Seahawks vs Raiders, 3 things to watch

We give you three things to watch for as the Seattle Seahawks take on the Oakland Raiders in the final preseason contest before the cut down to final 53 man rosters.

The final preseason game used to be the one to watch. This is the game teams would use as a final tuneup for the regular season. Starters would play the entire first half and well into the third quarter. It was as close to a real game as you were going to see during the preseason.

Now, due to concern over injuries to key players, the third game is the real dress rehearsal. Game #4 is now primarily used to give players on the bubble one last chance to impress coaches and show they belong.

For the Seahawks, there aren’t many clear-cut battles left to settle, but that doesn’t mean tonight’s game doesn’t hold any intrigue.

In fact, here are 3 things to watch as the Seahawks face the Raiders tonight:

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1: TREVONE BOYKIN’S READINESS

It’s been obvious for a while now that Seahawks brass were committed to going with the undrafted rookie out of TCU as the backup to Russell Wilson, and for the most part he’s rewarded their faith in him with some impressive preseason moments.

Still, it’s fair to question the wisdom of running with such an inexperienced under study if you have Super Bowl aspirations, because what if?

What IF Wilson were to get injured?

Looking good in the preseason doesn’t always equate to success when real bullets are flying (see Teel, Mike for an example). Tonight Boykin will get most of the run. I’d expect him to take around 75% of the snaps against Oakland. Another strong showing should solidify his place on the team.

If he struggles, however, the Seahawks could still be looking for a more experienced backup QB option when teams make final cuts on Saturday.

Next: A battle at running back