Three bold predictions for Seahawks preseason Week 2 game against Titans

The Seahawks preseason game against the Tennessee Titans this Saturday may be the last time fringe players will get a real chance to make an impression on the coaching staff. The two joint practices with the Titans that preceded the game may have been even more important, but they focused more on the starters.

Few, if any, of those starters will suit up on Saturday. The field will be wide open for a couple of dozen hopefuls. They have been dreaming of this chance since they were kids on the playground. They will not be leaving anything in reserve.

They will be battling against Titan players in a similar position. Both head coaches have announced that starters will barely play on Saturday, but no one is giving this game away. Mike Macdonald and Brian Callahan are new to their jobs. It is the first time either man has ever been a head coach at any level. Like those players desperate to establish themselves, these coaches are looking to leave a mark on their programs.

Bold predictions as the Seahawks take on the Titans in preseason Week 2

Both won their debut games last week. They may be playing reserves in a game that doesn’t count, but neither wants to lose. Losing is a luxury reserved for veteran teams who are looking down the road. The Hawks and the Titans are looking at what is right in front of them.

Here are three bold predictions for Saturday’s game. If I were the arrogant type, I’d call these guarantees because I’m pretty sure they are going to happen, or at least will come close to happening. But I’m not the arrogant type. So I’ll just call them stone-cold possibilities. However, being a believer in value-added content, I will offer up an ancillary bonus prediction for each, leaving you with not four – not five – but six of these stone-cold possibilities for your enjoyment.

Nelson Ceaser will have two sacks

The Charger game was great for almost everyone wearing a Seahawks jersey. But not for Ceaser. He was on the field for 20 plays and recorded zero stats. Jake Bobo and George Holani had more tackles than the former Houston Cougar star. Both Dre’Mont Jones and Darrell Taylor have been battling nagging injuries in camp leaving plenty of room for Ceaser to impress.

He had been doing just that early on. But the goose egg against the Chargers was a big step backward. He needs to correct that and Saturday may be the one chance he will get. You can bet he will leave it all on the field.

The Titans offensive line is already dealing with the sudden retirement of projected starting guard Saahdiq Charles. Their backup edge protectors include journeymen Geron Christian, Leroy Watson, and little-used second-year man Jaelyn Duncan. Ceaser has to show he can make plays against this caliber of player if he has any hopes of sticking around. I think he will.

Bonus: Versatile rookie Devere Levelston will also get a sack.

There will be a kickoff return for a touchdown

Notice I am not saying which team will do it. Both might pull it off. Because if there was any major takeaway from week one of preseason games, it’s that special teams coaches are still trying to figure out how this radically new kickoff rule is going to play out. In the end, I think there is a very good chance that teams are just going to throw up their hands in defeat and blast the ball through the landing zone, thus accepting that the offense will get the ball on the 30-yard line. That would be a better result than what we tended to see last weekend.

Returners were breaking runs all over the place. In Seattle’s game against the Chargers, both teams combined for returns just under 30 yards per clip. That routinely is going to put the ball past the 30 anyway, and several returns throughout the league were very close to going all the way.  I think we will see one go the distance this Saturday. It might be the Titans' Kearis Jackson, who looked dangerous in their first game. I think he will get more chances because I think Seattle’s defense will play well, and that will result in fewer opportunities for the Hawks’ returners.

Bonus: But if it is a Hawks returner, I predict it will be someone named Dee.

The Seahawks get two picks

This is practically a lock. Perhaps the single most impressive thing about the Chargers game – with the possible exception of Byron Murphy – was the coordination with which the Seahawks secondary performed. That wasn’t surprising when the starters were in. But there was literally no drop-off when the reserves entered. You don’t get three & outs if your defensive backfield is not sharp. The Hawks got three & outs constantly – provided they weren’t intercepting.

I think we’ll see more interceptions this week. Teams will have trouble throwing on Seattle all year. If the pass rush develops, opponents will be forced into bad throws. So just look at what we have this Saturday. A Titans team that will be using mediocre-at-best backup linemen, and, for at least a chunk of the game, an untested QB in Malik Willis who managed to throw three interceptions in just 61 attempts as a rookie.

I am not predicting which Hawks defenders will do the deed, which is merely a sign of how deep the secondary is. Interceptions could come from a variety of players.

Bonus: One of those players could be Mike Jackson, who should return after missing last week’s game with an injury. Assuming he has no lingering injury issue, Jackson could follow Nick Harris out the door via trade after the game. Jackson is young enough and talented enough to get a small return from corner-hungry teams, and the kids in Seattle’s secondary could just make him expendable.

More Seahawks news and analysis: