field this week.
Richard Sherman, Will Blackmon, Tharold Simon and Marcus Burley are all likely to make their debuts this Saturday, with Simon being the one most on the cusp of playing or sitting, per Seahawks.com.
Key Matchups
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Can Seahawks Defense Stop Philip Rivers This Time Around?
Seattle's Week 2 visit to San Diego last season did not result in a happy return journey.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers had his way with the Seahawks' vaunted defense, completing 28 of 37 passes en route to 284 yards, three touchdowns and a FedEx Air Player of the Week award.
The 30-21 loss was Seattle's largest margin of defeat on the entire year.
The third preseason game is typically the time when starters accumulate the most reps, so Rivers and the first-team offense should see the field for nearly the entirety of the first half.
Seattle's pass rush, led by Michael Bennett, Brandon Mebane, Cliff Avril and rookie Frank Clark, has been menacing this preseason, but the secondary's coverage—in the absence of Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas—has been spotty.
Tye Smith and DeShawn Shead have made some major strides over the past two games, but Cary Williams and Dion Bailey have been erratic, with both posting negative pass-coverage ratings, per Pro Football Focus.
Rivers has two dangerous targets to sling the ball to in Keenan Allen and offseason acquisition Stevie Johnson. The latter has tremendous speed and excels on the fly, while the former will see some more time in the slot.
The defense has largely held up its part of the bargain this preseason, but Rivers is too good to make many mistakes against. Momentary lapses in judgment against a player of his caliber typically result in touchdowns and sideline tantrums.
Returning Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman is somewhat anxious to make his preseason debut this week, but the All-Pro is far more concerned with finding his rhythm than the final score, per Seahawks.com: "Obviously, in preseason it’s a glorified practice, so you’re just practicing against another team, getting your footwork under you, getting your reads, getting the speed of the game back."
Sherman doesn't do anything less than 100 percent, and his mind is a steel trap when it comes to slights and embarrassments, so expect the Stanford graduate to fully bring it against Rivers and San Diego.
Will Seattle's Running Backs Finally Break Through?
Granted, Marshawn Lynch hasn't been on the field for a single snap this preseason, but the running game still has to grade out as a sizable disappointment.
With a constantly shuffling offensive line filled with unfamiliar faces in unfamiliar positions, growing pains are to be expected. But Carroll is hoping to solidify his starting offensive line this week, should the starting unit hold their own.
As in any preseason and training camp, there have been plenty of trials and tribulations, but Carroll and Cable appear to finally be in a place where they feel at least somewhat comfortable.
Week 2's performance against Kansas City was an improvement, and another week of practicing together and learning one another's techniques and movements should help patch up some of the issues that have plagued Seattle thus far.
San Diego, led by defensive ends Kendall Reyes and Ricardo Mathews, held Arizona to just 3.3 yards per rushing attempt last week. Chargers were running amok in the Cardinals' backfield; the team combined for eight tackles for loss.
Lynch will likely see some carries—he was on the field for seven plays during preseason Week 3 last year, per Pro Football Focus—but the bulk of the workload will fall to Robert Turbin and Christine Michael.
Neither was able to find many clear, safe corridors to run through last week. Carroll and Cable will hope for a far better result in San Diego.
Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett vs. Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse
Baldwin and Kearse have been solid yet unspectacular this preseason, despite the heaps of praise coming from training camp and practices.
Both Baldwin and Kearse, along with Tyler Lockett when he slots in as the third wide receiver, will have their hands full with Brandon Flowers and Jason Verrett.
Flowers has been one of the better cornerbacks in the league for the past several years, making the Pro Bowl in 2013 and ranking as the 12th best corner in football last season, per Pro Football Reference.
Verrett has played just 11 snaps this preseason, and despite coming off an injury-plagued rookie season, the former TCU Horned Frog has been the talk of camp.
Flowers has taken it upon himself to mentor the young corner, telling ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams that Verrett "has it."
“He’s a great player," Flowers said. "The only thing I can do is mold him on how to watch film and what to look for on film. The game is pretty much 75 percent mental anyway. So if I can do anything to help him gain a step on the field that way, that’s going to do nothing but uplift our team.”
Verrett looks to be fully recovered, according to Flowers and the coaching staff, so expect him to see ample time on the field against Seattle.
Matchup X-Factors
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Seahawks' X-Factor: Kevin Pierre-Louis
Last November, Kevin Pierre-Louis' rookie season was cut short by a season-ending shoulder injury.
On a Seahawks roster stacked with immense talent at the linebacker position, it wasn't clear where Pierre-Louis, a fourth-round pick out of Boston College, would fit in with the team entering training camp.
Now, heading into the final stretch of preseason, Pierre-Louis has made a compelling case to see some playing time during the regular season, even if K.J. Wright, Bobby Wagner and Bruce Irvin are all healthy.
Pete Carroll has gushed over the 23-year-old Connecticut native, saying he's the "classic (weak-side) linebacker," per Seahawks.com.
“He’s exactly the type of guy you’re looking for in terms of speed and movement and all of that," Carroll explained. "We’ve been recruiting and drafting for a long time to find a guy that runs 4.4 (second 40-yard dash) that can play the linebacker. He’s done a great job. He’s really an exciting player for us.”
Pierre-Louis has played only 28 snaps this preseason, but he ranks fifth among all Seahawks with a plus-1.7 run defense rating, per Pro Football Focus.
It hasn't all been perfect—Pierre-Louis has struggled on passing downs and has found himself out of position at times—but each week brings new challenges and newfound knowledge of the game.
When the starters leave the game for good in the second half, look for Pierre-Louis to assert himself and take on the role of the men he considers mentors.
“Coach Carroll always harps on next man up, and getting reps with the ones has definitely been great, but I just have to make sure that we don’t lose anything when I come in,” Pierre-Louis told Seahawks.com. “I make sure I bring that caliber and represent the defense well, and it’s also just a confidence builder as I get more reps with them, knowing that I belong out there with those guys.”
Chargers' X-Factor: Nick Dzubnar
You're forgiven if you can't conjure up an image of Nick Dzubnar in your head.
He is a 6'1", 240-pound undrafted rookie free agent out of Cal Poly; his Wikipedia page (the universal sign of fame) consists of two sentences, one of which currently doesn't even end in a period.
He's not from a football powerhouse, wasn't a nationally ranked recruit and can't even sniff an endorsement deal, but the Southern California native has drawn eyes and rave reviews with his preseason play and intensity in training camp.
"Nick is a young guy out there just running around trying to hit somebody," Chargers linebacker Donald Butler said, per ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams. "And looking at the young guys, that’s what you want to see—a high-energy, high-effort guy.”
Dzubnar played the third-most snaps against Arizona last week, according to Pro Football Focus, finishing fifth on the team with a plus-1.8 defensive rating.
Starting linebacker Manti Te'o may miss Saturday's game with a shoulder injury, so Dzubnar could see more time to improve upon his numbers (seven tackles, one sack) from last week.
Prediction: San Diego 24, Seattle 20
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Last September, the Seahawks left Qualcomm Stadium with dour faces and sour tastes following a 30-21 defeat to the Chargers.
It doesn't happen to the Legion of Boom often, but Rivers' aerial prowess proved too much for Seattle in this one.
With field temperatures reaching 118 degrees, San Diego and Seattle essentially battled in a sweltering, boiling bowl. San Diego held the ball for more than 42 minutes, wearing down visiting Seattle with each successful first down.
Antonio Gates reeled in three touchdowns, and the Bolts were lucky enough to keep possession on their three fumbles.
Well, one bit of good news for Seattle is that Gates likely won't see too much of the field this time around—he ran just five plays against the Chiefs in Week 2, per Pro Football Focus.
The Seahawks are a deeper team than the Chargers, especially defensively, but the first-half matchups project as somewhat even. Seattle will once again be without Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, and though integral defensive parts like Richard Sherman and Will Blackmon are expected back, Bruce Irvin might have to sit this one out because of the concussion protocol.
In addition to dealing with Stevie Johnson and Keenan Allen, Seattle will have to find a way to slow down diminutive scatback Danny Woodhead, who totaled 60 yards on 12 touches in last season's meeting.
With another week of practicing together, Seattle's offensive line should prove to be far more cohesive as a unit this week, but that doesn't mean Wilson and R.J. Archer will be safe and sound every time out. San Diego reigned havoc on the Cardinals last week, so expect the front seven to play a similarly aggressive style on Saturday.
The first half should remain even, with each team setting off on a long drive for a touchdown, but scores will be difficult to come by in the early going.
The backups will likely decide the outcome in the second half, and I'm not sure Seattle's second and third units will be able to put much up on the board.
San Diego should come out on top at home in another tight contest, but I expect to see plenty of improvement from the offensive line and, in particular, the running game.
Prediction: San Diego 24, Seattle 20
All game statistics courtesy of ESPN.com, unless otherwise noted.
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