Instant Takeaways: Sloppy Seahawks Blasted 20-7 By Packers in Exhibition Finale
GREEN BAY, Wisc. - Victimized by a trio of first half turnovers, the Seattle Seahawks beat themselves as much as the Green Bay Packers defeated them in a tough-to-watch 20-7 loss to close out the preseason at Lambeau Field.
Starting for the first time, Jalen Milroe completed 13 out of 24 passes for 148 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Cody White, while Jacardia Wright paced the run game with 65 yards on five carries. Jared Ivey led the defense with eight combined tackles and three different players produced sacks for the Seahawks on defense in the loss.
With the exhibition season now officially over, here are five quick takeaways from Seattle’s tough loss in Titletown:
1. Tough to evaluate Jalen Milroe under tough circumstances against Packers’ starting defense.
Earning the start with Sam Darnold and Drew Lock not suiting up, all eyes were on Milroe with an extended audition opportunity presented to him. However, with Green Bay choosing to play many of its starters on both sides of the ball and Seattle rolling out mostly third-stringers, it felt like the rookie quarterback had been thrown into a varsity game with a junior varsity supporting cast around him. This included third-string guard Sataoa Laumea and undrafted rookie center Federico Maranges and tackle Amari Kight blocking for him.
Not surprisingly, the major differential in talent on the field showed up quickly, as after Milroe completed a first down pass to tight end Nick Kallerup, multiple Seahawk blockers got whipped up front on the ensuing third down and he took a drive-ending sack. On the next series, tackle Mike Jerrell lost badly off the edge to Kingsley Enagbare, who punched the ball out of the quarterback’s hands as numerous defenders crashed in on him and recovered the fumble in Seattle territory, leading to a Green Bay field goal that extended the lead to 10-0.
Milroe later coughed up a second fumble on a quarterback sneak after he already had gained enough yardage to move the chains, once again turning the ball over to the Packers in plus territory. For the first half, he completed seven out of 12 passes for 65 yards and rushed for only three yards on two carries with a pair of fumbles, failing to get his team into the end zone even after a Jacardia Wright 61-yard run pushed the Seahawks inside the opposing five-yard line as a Green Bay defender got a piece of his fourth down and goal pass attempt.
To Milroe’s credit, he made his share of plays after halftime when the game shifted to backups against backups, including orchestrating a 62-yard touchdown drive that featured a 25-yard completion to Cody White, a 15-yard run on a read option, and an 18-yard touchdown strike to White to cut the lead to 20-7. With a functional pocket for the entire drive, it was easily the most comfortable the rookie has looked all preseason. But a botched snap late in the fourth quarter stopped any chance of a comeback from coming to fruition.
2. Reported interest in free agent Dalton Risner now suddenly makes a ton of sense for Seattle.
Putting all of their starters - and many of their primary backups even - into bubble wrap on Saturday, the Seahawks put Milroe in a tough spot throwing him into the lineup behind an offensive line that couldn’t have been much more outmatched in the first two quarters of play in Green Bay. In particular, the guard play was dreadful from the outset, with starters Sataoa Laumea and Bryce Cabeldue not able to create push in the run game and getting bullied often when Milroe dropped back to pass, playing a major role in falling behind the sticks and ultimately failing to convert any of Seattle’s six third down opportunities before halftime.
The decision not to play Christian Haynes, who by all accounts lost the right guard job to Anthony Bradford this summer, was a fascinating one made by Macdonald and the coaching staff. It could be a sign that he’s viewed as the clear No. 3 guard and that the Seahawks didn’t want to risk him getting hurt, but with Risner expected to be brought in for a visit by Monday, it could also be an indicator that the team may be attempting to shop the 2024 third-round pick leading up to roster cutdown day as well.
Without Haynes suiting up, Laumea continued what has been a disappointing second preseason, getting pushed around at the point of attack in the run game and yielding several quick pressures in pass protection. Cabeldue helped spring Wright on his 61-yard run and showed more positives than his counterpart, but he had his share of issues winning in the trenches as well playing deep into the second half, and with those two players competing for the fourth guard spot, it’s not difficult to see why the Seahawks would be entertaining the idea of signing an experienced, proven vet in Risner to bolster their shaky depth in the interior.
