The Seattle Seahawks have the chance to go undefeated in the preseason as they prepare to face the Oakland Raiders on Thursday night for the final game.
Rookie quarterback Russell Wilson will have his second start of the preseason as head coach Pete Carroll gets one last chance to see what the players on his roster can do before final cuts.
Wilson succeeded expectations in his first rookie start at quarterback last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. The rookie completed 13-of-19 passing totaling 185 yards and two touchdowns. His performance with the first team earned him his next start as well as the starting position for week one of the regular season.
Coming against the Raiders, Wilson will have to deal with a mediocre defense that finished near the bottom in opponent passing and rushing yards last season. The players Wilson will have to watch out for are defensive end Richard Seymour who has been known to get to the quarterback on multiple occasions as well as linebacker Rolando McClain.
Oakland has a weaker secondary which should allow Wilson to thrive if he can avoid pressure from the pass rush.
Running back Marshawn Lynch is listed as questionable but will not play in the preseason finale against the Raiders which leaves the running game to Leon Washington and rookie Robert Turbin. Both players have a chance to put up big numbers in this preseason game while Turbin will get another chance to show he can contribute before the start of the regular season.
The defense of Seattle will face a tough challenge this week finding a way to slow down Oakland running back Darren McFadden who gave many teams trouble last year. He is a strong explosive back who can run straight through a defense. Rookie linebacker Bobby Wagner and the rest of the defense will have a long night if they don’t find a way to stop McFadden.
The secondary of the Seahawks have the task of slowing down receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey who has incredible speed along with quarterback Carson Palmer. The secondary has recorded five interceptions returning two of them for touchdowns and has an opportunity to add to that total Thursday night.
As long as Wilson doesn’t get uncomfortable from the pressure of the Raiders defensive line and the Seahawks defense holds down McFadden, Seattle should go undefeated this preseason and Wilson will earn his second win as a starter.
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