Preseason games are a bit like relay races. Your first string hands off to your second string, and then to your third and fourth string. The Seahawks and Titans chose to rest their starters, leaving the second string to kick things off. Sam Howell, Tyrice Knight, Derick Hall, and others performed like starters to help build a 12-7 first half lead. But the bottom of the roster players stumbled repeatedly to eventually lose the lead and the game. While there is solace in the fact that none of those players will be in the game day lineup for Seattle, you can bet Mike Macdonald was not happy to tally his first loss.
The outcome of the game does not count toward regular season goals. That said, winning is a habit, and this game certainly should have resulted in a Seahawks victory. There were a few things that contributed to the loss:
- Jason Myers missed another extra point, which literally was the margin of loss
- D.J. James and a few fellow defenders had a number of penalties that extended drives for the Titans, including four first downs on 3rd down plays
- PJ Walker was as bad as Howell was good, missing open players and generally playing in an inaccurate panic
- Seattle played most of the game without true nose tackles as they rested Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, and Johnathan Hankins, and only player Byron Murphy for a few series. That left defensive ends, Mike Morris and Myles Adams, playing a ton of snaps on the interior, which resulted in some soft run lanes for the Titans
The performances that mattered
Sam Howell
Howell has been the rightful recipient of biting criticism from those, including me, who have covered the Seahawks during training camp. He had been holding onto the ball forever and throwing some cringe-worthy passes that were nowhere near his receivers. The common refrain on the sideline was that Walker was looking better than Howell.
The 23-year-old quietly started showing improvement in the week leading up to the first preseason game. He was more decisive and making more noteworthy throws. Still, he was inconsistent and had at least a few head-slapping throws every practice. His first game against the Chargers showcased a willingness and ability to throw the ball quickly, averaging 2.65 seconds from snap to throw. That would have ranked among the top ten fastest in the NFL last season, after Howell ranked roughly 50th in that number in Washington.
This week, he showed off his big play throwing ability that helped him finish with the 8th-most big time throws in the NFL last year. His touchdown to Easop Winston Jr. was an absolute dime. Winston is known for his great hands, but none were required as Howell practically walked that ball down the field and nestled it in the receiver’s gloves.
He also rifled a pass up the seam to Cody White for 33 yards that was perfectly timed and fit in a tight window. On the same drive, he threw a great pass to Brady Russell who, unfortunately, got too excited about breaking a tackle and did not complete the catch. No matter, he hit Laviska Shenault Jr for 18 yards on the next play.
Maybe most impressively, he drove the team 43 yards in 38 seconds to get a field goal before half time in a well executed two-minute drill.
He finished 11/14 for 153 yards (10.9 YPA), 1 TD / 0 INT for a 136.0 passer rating. One of those three incompletions was the pass that Russell dropped.
Howell has now played in two preseason games without putting the ball in harm’s way. He did not go two straight games last season without throwing an interception. He remains a developmental project, and fans would be wise to not overestimate what he is capable of now based on preseason games against backups. That said, it is nothing but good news for his future potential and what Ryan Grubb can do to develop the quarterback position. Seattle has not had a coach who could truly develop QB talent since Mike Holmgren. Grubb appears ready to take that mantle.
Christian Haynes vs Anthony Bradford
This one is tough to call, but was fascinating to watch. Haynes overtook Bradford for the starting right guard spot during practice this week. The team chose to play both at the same time in this game which setup an interesting way to see them compete. Bradford played right guard and Haynes took over for Tomlinson at left.
There will be those that take that as a sign that Haynes is challenging Tomlinson. I remain convinced that is not the case.
It will take more film review to determine which of the two guards had a better game, but my initial read was that Haynes got more push in the run game.
Edge players: Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor
The second year edge player has been one of the breakout players of camp and that story continued in this game where he notched his second sack in as many weeks. Hall has elite power, and is finding ways to be a factor on a number of plays rushing the passer and defending the run.
There were even some packages where they had Hall lined up inside at defensive tackle with Murphy next to him and Darrell Taylor and Boye Mafe on the edges. Hall is looking like a guy ready to make a Mafe-like leap in his second season.
Mafe and Taylor each had some good moments as well. Taylor, in particular, should be credited with a few pressures.
One guy to watch in this room is Jamie Sheriff, who was just signed about 10 days ago and flashed in practice and then against the Chargers and again this week with a sack and a terrific tackle on a run play when he was double teamed. It would be tough for him to make the final roster but he definitely has the attention of the coaching staff with the way he has played so far.
Mike Morris & Myles Adams
Morris and Adams got a ton of snaps in this game. They were asked to play a bit out of position for much of the night without any true nose tackle help in the middle to occupy blockers. Both had good moments rushing the passer and defending the run.
Morris was the better of the two, with a sack, two QB hits, and a batted pass. All signs are pointing to him being a highly productive rotational defensive lineman this season.
Adams is on the razor’s edge of the roster bubble. I do not currently have him making the roster, but he has played well enough to make that a tough call.
Tyrice Knight
I did my best to calm everyone down this week when there was mass misinterpretation of Macdonald’s comments about Knight needing “three years” to develop. Macdonald and the team are thrilled with Knight’s development and are simply trying to keep the rookie’s head out of the clouds and his feet on the ground.
That job got even tougher after a fantastic game from the rookie against the Titans. He made plays all over the field defending the run and the pass. He shot gaps, had a tackle for loss, and delivered bone-crunching hits.
Macdonald finally succumbed to the excitement of what he was seeing on the field and was glowing in his postgame comments about Knight.
The subtext to keep in mind here is that Knight was not well-liked by most draft analysts or even necessarily the Seahawks personnel department. John Schneider made it clear Macdonald wanted this guy. The implication is that Macdonald, who came up as a linebacker coach, has an excellent eye for talent at the position. Seattle fans enjoyed Pete Carroll’s eye for cornerbacks and safeties during his tenure. They may be in store for a linebacker factory under Macdonald.
Laviska Shenault
This guy is quickly becoming one of my favorite Seahawks to watch. He brings aggression and physicality to the receiver position like few have done in Seattle since maybe Golden Tate. He even made blocking on kickoff returns worth cheering for when he launched himself into a would-be tackler on a kickoff in the first half.
Shenault caught another three passes for 27 yards, and carried the ball once for 5 yards. He had to have broke at least five tackles on the day. Grubb is finding ways to leverage these unique strengths, giving the Seahawks their version of Cordarrelle Patterson. This signing could wind up being one of the best deals of the offseason.
Running backs
Kenny McIntosh easily had his best game as a pro as he showcased his ability to get skinny through the line, break tackles, and get to the edge. He also caught two more passes for 17 yards.
On the surface it would seem he retook the lead for the RB3 spot on the roster as George Holani only had 2 carries for 3 yards. On the other hand, it was notable that in a game where starters mostly sat, Holani barely played.
The coaching staff may believe they already have seen what they need to see from Holani. It will be telling how much he and McIntosh play in the final preseason game next week.
Kobe Lewis had an ugly stat line of 4 carries for -1 yards, but the blocking in front of him was atrocious. Grubb repeatedly tried running over the left side of the third string line which featured Garrett Greenfield or Ilm Manning at left tackle and Sataoa Laumea at left guard. That was bizarre given that Mike Jarrell and Raiqwon O’Neal were sitting there on the right side.
Offensive line depth
There were a few things of note here. First, Stone Forsythe did not have a great game. Second, Jerrell looked very good again. It would have been ideal to see Jerrell get some snaps against the Titans backups instead of their third string.
O’Neal did not get any snaps at center. That could bode well for Olu Oluwatimi’s chances to stick as the backup center. O’Neal has been getting some center chances during practice and his versatility at guard makes him more appealing than Oluwatimi in some ways. He is also bigger and stronger and a better run blocker. That position will be something to watch when Connor Williams hopefully takes the field this week.
Tight ends
Russell is looking more and more like a guy who could play an impactful role on this team. Even his dropped pass was on a play where he got open in space and was looking to make it into something bigger. His catch along the sideline later in the game was easily the best play of the game. How he managed to catch that pass with the defender draped all over him while dragging his toes just inside the field of play was Bobo/Lockett-esque. You don’t see that in tight ends very often.
AJ Barner had one catch and did a nice job turning it upfield and breaking a tackle. Better.
Marquise Blair
Blair remains a very talented safety who can cover and hit. He flashed his physical nature on a number of big hits. He also failed to cover or tackle in coverage a few times. It seems very unlikely he can overtake either Coby Bryant or Ty Okada in the safety depth chart in the time remaining, but you have to think the team would love to have him as part of the practice squad with a chance to develop a guy who could wind up a starting safety down the line.
One more
Seattle plays the only home game of the preseason next week against the Browns. It will be interesting to see how Macdonald handles that final warm-up. He might want Geno Smith and DK Metcalf and others to get a few live game snaps before the regular season. He might prefer to only play the back-end of the roster players the whole game.
The preseason has been productive to this point with many of the players Seattle needed to flash looking like they are ready to step forward. Macdonald and crew are just three weeks from opening up against the Broncos at Lumen Field. Fall football is just around the corner.