But for all of those memories of the Seahawks’ past, Thursday’s game also served as a reminder that the present, not to mention the future, look pretty darn promising as well.
While most of Seahawks’ starters didn’t play, their young depth, and their rookie class in particular, shined as they raced to a 16-3 halftime lead on their way to a 23-23 tie. And yes, the second half got a little sloppy, as preseason games often do when teams get further down the depth chart, but overall there was a ton to like from a team that didn’t play most of its top players.
With that in mind, here are five rapid reactions to Thursday night’s tie with the Raiders:
There’s a lot to like about this rookie class.
While the plan all along was for most of Seattle’s top players to sit out this game, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said earlier in the week that some rookies in prominent roles would see playing time, and just about every one of those players stepped up in their debut.
First-round pick Grey Zabel started at left guard with what was mostly the starting line, though left tackle Charles Cross and center Olu Oluwatimi, who is in a competition for that job, were out due to injuries. The rookie out of North Dakota State more than held his own against the Raiders starters, who played the first couple of series. Zabel was impressive in the run game and pass protection, including a couple of physical finishes on run blocks that saw him drive an opposing lineman into the ground.
Receiver Tory Horton, meanwhile, came into the game with a lot of hype after several strong practices in the past week of camp, and backed it up with three catches for 31 yards, all in the first half, including a 10-yard touchdown reception on which he slipped multiple tackle attempts on his way to the end zone. Horton also was first up on punt return duty, and used some nifty moves to get a 5-yard return on his second return after fair catching his first.