For Pete's Sake: Critical observations from the Seahawks preseason week 3 loss

The Seahawks should know their starting corners now

Listen 12s, I'm sure that by now it must seem that Michael Jackson owes me money. I mean, every week I have nothing good to say about the man's play. Please note, I do not doubt Jackson's effort or heart in the least. At this point, it has to be clear that he isn't the best choice to play corner across the field from Riq Woolen.

Yes, he had a fantastic camp, I know. But that has to translate to matching standout performances on the field in live competition. And that simply hasn't been the case for Mike Jack. It's sad because it would be really fun to write, "Mike Jack stars in Seahawks win". It just doesn't look like it's going to happen.

If you just look at the box score, you'd think that Jackson had his best game of the preseason. He matched his two previous games combined with seven tackles on the night. Far more importantly, Jackson broke up two catches after whiffing in that category against the Vikings and Cowboys. Unfortunately, he also gave up another touchdown. He may have looked great in camp for the most part - I mean, JSN did beat Jackson for that terrific one-handed catch in practice - but the Seahawks simply can't afford to play a cornerback who finds himself out of position to even attempt to make a play on the ball.

Contrast his performance to that of Tre Brown. Brown didn't see much action versus the Vikes, but he did come away with a tackles and a pass defense. He was much more of a force against the Cowdudes as he racked up five tackles, one for a loss, and broke up another pass. Brown was quieter against the Pack, but at least he didn't give up yet another score, unlike Jackson. If you'll remember,

Brown looked great as a rookie in 2021 until he was lost for almost an entire calendar year with a knee injury. In 2021, Brown allowed a passer rating of just 63.3 when targeted. Yes, Jackson was good in 2022, but not that good. More to the point, he hasn't been as good as Brown this preseason, either. Brown has to be the starter at left cornerback.

A few other notes of um, note: The Holton Ahlers Experience finally came back to earth. He was never going to beat out Drew Lock as the number two QB, but certainly not after this performance. His ground game largely disappeared with just eight yards on two carries. I'm pretty sure the Seahawks asked him to start making plays with his arm instead of his feet. He wasn't quite up to par there either, going 5-10 for 55 yards and an interception. He didn't have Matt Landers on the receiving end of a bad throw to bail him out this time. I suppose the bright side is that after tonight, it's doubtful any team would claim him off the Hawks practice squad.

Oh, and about those running backs - see, I didn't forget. Zach Charbonnet was completely bottled up with one yard to show for three carries. Yeah, I know he was running behind Seattle's second-string line, but at this point, I'm getting a bit concerned about the Seahawks' second-round pick. I really want to see what Kenny MacIntosh can do when he's healthy.

Meanwhile, SaRodorick Thompson scored again and showed he could catch the ball, too. He may not make the final roster, but there's no way Thompson won't make the practice squad. I mean, for Pete's sake, he's shown more than Charbonnet this preseason. Yes, it's just preseason, but at some point, a player has to produce more than one big run. I will gladly print this out and eat my words when Charbonnet goes off for 73 yards and a score versus the Rams in week one.

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