Seattle Seahawks: 3 Standouts vs. Raiders in Preseason Week 4
By Samuel Teets
The Seattle Seahawks held on to a late fourth-quarter lead to beat the Oakland Raiders, 17-15, in the final game of the preseason.
The Seattle Seahawks are no exception to the preseason purge as teams cut their rosters down to 53 players almost immediately after the final exhibition game. While the team likely already had an idea of who they wanted to keep going into Thursday night’s game, Week 4 was the last chance for many young men to convince the coaching staff that they were worthy of one of those coveted spots.
With the starters sitting out and looking toward the regular season Week 4 of the preseason is the perfect game for rookies and low-ranking players to show off.
The following three players made the most of their opportunity.
Geno Smith, QB
With his performance on Thursday night, Smith may have won the backup quarterback job. He did poorly in the first week of the preseason and missed Seattle’s Week 2 game because of a cyst removal. During that time, Paxton Lynch gained considerable ground and looked like he could take the job away from Smith.
While the fourth preseason game doesn’t mean much and usually showcases rookies and players who won’t make the roster, Smith made the most of the opportunity. He completed 4-of-7 passes for two touchdowns and finished with a 141.4 quarterback rating.
On the other hand, Lynch struggled against the Raiders. The former first-round pick completed just one of his seven attempts and it went for only four yards. Lynch also fumbled once but he recovered the ball.
The Seahawks usually only keep one backup quarterback on the 53-man roster because Russell Wilson has been so durable. Considering that both Lynch and Smith are veterans at this point, it’s not like either of them have the shield of being a young player with potential. One of these two quarterbacks will be cut.