Three key Seahawks to watch versus the Denver Broncos
The games count as of today. The Seahawks fortunes depend on a rookie, a third year player under fire, and a veteran who isn’t very happy.
It isn’t exactly a secret that the Seattle Seahawks have been through some changes lately. The talent they lost in the offseason includes dozens of Pro Bowl seasons and at least two likely Hall of Fame players in Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. They also had some unexpected losses at the end of preseason, including moving Byron Maxwell to injured reserve. Another key player, K.J. Wright, was lost for at least a couple of weeks.
Happily it wasn’t all bad news for Seattle. They got one very important important player back when Earl Thomas reported. Despite just being with the team for a few days, the six time Pro Bowler was activated for the Broncos game. Considering all the changes in the Seahawks defensive backfield, his return is crucial for a Seattle win.
One possible issue is that Thomas has only practiced for a few days under Ken Norton Jr., the new defensive coordinator. New wrinkles and new terminology could cause a few mixups in coverage. Despite that possibility, you obviously put in Earl Thomas as much as you can. After all, he’ll be playing behind a brand new weakside linebacker today. Thomas will be a difference maker, as always.
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Seahawks rookie gets his chance to shine
As noted above, K.J. Wright is out. That means that one of the NFL’s best feel-good stories ever, Shaquem Griffin, will step into the starting lineup. Griffin looked pretty darn good in preseason action as he led the Seahawks in tackles. But regular season games are played at a different speed than the preseason. Griffin has grown phenomenally in coverage, but he played the edge a lot more in college.
Your first clue to that is he had 18.5 sacks compared to just three interceptions. As I said, Griffin looked good in preseason. At times he looked amazing, thanks to his ridiculous closing speed. But its his awareness that’s going to be tested today more than his speed. Luckily he’s had great tutors in Wright and Bobby Wagner. I expect he’ll make a few mistakes, but will more than hold his own.
The third player that has to come through today is Germain Ifedi. His struggles have been pretty well documented. If he wasn’t committing the most penalties in the league, he was getting blown up and run over. But after the second preseason game against the Chargers, Ifedi turned things around. He looked solid against a very tough Vikings defensive line. He looked just as good in limited action against the Raiders.
Unfortunately, he also got hurt in that game. Luckily it was a turned ankle, not as bad as it could have been. Definitely not as bad the injury to D.J. Fluker, who is inactive for today’s game. Fluker is out with a bad hamstring, so J.R. Sweezy is in at right guard. Sweezy was great in his first stint with the Seahawks, but he’s hardly even seen the practice field since coming back to Seattle. With Sweezy undoubtedly fighting a bit of rust, Ifedi will have to come through today.
Related Story. Seahawks - Broncos position breakdowns. light
Yes, we all know Russell Wilson can fix almost every problem. After all, he’s Mr. Unlimited, right? But not even Wilson can do it all. I mean, he doesn’t even play defense. With Thomas back on patrol and Griffin lighting up ball carriers over the middle, Russ can stay on offense. And with Ifedi playing up to expectations, Wilson and the running game can bring home a Seahawks win.