The Seahawks are now 3-0 in the preseason following Friday’s 17-10 victory over the Packers, and have won eight straight games that don’t count. So what did we learn tonight?
Well for starters, we saw that the Seahawks still have some serious penalty issues to sort out. After seeing his team flagged for 10 penalties for 107 yards last week, Pete Carroll said cleaning that up was a big priority this week.
Yeah, that didn’t work out so well. Instead of improving in that area, the Seahawks were hit with 14 penalties for 182 yards. That’s not good. J.R. Sweezy had a particularly rough night, getting hit with two holds and a 15-yard late-hit penalty early.
Yet despite that major flaw, as well as two first-half interceptions thrown by Russell Wilson (Oh my gosh! Sophomore slump!), the Seahawks still held the Packers to 10 points. Give the defense, which is still missing several key players, a lot of credit for that. The Seahawks held the Packers to just 201 yards of offense, and the run D was particularly impressive, holding the Packers to 75 rushing yards and a 3.3 yards-per-carry average.
On an individual basis, here’s who a few players who stood out:
A week after rookie Benson Mayowa struggled against Denver’s first-team offense, “the kid from Idaho” was much better going against the Packers ones. Mayowa got some pressure on the quarterback, and perhaps more significantly for his chances of making the team, he showed up in the run game as well, making a couple of tackles in an area considered to be his most obvious weakness.
DT Tony McDaniel had an opportunity to make an impression in his preseason debut, especially with Jesse Williams and Jordan Hill sidelined by injuries, and appeared to take advantage of it. McDaniel used his 6-7 frame to bat down one pass, got into the backfield to stuff a run, and was at time active in the pass rush. He still has work to do to earn a starting job, but with that competition wide open, McDaniel certainly got off to a good start.
RB Christine Michael returned after missing last week with back spasms, and showed the big-play ability that made him a second-round pick. Michael carried 11 times for 97 yards, including a 43-yard score, and also had a 25-yard reception. He’ll have to work to earn playing time in a talented backfield, but Michael definitely looks like a player who can contribute right away.
WR Stephen Williams showed up… again. Williams, who had a touchdown in each of the first two preseason games, came through again, hauling in a contested 42-yard pass for what ended up being the game-winning score. Williams still isn’t a lock to make the team, but he’s making it harder and harder for the Seahawks to leave him off the roster, even if he doesn’t look like a big special teams contributor.
Also of note, Bruce Irvin made his preseason debut, and while he didn’t do a ton, he showed off his speed making a nice tackle for loss on a first-half run play.
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