The Seattle Seahawks are 1-0 this summer after beating the Denver Broncos last Thursday night. The team will be looking to extend their winning ways on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, who beat them 21-20 last preseason.
While winning will always be a primary goal for a Pete Carroll-led football team, the reality is the Seahawks will be just as focused on honing the best possible unit ahead of the start of the regular season.
One position that still remains undecided is who will backup up quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson sat out last week while Geno Smith and Paxton Lynch each took the reigns for a half. With Smith on the mend from a knee procedure, the field could look a little different on Sunday.
Lynch was the star of the night against the Broncos, completing 11 of 15 passes attempted, one passing touchdown and one rushing score against his former team. Granted, his performance was against mostly second and third-string defenders late in the game. But with Smith likely to receive limited action – if any – on Sunday, Lynch looks to get more early playing time against another quality defense.
Last week the Seahawks added another name to the backup quarterback mix, signing former Ohio State standout J.T. Barrett, as insurance with Smith temporarily out of the lineup.
Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said he wants to see Barrett get into the game on Sunday, praising his ability to pick up the offense quickly despite being in Seattle for so little time.
But don’t count out Wilson to lead the offense for a series or two Sunday night as well as Schottenheimer said he plans to get the starters some time against Vikings.
The teams square off Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. PT in a nationally-televised showdown.
