In a game that came down to the last drive, the Seattle Seahawks triumphed over the Los Angeles Chargers, 23-15, on Saturday night. There was not much to criticize about the Seahawks’ performance, as they seemed to be clicking on both sides of the ball. Here are a few takeaways from the matchup.
THE GOOD
Running backs: Chris Carson looked just as good as fans remember, Rashaad Penny bounced back from last week’s disappointing outing for 22 rushing yards and a touchdown along with 15 passing yards, and Travis Homer added 27 yards of his own on the ground.
The most noteworthy name on the unit’s stat sheet, however, was C.J. Prosise, who contributed 32 yards and a touchdown on five carries, also pulling in a 15-yard pass from quarterback Geno Smith. Prosise has experienced an injury-riddled career since Seattle drafted him in 2016, only appearing in 16 total NFL games – hopefully, this indicates the start of a triumphant return to the field for the last year of his rookie contract.
Offensive line: Although much-maligned in previous years, the o-line seems to have finally gotten itself figured out, creating plenty of opportunities for Russell Wilson and Smith to thrive in the pocket, as well as providing solid protection for the run game.
Defense: On the other side of the ball, linebacker Mychal Kendricks wreaked havoc, safety Ugo Amadi flew around the field to make tackles, and the defensive line generated consistent pressure on the offense, holding the Chargers to 99 total rushing yards and forcing a fumble from LA quarterback Tyrod Taylor in the second quarter.
THE BAD
Receiver depth: Tyler Lockett pulled in a pair of perfectly-placed balls from quarterback Russell Wilson for 50 yards and rookie John Ursua added another two catches for 52 yards, but nobody else really stood out.
Gary Jennings, one of Seattle’s fourth-round picks from the 2019 NFL draft, only had one catch while neglecting to keep both feet inbounds on a beautiful sideline pass from Geno Smith. He also committed a blindside block penalty that negated a long scramble by Wilson. Jazz Ferguson, despite getting snaps with the first-team offense, got no targets at all, and Malik Turner, filling in for the injured David Moore, went 0-2 on the night.
THE UGLY
The unseen touchdown: This is a bit of a stretch, but arguably the only outright-awful moment of the game for Seahawks fans came in the second quarter, when the local broadcast returned from a commercial break and informed viewers that Rashaad Penny had scored a touchdown – Seattle’s first score of the game – after going for it on 4th and 1 during the recess.
It is true that sponsors and paid advertisements are important to the success of any program, but surely the priority should be not to cut away from the action while the ball is still in play?
Seattle wraps up its preseason Thursday night at home against the Raiders.
