This Saturday the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers will play their first preseason game of the 2022 season. The kick-off will be at 7:00 PM EST inside Acrisure Stadium. Both of these teams are no longer with their long-time starting quarterback, as the Seahawks are without Russel Wilson and Ben Roethlisberger retired.
The Seattle Seahawks are coming into their first preseason game with Gino Smith named as the starter. He got the nod earlier this week, as he and Drew Lock have been battling in training camp. Both of these guys will be looking to perform at a high level to get the upper hand on one another. The Seattle defense also looks different, as they have made multiple adjustments there, as well.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering this season with Mitch Turbisky as their starting QB, as he has been battling with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph for the QB1 position. Mike Tomlin doesn't like to lose, as he will have his team prepared for this game.
The Seattle Seahawks had a very interesting offseason, as they traded Russel Wilson to the Denver Broncos and claim they aren't rebuilding. They have now allowed Geno Smith and Drew Lock to battle for the starting quarterback spot this season. This should give the Seahawks an advantage in these preseason games, though. Both of their quarterbacks have started in the NFL and have enough experience to carry this offense through this game. Lock went (8-13) in his 21 starts in Denver, as he has shown sparks of greatness. Reports say he has struggled through the camp, though. The Seahawks also did some work in the draft as they spent two of their first three picks on offensive tackles. Wilson was constantly running for his life last season, as Seattle has to do a better job of protecting their quarterback, regardless of who it is. They took Charles Cross with the #9 pick, as the offensive tackle out of Mississippi State should help this offen sive line. They also drafted Michigan State RB, Kenneth Walker III with the 41st pick in the draft. They needed a starting running back and Walker could be the perfect fit. Chris Carson was forced to retire due to injuries, so the Seahawks desperately needed to do something with this position. According to Walterfootball.com, Pete Carroll is also (26-17) in his preseason career, as he doesn't like to lose, no matter what time of the year it is.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks were also forced to make a few adjustments. They drafted Boye Mafe LB, out of Minnesota as he will look to range from sideline to sideline for Seattle. They no longer have Bobby Wagner, as the legion of boom is officially gone. They will now have Artie Burns, Quandary Diggs, and Sidney Jones IV in their secondary. The Seahawks gave up the 12th most points per game last season with 21.5, as they were touched through the air. Luckily, the Seahawks also added a few more p layers through free agency. Uchenna Nwosu will be playing for the Seahawks now and so will Quinton Jefferson. I expect these two to hold down the middle of the field, as they can get to the ball whenever they would like. I wouldn't expect these starters or rookies to play deep into this game, though. The Seahawks can't risk losing any players before the season starts. I do expect all of their players to give maximum effort, though. Pete Carroll doesn't like to lose, as he will expect his team to win this game.