3 things to watch for when the Seattle Seahawks play Packers preseason Week 3
The Seahawks play the Packers in Seattle's final preseason game of 2023, and we still have a lot to learn about this year's Seahawks.
By Lee Vowell
The Seattle Seahawks take on the Packers in Green Bay on Saturday in Seattle's final preseason game of 2023. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll hasn't said yet how many presumed Seattle starters will play, though. There is a good chance we see a lot of ones for Green Bay against a bunch of twos or threes for the Seahawks.
That's my personal hope anyway. Not because I want the Seahawks to lose, of course, because I don't. But I'd also like to not have the team risk key players to injury before the real games begin in two weeks. Heck, maybe just stop at halftime.
But we could learn a lot about the 2023 Seattle team on Saturday. There are several roster spots being fought for. Here are three things to watch for when Seattle plays Green Bay.
How do the Seahawks backups look against Packers starters?
Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur has said that "everybody" on his team will play in preseason Week 3. While this seems odd, it is likely a sign that Green Bay is still trying to figure out who is going to start at many different positions. For the most part, the Seahawks don't have that issue. My hope is that many Seattle presumed starters don't actually play at all against Green Bay.
For Seahawks looking to earn a spot on the team, that Green Bay is playing a bunch of starters is a golden opportunity. We've seen some Seattle players have good preseason games, such as receiver Matt Landers and edge rusher Levi Bell, but most of their time has been spent going up against likely backups of other teams. Competing versus starters will show the Seattle coaching staff whether they can truly be productive when the real games begin.
This also might mean things get a bit ugly early for Seattle. If they are putting second-and-third teamers up against the Packers starters, Green Bay might have an easy early going. Still, maybe Green Bay's starters don't play much and Seattle can go unbeaten in the preseason. More important, however, is the hope that some Seahawks prove they should be on the active 53-man roster in Week 1.