During the first two weeks of the season, the Seattle Seahawks struggled offensively without right guard D.J. Fluker, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury. Upon his return, the run game emerged as the NFL's best, helping Seattle overcome an 0-2 start to get back into the playoff hunt.

But when Fluker went down with another hamstring injury in Week 13, the Seahawks weren't concerned thanks to the ascendance of second-year guard Jordan Simmons, who the team signed off waivers in September. The former USC standout earned a spot start against the Rams in early November, holding his own against the likes of 2017 Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald as well as Ndamukong Suh and helping his team rush for 273 yards in a close defeat.

Confident in his ability to replicate that prior success, the Seahawks threw Simmons back into the starting lineup last week against the Vikings and he did not disappoint. Putting together another outstanding performance against one of the league's best front lines, he played a key role in Seattle rushing for over 200 yards again, this time against a top-10 ranked defense featuring stout interior defensive linemen Sheldon Richardson and Linval Joseph.

"I don’t know about expectations, but we’re playing him because we think he’s going to do a good job and he’s been able to handle it and he hasn’t been perfect but he’s certainly shown that he can hang in there..." coach Pete Carroll said, adding, "It’s really a positive expression he’s made for our team and for his future with us.”

It's only been two starts, but after excelling against top-flight competition, has Simmons put himself into the discussion as a long-term starting option for the Seahawks? Or is it far too early to jump to such a conclusion?

Check out my latest film study as I review Simmons' outing against Minnesota to see where he may fit in the Seahawks plans for the rest of this year and the future.