3. The Seahawks played far better defensively overall than what the final score would suggest.
Though the Seahawks trailed by 20 at the half, that gap proves to be misleading when it comes to evaluating Macdonald’s defense. Aside from a 96-yard touchdown drive capped off by a touchdown pass from Malik Willis in the first quarter and a 47-yard touchdown drive after Milroe’s second fumble, the Seahawks forced two punts and two field goals, with both of those three-point stands coming off of turnovers in their own territory, in four of their final five possessions in the first half.
Seattle also opened the game with a spectacular bang courtesy of safety Ty Okada. With Green Bay facing 3rd and 5 on the third play from scrimmage, Willis airmailed a throw downfield that went way off target, allowing Okada the opportunity to dive for the ball. Laying out fully extended, he got his right hand underneath the ball and somehow managed to corral the interception. Officials reviewed the play and though the ball did hit the turf, it appeared that he had control of the ball through the ground, and the play stood as called for a dazzling pick.
Overall, the Packers converted only three out of nine third down chances in the first half, and the Seahawks continued to hold serve after halftime, forcing four straight punts and a turnover on downs to open the second half to keep the game somewhat in striking distance. Green Bay averaged just 3.3 yards per play for the afternoon, a significantly lower output than Seattle had, with the pass rush coming to life in the second half behind J.R. Singleton, Jamie Sheriff, and D’Anthony Bell sacks.
4. Undrafted rookie J.R. Singleton continues a late push for roster/practice squad consideration.
Without any starters dressing, the third preseason game offered one more opportunity for under-the-radar reserves to boost their stock before cutdown day, and nobody may have taken better advantage of the increase in snaps than Singleton. The undrafted rookie defensive tackle out of Iowa State has quietly been turning it on since midway through his first training camp, making his presence felt more and more as he developed chemistry with the likes of Jared Ivey, Anthony Campbell, and Bubba Thomas, the quartet of intriguing interior defenders signed in free agency after the draft.
Singleton continued his ascent on Saturday, first splashing late in the first quarter with instant penetration into the backfield to punch the ball out of running back Israel Abanikanda’s hand immediately after he took the handoff for a fumble. Though Green Bay recovered, that play proved crucial to forcing the home team to settle for a field goal after Milroe’s first fumble gifted them excellent starting field position. The unheralded rookie showed up again on the next drive, recording a run stuff for no gain shortly before the Packers unfortunately found the end zone a second time.
In the second half, Singleton also showed up as a pass rusher, ripping past his blocker up the gut and devouring backup quarterback Taylor Elgersma for his first NFL sack after Ivey forced him to step up in the pocket. For the game, the former Cyclone standout finished with four tackles, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a sack, and while that may not be enough to make it onto the 53-man roster, he helped himself immensely in pursuit of a roster spot elsewhere or a priority practice squad addition in Seattle.
5. Crisis hopefully averted for Seahawks in aftermath of scary special teams collision.
At the end of the day, coming out of preseason games healthy remains the ultimate goal for NFL teams, and unfortunately, the Seahawks were on the wrong side of that coin on Saturday. Late in the first half, veteran receiver Jake Bobo sprinted forward attempting to catch a punt after he had made a fair catch signal. But his teammate - cornerback Tyler Hall - was pushed into him by a defender, colliding with Bobo and causing him to cough up the ball. The Packers recovered, once again getting phenomenal field position, but that was an afterthought with both players down.
Trainers rushed out to the field to tend to Bobo and Hall, who stayed down for several minutes in a gut-wrenching scene. Bobo managed to get up on his own power and jogged straight to the locker room, a positive sign after appearing to take a direct shot to the head/neck region. Hall unfortunately seemed to take the worst of the hit, limping off the field with assistance before being carted off the sidelines with an apparent knee injury.
It remains to be seen how severe either of the injuries are, but in retrospect, the fact both players were able to walk off the field should be viewed as a net positive after a collision that left everyone in the stadium holding their breath. In addition, Ivey dodged a significant knee injury as well, briefly going into the blue tent in the first quarter before returning to action and playing the remainder of the game.
