Winning or losing a preseason game has almost no bearing on what will happen in the regular season. That is what national analysts are clinging to after their superficial skewering of the Seahawks all off-season is beginning to look foolish. Forget the 35 touchdowns Sam Darnold threw last year. He was a product of the system and the talent around him. Ignore the 50 point blowouts Klint Kubiak and the Saints were dealing early last season before injuries hit. That was a mirage. Hold strong to the belief that the Seahawks offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL. That has been a safe evaluation for a decade. The return of Abe Lucas, the drafting of Grey Zabel, the addition of a competent coaching staff, and a more line-friendly scheme will do little to lift this sorry crew. The receivers are limited. The tight ends are nobodies. This offense will be in the bottom third of the league. About that. Kubiak, Darnold, and the Seahawks offense had haters choking on their words and searching for ways to soften their prior perspectives during a dominant win over the Chiefs. Not since draft analysts gave the 2012 draft class featuring Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner failing grades have the Seahawks been more poised to make people look foolish.
Darnold leads dominant offense
There were plenty of stars on the field during the 33-16 win that included over 300 yards of offense in the first half, but Darnold merits top billing. It has not just been national nincompoops who have dismissed his breakout season last year. Nearly every Seahawks fan has been hesitant to be hopeful about his addition. I have been cautious in my assessment, especially after a very shaky start on the practice field. More people mention rookie third stringer Jalen Milroe than Darnold. He might be the least discussed $100M quarterback in history.
Friday was the first opportunity for him to write back. Had he struggled, it would have been easy to set it aside as growing pains in a new offense with new weapons and a new coordinator. After all, it took Mike Macdonald’s defense a half-season before it really found its footing. Those with doubts would have remained unchanged. Some would have snickered and doubled down on their predictions of doom. Darnold had other ideas.
The new Seahawks starter led a perfect opening drive for a touchdown that included four completed passes in four attempts, and six runs, with only a QB sneak on 3rd and short going for fewer than four yards. There were no highlight throws or big explosives in the pass game. There was crisp execution, with precise timing, and wise decision-making.
This offense, when operated well, resembles a waltz. Everyone is moving in unison, on rhythm, and in proper sequence. The quarterback is most responsible for keeping the tempo. Darnold deftly matched his timing for handoffs to Zach Charbonnet to his play-action bootleg passes. Everything looked the same. The deception involved may have made this more akin to a masquerade ball. Backup Drew Lock talked about just how detailed the scheme is for the quarterbacks.
“[Coaches] have been very, very detail-oriented about our feet,” Lock said. “When the ball’s supposed to come out, one, two, three, [hit the] outlet, run, QB through. It’s a very sound system.” He continued, “It’s coached every single day, like I said, in the good or the bad. Complete a ball 30 yards downfield, but you took a second hitch, you’re supposed to be on your first hitch. ‘We’re teaching first hitch for a reason. Let’s lock in on that.’ and that’s something that I’ve had to really, really focus on.”
The common refrain has been that no player is a bigger question mark, or will have a bigger impact on the Seahawks fortunes than Darnold. Both of those thoughts may be untrue. The narrative rarely spoken is that Seattle is the beneficiary of a market mistake, where recency bias masked a breakout season for a young quarterback, causing demand and price to drop. Darnold may be as projectable as his predecessor in Minnesota, Kirk Cousins, who nobody seems to think was a product of his supporting cast or play caller.
Completing four passes for 34 yards in a preseason game is not proof of anything. The productive days he has been stacking during practice in addition to this performance and the 16 quality starts last season do carry some weight.
The reason he may not be the most impactful part of this team is because even his fortunes will rise or fall based on the performance of the offensive line. Those who listen to my morning show know I not only believe this line can be improved, but will be considered the strength of the offense by the end of the year. After plowing through the Raiders defense for over 170 yards rushing, they put up another 170+ in this game, but decided to accomplish the feat in the first half.
It is rare for the line to be the star of the show, but their blocking was eliciting oohs and ahhs the way skill players normally do. John Schneider has bemoaned the fact that many young players are choosing defensive line over offensive line due to the sexier sacks and splash plays. This young and talented Seahawks line may have some kids reconsidering who they want to emulate.
Rookie left guard Grey Zabel was terrific again. Lucas continues to look like a Pro Bowl right tackle. Jalen Sundell was fantastic in the middle. Most noteworthy, though, was the play of Anthony Bradford at right guard. Zabel deserves the attention he is getting. Bradford is thriving in the shadows.
He has come to training camp this year in much better shape, and has been the best right guard throughout the off-season. He was dominant at times in this game. There may be nobody else on this line who moves people in the run game the way Bradford does. People questioned whether his big body was a good fit for this wide zone offense. Those folks may be surprised just how good of an athlete he is.
