Seattle Seahawks vs. San Diego Chargers: Complete Week 2 Preview for Seattle
The media attention for the Seattle Seahawks has been focused on the rout they put on the Green Bay Packers. However, as reigning Super Bowl champions should be, the players were not satisfied with their performance in the season opener.
The Seahawks defense missed 13 tackles in the game, lost a fumble on special teams and gave away 69 yards in penalties. In addition, Aaron Rodgers completed 69.7 percent of his passes; Seattle allowed an average completion percentage of 59 in 2013.
Richard Sherman expressed his lack of satisfaction after the game:
"It wasn't dominant at all. We have a lot of things to clean up. We missed some opportunities on some turnovers. We missed some tackles on key drives we could have stopped we had some key penalties. These are all things we need to clean up because we have a really high standard.
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In Week 2, Seattle will face an AFC contender on the road in the San Diego Chargers. Philip Rivers will not shy away from challenging Sherman in coverage, unlike Rodgers. When asked about Rodgers' strategy, Rivers had this to say on the subject, according to Terry Blount of ESPN.com:
"Well, I certainly understand why, Rivers said of Rodgers' plan. [Sherman] is a great corner. But at the same time, I think you have to be smart. It's not one of the deals that you want to go after him by any means. But our approach is not going to be to completely eliminate [Sherman] and not throw over there any.
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While Sherman may feel his team underperformed, the Seahawks remain six-point favorites, according to Vegas Insider. The Chargers pose similar threats to the Seahawks defense with the added weaponry of tight ends Antonio Gates and Ladarius Green.
While the Chargers struggled offensively against another stingy defense in Arizona, every week presents new opportunities.
Seattle Seahawks Week 1 Recap
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While the Seahawks display their lack of contentment, the result of their Week 1 tilt was nothing short of dominance. Aaron Rodgers was held to less than 200 yards passing, while Eddie Lacy and company picked up just 80 yards on the ground.
While Russell Wilson didn't dazzle with his 191 yards passing, he got everyone involved offensively. Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the ground attack were unstoppable, racking up 207 yards and leading to the slow demise of the Packers.
The offense appeared stronger than it was last season, mixing a good bit of trickery and explosive plays into their cauldron of ground-and-pound plays. Seattle improving in the areas Richard Sherman was upset about will be tough to pull off, but the pursuit of perfection is a necessity if the Seahawks want to return to the Super Bowl.
News and Notes
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Change at Punt Returner
Before last week's game, the Seattle Seahawks made a strange decision reversal by re-signing Bryan Walters to the team and waiving Phil Bates. Bates ended up on the team's practice squad, but Walters was brought in as insurance at punt and kick returner.
After Earl Thomas won the punt returner role in the preseason, he had what could have been a costly fumble on his second return of the game. The decision to place such a vital player to the defense in harm's way was already heavily questioned, but the fumble raised the volume.
As a result, Walters will now handle Seattle's punt duties heading into the game against San Diego, per Field Gulls.
Ricardo Lockette's Improvement
Receiver Ricardo Lockette posted the first two-plus catch game of his career last week, including a 33-yard touchdown reception. After spending most of last season on the Seahawks practice squad, he has become a valuable special teams talent and solid receiver this season.
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Heading into Week 1's game against the Green Bay Packers, Bruce Irvin said he would pray for rookie center Corey Linsley. The San Diego Chargers will be playing their backup center, Rich Ornberger, due to an injury to Nick Hardwick, per ESPNs Terry Blount.
"I ain't got nothing to say about that," Irvin said. "But yeah, I heard about it. My eyes were like [opened wide], but I ain't saying nothing about it."
When asked if he would pray for Ornberger, he replied, "I pray for everybody, just some people a little more."
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Marshawn Lynch | TE | Probable |
| Christine Michael | RB | Out |
| Percy Harvin | WR | Questionable |
| Kevin Pierre-Louis | LB | Out |
| Tharold Simon | CB | Out |
| Bruce Irvin | OLB | Probable |
| Jeremy Lane | CB | Short-term IR |
| Kevin Norwood | WR | Questionable |
| Eric Pinkins | DB | PUP |
*All injury information gathered from CBSSports.com
The Seahawks' depth at corner will be tested this week with both Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon out for a few weeks apiece. Lane was the team's top nickel corner, and Simon was another valuable asset who was capable of playing anywhere.
Seattle signed former Carolina Panthers starter Josh Thomas to help fill the void, and the trade for Marcus Burley has paid early dividends, with him filling in for Lane late in the game against Green Bay.
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X-Factors and Matchups to Watch
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WR Eddie Royal vs. CB Marcus Burley
San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich attempted to use Eddie Royal in very similar fashion to that of Percy Harvin or Emmanuel Sanders but to no avail. Royal made just one catch on five targets, had two dropped passes and had two carries for minus-one yard, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
While it was a rough start for Royal, there was a clear intent by Reich to get him involved. Marcus Burley filled in for Jeremy Lane late in last week's game, being thrown at three times. On those three passes, two were completed for a total of 16 yards and a touchdown.
Early last year, the Chargers utilized Royal as a red-zone target, as he pulled down five touchdowns in Weeks 1 and 2. Look for the Chargers to try to exploit this matchup as a possible weakness.
TE Antonio Gates vs. OLB K.J. Wright
Philip Rivers to Antonio Gates used to be such a potent combination that Gates is a surefire Hall of Famer when he retires. Though their dominance has waned a bit, they continue to be a major force in the passing game.
Gates made six catches for 81 yards against the Arizona Cardinals, while Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright struggled in coverage against the Green Bay Packers. According to Pro Football Focus, Wright allowed all four passes thrown in his direction to be completed for a total of 53 yards.
Rivers may be willing to test Richard Sherman, but if there are opportunities in the middle of the field, he won't hesitate to take them. Kam Chancellor should be able to come downhill and help limit Gates' production, but it remains a point of attack for San Diego.
RT Justin Britt vs. DE Kendall Reyes
The Seahawks' main form of ball movement is by handing off the ball to Marshawn Lynch. The offensive line put on a dominant showing last week, opening up running lanes throughout the game against Green Bay.
In the Chargers' game in Arizona, Kendall Reyes was at the point of attack for the vast majority of the Cardinals rushing attack. Britt should be capable of winning this matchup, especially if there's an extra blocker on his side.
Seattle Defensive Line vs. Philip Rivers
Rather than focusing on matching Patrick Peterson up with Keenan Allen, Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles sent all-out blitzes at Rivers late in the game.
"Cardinals D did a great job of spooking Rivers with overload blitz late in the game. He blew passes where he was protected cos he felt it
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 9, 2014"
The strategy worked well for the Cardinals but isn't likely to be used by the Seahawks. Seattle should continue to use a mostly four-man pass rush that has been effective for more than a season now. When Rivers was under pressure, he completed four of 12 passes for 62 yards.
Putting consistent pressure on Rivers could prove to be the key to getting the San Diego offense off the field early into drives.
Prediction
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Injuries at corner open up some opportunities for Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense, but the Seahawks defense has dealt with injuries and suspensions at the position before and come out fine. Russell Wilson had an emphatically improved preseason and continued his mistake-free play against the Packers.
Look for Wilson to throw a few deep passes on the San Diego secondary. The Chargers gave up a few long passes to Michael Floyd and company. Yards should be a little tougher to come by on the ground, but the opportunities will be there.
San Diego has a chance in this game because of its extensive offensive weaponry but ultimately won't have enough consistent success to knock off Seattle. The game should be close, but I'm predicting a Seattle victory.
Prediction: Seattle 27, San Diego 20
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