Just a few quick notes…

— This was sloppy by Seattle. Obviously there were some positives. Russell Wilson made some plays downfield, the running game looked extremely sharp early in the game and there were a handful of good individual performances (Rasheem Green, David Moore & Michael Dickson in particular). Yet the penalties, relative ease that all three LA quarterbacks moved the ball and cheap points conceded were bothersome. The big run at the end to ice the game was especially frustrating, preventing the Seahawks from having one last shot to get an undeserved win.

— It’s easy to overreact to a game like this but maybe it’s a good thing? There’s certainly plenty to work on. In particular the three LA touchdowns can be a point of emphasis. Philip Rivers made an incredible play to start his day but then didn’t need to break sweat for the rest of his scoring drive. The kick return score was just too easy and Mike Williams beat Akeem King in the second half. Cheap points. In comparison Seattle contrived to make life difficult. Chris Carson’s fumble took points off the board, the Will Dissly penalty was nitpicking but also took points off the board. There also wasn’t much rhythm to Seattle’s play after a fast start. They just had a lot of deep throws but to their credit, the receivers came up big.

— In fairness to Jon Ryan — a fantastic Seahawk — Michael Dickson has surely got the punting gig. Along with Rasheem Green and Jacob Martin, the rookie class again provided some highlights. Quinton Jefferson also continued his good pre-season while Jaron Brown and David Moore showed they’ll be able to contribute this year. Already it feels like the only decision left to make at wide out is whether to keep an extra one and stash Damore’ea Stringfellow.

— The Chargers had 176 rushing yards. Too easy tonight.

— Twitter is focusing on Germain Ifedi but I really hope he isn’t going to be a scapegoat this year. He was beat badly by Melvin Ingram for a sack. Duane Brown also gave up an easy pressure in the first half. It’s going to happen, especially against a team like the Chargers. I think already we can see the first team O-line has taken a big step forward this year. We don’t need to overreact to every sack. I’d urge people to watch some of the other teams in pre-season because it’s been one bad O-line after another so far.

— Alex McGough looked good tonight on his touchdown drive. He had some nice throws to set up the opportunity and finished with style. This was a good positive step forward for McGough on a night when Austin Davis struggled to move the ball. I’m still not convinced the Seahawks will be entirely comfortable going with a rookie backup but Davis has to show better next week.

— Seattle’s 2017 draft class could provide some real quality in the form of Carson, Naz Jones, Shaquill Griffin and Tedric Thompson. But it’s tough to look at the front end of the class. Malik McDowell is out of the league and it’s fair to wonder whether Amara Darboh and Delano Hill are going to stick around much longer. That’s a second rounder and two third rounders spent on very little.

— Tonight painted a very clear picture on what will make or break Seattle’s season. Everything will be down to Russell Wilson and the running game to cover some of the other issues. The defense will likely give up more points. They’re going to need to put points on the board. This feels like a team that needs another draft and free agency to get back to the kind of level where they’re truly competitive.

— Rasheem Green looks great. Frank Clark will do what he does. This team badly needs at least one other D-line pass rusher. Thankfully this draft is loaded with defensive line talent. Later this week I’ll be posting a 2019 watchlist for the new college season. Kenny and I will also be recording a podcast on Sunday going over the Chargers game.

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