The Seattle Seahawks lost to the Green Bay Packers 19-15 in Seattle's final preseason game of 2023. Very few starters for the Seahawks played on offense, while Green Bay played a lot of their starters to begin the game. So that the game wasn't a blowout seems OK.
Among the players I was hoping would standout, Levi Bell had a tackle for loss but didn't do anything in terms of a sustained pass rush. That's his strength. Nose tackle Matt Gotel had a solid game, but mostly against backups. Still, he's massive enough to potentially make the team as a backup nose guard. He just barely missed making the list that follows.
I don't have Easop Winston, Jr. on this list even though he had a good game. There are a couple of reasons for this. One is that all of his real production came in the second half against the Packers' backups to backups. Also, he made a horrendous decision on a punt to run for the ball inside his own five-yard and then make a fair catch on the ball instead of letting it bounce into the end zone. That was ugly.
Seahawks winner No. 1 - Receiver Jake Bobo
With Jaxon Smith-Njigba out most likely for Week 1 after suffering a broken wrist in preseason Week 2, Jake Bobo surprisingly is most likely WR3 for the Seahawks entering when the real games begin. Honestly, I am not sure if that is good or bad. Don't get me wrong. Like everyone else in the Seahawks-verse, I would like a bit more Bobo. But he also hasn't proven he can do anything consistently against first-team defenders.
Still, Bobo just seems to make plays every single week. Against the Packers in the first half, he caught a beautifully thrown pass from Drew Lock after Bobo ran an excellent route for a touchdown. Bobo doesn't seem to even bobble passes and that's key. NFL teams care about whether a receiver can get open and then whether they can corral the ball thrown toward them. Bobo seems to be able to do both.
Fill in the blank. Jake Bobo is _______.#SEAvsGB on KING 5 pic.twitter.com/eRJBp9DGJE
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) August 26, 2023
What we don't know is how well Bobo will play off of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and how much he will actually help take pressure off of Lockett and Metcalf in real games. With Smith-Njigba we can assume opposing defenses will focus on him a little and leave Metcalf and Lockett with the occasional one-on-one coverage. Opposing defenses aren't going t be a scared of Bobo. Of course, that might help the Seahawks and Bobo as he is sneaky productive.
Seahawks loser No. 1 - Cornerback Mike Jackson
It was interesting in the first quarter how the Packers moved away from throwing to Tre Brown's side of the field and instead threw toward Jackson. Maybe this was by design and the Packers were just trying to work their offense this way for reps. But Green Bay did have a ton of presumed starters in the game, to begin with, and while Seattle didn't the Seahawks still had Jackson and Brown in the game at the same time on opposite sides.
Brown and Jackson could be battling for a starting spot opposite Riq Woolen and based on what we've seen from the TV copy of the games, the job should be Brown's. Jackson even got cleanly beat in the first quarter on a post pass but the receiver didn't come up with the catch. Then Jackson jumped up and waved his hands as if to say "Nope!" but against a better receiver, Jackson would have easily gotten beat for 25 yards.
Jackson didn't get much better at the beginning of the second quarter where he got called for a hold on a Packers backup receiver (though the penalty was called off because a pass had been completed Jackson's way anyway) and then on the next play he gave up a 15-yard completion. Brown, meanwhile, had nothing coming his way. By design by the Packers as far as working side to side? Or were they simply throwing in the direction of the cornerback where they knew the pass had a better chance of being completed?
But wait, there's more. Jackson finished the drive at the beginning of the second quarter by giving up an easy 6-yard touchdown pass. He got shielded by the Packers' backup receiver and Jackson had no chance of batting the pass away. We haven't seen the 2022 version of Jackson in a few weeks now. Otherwise, Tre Brown looks perfectly fine. (Jackson at least blocked the extra point attempt, but he gave up 6 to take away 1.) Oddly, Jackson was credited with 2 passes defended, but it was clear the Packers had no concerns throwing his way.
Seahawks winner No. 2 - Safety Jerrick Reed II
Reed is trying to make the team as a backup, of course, and he wasn't exactly fantastic in the first two preseason games (he wasn't terrible either), but against the Packers, he had his best game against a team wearing a uniform that wasn't his own. He was active in coverage but also showed some speed in run support. He finished with 2 tackles for loss, including an excellent open-field tackle against Green Bay backup QB Sean Clifford.
Does Reed look like he could be a starter for Seattle right now? No. He needs more seasoning and more reps. But does he look like he could stick on the active 53-man roster? That depends on several things.
How much does Seattle really think Coby Bryant will be a backup safety? Bryant might be needed more as a slot corner, just as he played in 2022, to begin 2023. Devon Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, has missed tons of practices due to a hamstring injury and expecting Witherspoon to be good against Cooper Kupp and the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 might be expecting too much.
So if Bryant has to move up to the slot, that might open a spot for an extra safety. Joey Blount might make the team, but he hasn't proven to be overly good in a couple of years. Jonathan Sutherland has struggled with injuries. Reed was a decent playmaker in college and he could provide quality depth. He flashed against the Packer that he could.