Today marks another week gone by in sports for the Seattle area. The NFL preseason is almost wrapped up, and the MLB is a little over a month away from the most heralded month in baseball — October. How are the Seattle Seahawks looking when it comes to their backups, and can the Mariners make a final push for a spot in the playoffs?
The Seattle Seahawks dropped their second straight preseason game to former AFC West rival Denver Broncos on Aug. 21, losing 30-3 in front of the 12s in Lumen Field.
The Seahawks once again did not play Russell Wilson, and only two offensive starters were playing with center Kyle Fuller (assuming Ethan Pocic isn’t ready to go week one of the regular season) and Damien Lewis starting on the line. Backup quarterback Alex McGough turned the ball over three times (two interceptions, one fumble lost) and quarterback Sean Mannion had an OK performance going 13 for 23, passing with 118 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers. The cornerback competition did not get any clearer as free agent signing and the presumable number-two Cornerback Akhello Witherspoon allowed a 35-yard reception to the Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy. The front seven was a bright side for the Seahawks as L.J. Collier and Kerry Hyder both notched a couple of pressures and Rasheem Green and Jarrod Hewitt both had a sack. Linebackers Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton both continued their solid preseasons and converted fullback Nick Bellore made a couple of plays from the linebacker spot, as well. Receiver John Ursua and linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven both went down with season-ending injuries.
On the baseball side of things, the Mariners went 3-4 this past week, dropping two games in the three-game series against the Astros and picking up both scheduled wins against the Oakland Athletics. The Mariners have gone 0-2 in the four-game series against the Royals, continuing the series later today. The Mariners are currently 7.5 games out of first in the AL West and 4.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot in the American League playoff picture.
Teren Kowatsch can be reached at [email protected]