The Seattle Seahawks play the Los Angeles Chargers in new head coach Mike Macdonald's first preseason game ever as a head coach. The first time he runs onto the field leading his team will be the first time he has ever done so against a team wearing a different jersey than his own team. Who wins and who loses is not important, but the experience will be.
The Chargers have a new head coach as well. The difference is that their new coach, Jim Harbaugh, has been a head coach in the NFL before. He will be a bit more understanding of what is about to happen.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect ahead of this game is that Macdonald was Harbaugh's defensive coordinator at the University of Michigan in 2021. Expect a firm handshake before the game. Once the game begins, though, expect a battle of backups.
San Howell looks like a potentially excellent starting quarterback
The guess here is that Geno Smith doesn't play at all because what's the point? Sure, Smith needs to learn a new offensive system because the team has a new offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb. That can be learned in training camp and through reps. Head coach Mike Macdonald is big on reps because that is truly the only way to learn a new system.
Sam Howell, however, has not looked that good through a lot of training camp and he might need all the reps he can get. He moves well and has a bunch of athleticism, but his passes have not been overly accurate in camp. This leads to the logical conclusion that Howell will be amazing once he faces other teams, right?
That is the guess here. Howell begins the game as QB1 with PJ Walker taking over in the second half. This game will feature backups versus backups so Howell should be one of the better players on the field. This will make him look like a potential starter for Seattle, but we should temper that by who he is going up against on the Chargers' defense.
Seahawks run a kickoff back for a touchdown which creates a mess
Someone will run a kickoff back for a touchdown against Los Angeles. The guess here is that is Laviska Shenault. The fact he does so then creates a huge mess as far as who the Seahawks keep on the team as far as WR5 and WR6. Heck, Seattle might even be forced into keeping seven receivers on the team based on Shenualt's kick return ability.
We can assume Seattle's top four receivers: DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Jake Bobo. After that, it is a race to who makes the team. That could mean Dareke Young, Dee Eskridge, Cody White, Shenualt, and others. Young was hurt a lot of 2023 but is a good special teams player whether he returns kicks or not. Eskridge has been relatively useless for three years.
White and Shenault might need to make a name for themselves in the preseason. That might mean a great catch that changes a game, or, in the case of Shenault, an explosive kickoff return. If the Shenault does that, John Schneider and the coaching staff will have a lot of difficult decisions to make for WR5 to, potentially, WR7.
The defense looks underwhelming and that is OK
No teams scheme against another in the preseason. This is more of a chance for coaches to figure out which players do well in certain situations. The question won't be whether Tyrice Knight is fantastic on a certain third-and-eight, but whether he moves well enough to project he will be good in coverage overall. A win or a loss in preseason games is meaningless.
Next. Winners and losers from the Seahawks annual mock game. Winners and losers from the Seahawks annual mock game. dark
The Seahawks could lose to the Chargers 40-10 and Macdonald could be happy with the outcome based on what he saw certain players do. Again, these are backups versus backups mostly so what you see is not what your mind should believe the 2024 Seattle team to be in a very Orwellian way.
This is also coach Jim Harbaugh in his first preseason game with the Chargers in Los Angeles against first-time head coach Mike Macdonald. Harbaugh might want to put the (2,000) hometown fans at rest. Macdonald likely won't care about the overall outcome but more about specific situations.
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