Well, that was an…interesting way to finish the game as the Seattle Seahawks blocked a last-second field goal to preserve a 23-23 tie against the Los Angeles Oakland Las Vegas Raiders in the preseason opener at Lumen Field. As it was also the return of Pete Carroll to Seattle, could there have been a more weird (and fitting) finish? No one really likes a tie game…unless it’s the preseason. In that case, no one loses and everyone wins just by virtue of not playing an overtime where there is more opportunity for injuries!
Speaking of injuries, that’s definitely one of the highlights of this game in that it seems like Seattle came out of the game unscathed. Huge win right there.
As for the actual performance on the field, the Seahawks rested many of their starters, particularly on defense where only rookie safety/hybrid defender Nick Emmanwori got any meaningful snaps – and even that lasted only a couple drives before Mike Macdonald was like “Yeah, I’ve seen enough,” letting Emmanwori watch the rest of the contest with a ballcap on.
Drew Lock was the first-half QB, and got the first crack at debuting Klint Kubiak’s offense in Seattle. There was unsurprisingly a big emphasis on the run game. And guess what? It seemed to work pretty well! George Holani looked like a capable NFL running back and had some room to actually maneuver instead of being hit in the backfield as has happened too often the past few seasons. This is preseason though, so I’m not going to get too far ahead of myself.
The defense had its moments as well early on, stifling the Raiders offense – including former Seahawk Geno Smith and first-round pick Ashton Jeanty. As the game wore on, things were a little different with the Raiders coming back from a 16-3 halftime deficit to tie the game at 23-23 late in the Fourth Quarter. Las Vegas set themselves up to win the game on a last-second FG before Mike Macdonald’s Seahawks channeled Pete Carroll’s Seahawks and blocked the kick.
That’s better than the 6-6 tie in Arizona at least.
Seahawks Droppings
- Tory Horton might just be a ballplayer, guys. I’m trying very hard not to get too excited about him, but I’m already on record saying that he’s the one guy from this draft class that I have a gut feeling about. If last night is any indication, I might have even sold him short on his potential impact as a rookie. Horton was targeted early and often, and looked every bit an NFL receiver. He also showed some wiggle in the punt return game. Horton showed vet savvy on his TD reception, sitting in the hole and slithering through defenders after the catch to reach paydirt. Kubiak tried to get him free on some deep play action shots, but those weren’t open. That will come down the road, though, and Horton looks like he could be ready to make a much bigger impact as a rookie than even I anticipated.
- The rest of the early round rookies looked like they are who we thought they were – in a good way! I didn’t notice Grey Zabel at all, which usually means that an offensive lineman is doing his job. And that’s while being surrounded by potential backups with Charles Cross and Olu Oluwatimi on the shelf. Nick Emmanwori had a good tackle, crashing down the line of scrimmage in pursuit of a running back. He also had a nice pressure on a blitz. Elijah Arroyo looks like a useful, smooth pass-catching tight end.
- Both George Holani and Jacardia Wright were effective with Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet standing on the sidelines. Holani is more of a known quantity, but Wright really surprised me. He looks decisive and powerful. Maybe we’ve got another Troymaine Pope on the team?
- Mike Morris got a lot of playing time with the vast majority of his DL mates getting a rest day. He played both inside and out, and looked strong setting the edge in the run game. Morris also looks bigger to my eye, particularly in the lower body. Fifth-round pick Rylie Mills could have similar usage, but he’s still not participating in camp after suffering an injury in January. That could clear the roster path for Morris in the short term. Undrafted rookie Jared Ivey looked like he was getting used in a similar fashion during the second half.
- I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without talking about rookie QB Jalen Milroe. While he didn’t have eye-popping stats, Milroe didn’t show anything that causes me to be any less excited about his future. In fact, my favorite thing about his initial showing was that he ran Klint Kubiak’s offense. What I mean by that is that he wasn’t doing a bunch of gimmicky, gadget plays. Yes, Kubiak tailored the plays to fit Milroe’s strengths with some zone read plays and bootleg passes. However, he also had Milroe taking snaps under center and attacking the middle of the field. Milroe, for his part, seemed to focus on trying to execute the playcall instead of immediately flushing out of the pocket and relying on his legs. He can do that, make no mistake, as he showed on his scamper near his own goal line. We know Milroe can decimate the defense with his rushing ability, so if he can prove that he can play within the scheme of Kubiak’s offense that just makes him all the more dangerous. Milroe’s counter-punch then becomes a knockout blow.
- Not everything was positive, however. The backup LB corps seems overmatched. The Raiders targeted the middle of the field and found little resistance. Drake Thomas and Patrick O’Connell made a few plays, but I didn’t see many encouraging reps from the crew behind them.
- Another thing I have a healthy level of concern for is the pass rush. Outside of a few Tyreke Smith pressures and the late game Connor O’Toole sack, the pass rush was nearly nonexistent. The defense dialed up a few pressure schemes, but none of them hit home either. Granted, a LOT of the starting defenders and key rotational players were on the sidelines. Yet, you’d like to see some of these guys step up against the deep reserves on the opposing offensive line towards the end of the game.
It’s so good to have Seahawks football back! Sure, the tie is kind of like kissing your sister. In this case, though, your sister is Pete Carroll, the coach who brought the first and only Super Bowl championship to Seattle. What self-respecting Seahawks fan wouldn’t want to give Petey a smooch for that??
