The Seattle Seahawks didn't need to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, of course, but they stomped them anyway. The game was meaningless except for a chance for Seattle's starters to get a wee bit more work in before the real games begin. Quarterback Sam Darnold could have thrown five interceptions, and it wouldn't truly matter.
What Seattle couldn't afford was for a key player or three to get hurt. Thankfully, the Seahawks avoided that. The starters playing at all in preseason Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers is unlikely. Fingers crossed that nothing happens in practice.
Still, what did matter in Seattle versus KC was trying to get some help deciding who might fill out the roster, and who might be holding down some starting spots. This is especially true as far as the offensive line. We were able to glean a few ideas about what head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider might do.
Winners and losers from the Seattle Seahawks in preseason Week 2
Winner: Running back Zach Charbonnet
Charbonnet needs to be the starter in Week 1. He has played better than Kenneth Walker III in training camp, and that's when Walker is healthy. But, seemingly like always, Walker has been nursing an injury. Charbonnet is a second-round draft pick like Walker, so the expectations should be about the same. Last season, though, Charbonnet was consistently better in more limited snaps.
Charbonnet looks faster this season and is already more powerful than Walker. He appears to be a perfect fit for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system, too. In one drive versus the Chiefs, Charbonnet had five carries for 45 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run.
Loser: Running back Damien Martinez
Martinez isn't in the running to be a starter, but the Seahawks are probably only going to keep three tailbacks, as they will definitely keep Robbie Ouzts at fullback. This means Martinez is probably in a battle with George Holani for RB3. Martinez hasn't looked terrible in the preseason, but Holani has looked much better.
In the first half against Kansas City, Holani had five rushes for 49 yards, so he has 12 carries for 110 yards in two preseason games. Martinez might be worth keeping around, but there is simply no room for him.
Winner: Nose tackle Brandon Pili
Pili might be in a battle with Quinton Bohanna for a backup interior defensive line spot, and no offense to Bohanna, but Pili has made plays in every opportunity he has gotten. He's not going to have tons of tackles because that is not his job. He could have some important ones, though.
Against the Chiefs, the third-year pro had one tackle, but it was for a safety. He flashed quickness for someone who is 6'3" and 335 pounds, and that kind of surprising athleticism could earn him a job on the active 53-man roster.
Loser: Special teams coach Jay Harbaugh
As well as the Seahawks played until the backups to the backups came in, finding much wrong is being a bit nitpicky. Still, Harbaugh's special teams unit struggled quite a bit in terms of kick return coverage in 2024. Seattle was 17th in kick return average and punt return average. Oddly, he appeared not to know how to best use Jason Myers on kickoffs.
Against the Chiefs, KC had two kick returns that appeared on the verge of being extremely explosive. Myers saved one by being the last man standing to tackle the ball carrier. That trend needs to stop in the regular season, and Harbaugh needs to coach much better than he did in 2024.
Winner: Wide receiver Jake Bobo
For a bit of training camp, there might have been a question about Jake Bobo making the team. The first four seem set with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That means there might be only two spots left at receiver.
But if Bobo wanted to remind the Seattle Seahawks coaching staff why he is worth keeping around, he did that versus the Chiefs. He had two catches, and both for touchdowns. The first one was best as Bobo slithered through the defense and then dove for the end zone. It was the kind of play one could imagine him doing several times in real games this year.
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