Bradford was actually the highest graded zone run blocking guard on the Seahawks last season, per PFF. The sound it makes when he hits the blocking pads in practice is different than the other linemen. Nobody else has lifted 340-pound Brandon Pili off the ground during run drills. No linemen has started more scuffles with his tendency to play through the whistle and finish with a shove.
Bradford brings a nastiness and physical profile that nobody else on the roster does. The combination of him and Lucas on the right side could rival Cross and Zabel on the left. This could be one of the most ambidextrous run games in the NFL.
He is not perfect. He will continue to struggle at times in pass protection. Those weaknesses should be mitigated by the scheme. His play to this point is easily the biggest pleasant surprise on the roster and could raise the floor of this offense and this team more than all but the most hardcore fans understand.
Sundell continues to look like a great fit as the starting center while Olu Oluwatimi recovers from a back issue. The question is whether he has performed so well that the coaches will hesitate to turn the starting job back over to Oluwatimi when he returns. Sundell is unquestionably the better athlete between the two, and likely has the higher upside.
Just to further the point, one of Sundell’s nearest athletic comps is Creed Humphrey. Oluwatimi may be better at pre-snap reads and adjustments at the line. He also may be better equipped to hold up to power rushers. There is more, albeit still small, of a track record to go on with Oluwatimi given his starts last season. Coaches may be enamored with the higher ceiling of Sundell. It is a good problem to have for a team that has featured some of the worst center play in the NFL for years.
Most of the other performances on offense tie back to the play of the line. Not only did they bulldoze the way to 268 yards rushing, but they held the Chiefs to no sacks, seven pressures, and just one QB hit. Even 70% of this performance by the line during the season would make them the most improved unit in the NFL.
Robbie Ouzts only played a handful of snaps again, and made his impact felt. The tight ends, with AJ Barner, Eric Saubert, and Elijah Arroyo, contributed with blocking and receiving. The running backs all ran decisively and explosively.
One of the biggest subplots was the battle for the back-end of the receiver room. Given the use of multiple tight ends and a fullback in this offense, the team seems likely to only keep five receivers. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Tory Horton Jr. are locks. Marquez Valdes-Scantling might be given his $3.5M guaranteed contract. That would leave one spot for Jake Bobo, Dareke Young, and maybe Steven Sims.
Sims is the most experienced return man, but has been out with an injury. Bobo and Young are key special teams players. Both had exemplary nights. Bobo had two touchdowns. Young led the team with 52 yards receiving and multiple explosive plays. They might be able to sneak Young onto the practice squad, but there’s also a chance the team eats the MVS contract and keeps them both.
Not very Special Teams
Jay Harbaugh is a close friend of Mike Macdonald’s. They may need to have a hard conversation soon as the one phase of the team that has not been making the same strides as the offense and defense is Harbaugh’s special teams.
The Chiefs returned one punt for a touchdown and without Jason Myers making a tackle, would have given up two return touchdowns. Nearly every return looked on the cusp of breaking away.
This looked less like a lack of capable players and more like flawed coverage fundamentals. This will hopefully improve as the depth chart gets sorted out and the actual core special teams players solidify and get more reps.
Michael Dickson appeared to be working more on directional punting than he has in the past. His punts were angled toward the sidelines, which could be meaningful as his touchback rate climbed near a career-high last season. He was excellent, especially punting in the rain. His longest punt was 69 yards. Great stuff from the newly extended Pro Bowler.
Defense has work to do
As promising as the starting offense was, the defense left some things to be desired. Gardner Minshew led their offense right down the field on the opening drive, helped by a coverage bust on one 3rd down due to what Julian Love indicated was a communication issue.
The bigger concern was the lack of pass pressure. Byron Murphy II was not a major source of disruption. He did tally two pressures in just six pass rush snaps, but the bar is high for the former first rounder. Neither Derick Hall nor Boye Mafe recorded a pressure. Those three players will play a large role in determining just how good this defense can be. This was not a performance that indicated any are ready to take a big step forward.
One guy who did help himself was tackle Brandon Pili. He burst through the line for a safety and was stout in run defense throughout. It is seeming more and more likely that Johnathan Hankins may be an insurance policy and not the guy the team is counting on to be their starting nose tackle. It is possible both Pili and Quinton Bohanna make the 53-man roster.
Identity. Identity. Identity.
More than any individual performance or unit, the collective expression of who this team wants to be continues to be as clear as a Broadway marquee. Seahawks fans have heard for years that the intent is to be a physical team, that can win in the trenches, and run the football to setup the pass. What they have seen is a team that chooses to pass on short yardage, get bullied by opponents on both sides of the ball, and rely almost entirely on the pass. Macdonald and John Schneider deserve credit for truly committing to the vision this season.
We will not know whether it will succeed until the real games begin, but there is no doubt how this team will attack opponents. When all is said and done, this group may replace doubt with respect. Receipts have been kept. Cold takes will be exposed. Macdonald’s boys are coming, and like one of the great retribution movies, they’re bringing hell with ’em.