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Seattle Seahawks vs Minnesota Vikings: Three Things To Watch For

By Jacob Sosler

Dec 6, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett (72) against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Vikings 38-7. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 6, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett (72) against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. The Seahawks defeated the Vikings 38-7. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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1. The Offensive Line Battle

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks tackle Justin Britt (68) during Super Bowl XLIX against the New England Patriots at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Seahawks 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Last season, Seattle Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable shuffled through many different offensive line scenarios throughout the preseason. This year, Cable might have found gold early, as the starting group of Bradley Sowell-Mark Glowinski-Justin Britt-Germain Ifedi-Garry Gilliam played well against Kansas City. They even allowed zero sacks and had no pre-snap penalties.

The interior (Britt, Ifedi, and Glowinski) shined. Britt has been a mediocre offensive lineman over the past two seasons, forcing Seattle to try him at center as a last resort. But, in the Kansas City game, Britt looked like a natural. He shut down all-pro nose tackle Dontari Poe. Perhaps I’m overreacting after the freakshow we saw last year, but the offensive line looked like a competent NFL line.

Behind them, the backups need drastic improvement. Rees Odhiambo struggled to settle in, Joey Hunt had a couple errant snaps, and George Fant was understandably horrendous. The backups have time to learn, but it’ll be interesting to see if they have progressed after their first taste of NFL action.

Russell Wilson actually had time to throw during his brief series last week. But, the Vikings stout defensive line presents a tougher test than the Justin Houston-less Chiefs. Despite starring this offseason, Britt and Sowell have a history of NFL ineptitude. Can they repeat their standout performance again today?

Next: Can Christine Michael Stay Hot?

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