SEATTLE -- Three preseason games are now in the books and Seattle's most definitive dress rehearsal before the start of the regular season ended without a hitch.
Head coach Pete Carroll said after the game that they didn't have any significant injuries in Friday night's 26-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Given the loss of George Fant for the season last week, that's a very big deal.
The offense moved the ball consistently, the offensive line did its job without much of a hitch and the defense held the Chiefs without an offensive touchdown.
Despite the loss of Fant last week, Rees Odhiambo stepped up and played well in his first game as a starter. The running game was successful, Russell Wilson had time to throw and he was barely touched while the starters remained in the game.
With the performance of the offensive line the biggest story of the game, here are tonight's takeaways from Seattle's victory over the Chiefs:
1. Offensive line gets passing grade.
The first audition for Rees Odhiambo at left tackle went about as well as could be expected. The Seahawks' first-team offensive line allowed just one quarterback hit in the entire first half without allowing a sack.
While Odhiambo did allow a sack of Wilson on the opening drive of the third quarter, it was a mostly clean night for George Fant's replacement.
"I thought he had one bad pass set when Russ got hit. He just made a mistake on it, but other than that he did a pretty good job," Carroll said. "There's another run play that maybe he might have targeted a little bit off but I thought he was very solid for what I could tell."
Odhiambo allowed Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones to blow by his with somewhat ease to drop Wilson for a 7-yard loss. Odhiambo said they had a miscommunication and botched the play.
"We kind of talked about it differently," he said. "I was expecting to set out to the linebacker and we misread it. Besides that we had a pretty good day of communicating.
"Everything was pretty good for the most part. A few things we've got to clean up a little bit but for the most part I felt like we did a really good job."
Eddie Lacy and Chris Carson combined for 67 yards on 12 carries as both backs averaged over five yards an attempt behind the starting line.
"It's huge," guard Luke Joeckel said. "We want to pride ourselves on that. We want to pride ourselves on being a running football team and putting it to the defense. When you can do that in the third preseason game, it's big."
Carroll was also pleased with the play of newly acquired tackle Matt Tobin, who was acquired from Philadelphia this week in trade.
"I also thought Matt Tobin did a pretty good job too. We ran the ball pretty well to the left when he was in there and he made a couple good pass (protections) too. I'm dying to see the film."
Wilson was pretty well protected all night. It allowed him to throw for 200 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game after the opening drive of the third quarter.
It's just one game, but it was a positive step for the Seahawks' line.
2. A healthy Russell Wilson makes such a difference.
Wilson's preseason may be over after another strong outing against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night.
Wilson completed 13 of 19 passes for 200 yards and had a 2-yard touchdown pass to fullback Tre Madden.
For the preseason in total, he's completed 29 of 41 passes for 447 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and just two sacks endured.
"Everything he has done looks like it's culminating in really good solid decision making," Carroll said. "Really clear thinking. Very decisive. Very quick with the football. Our tempo on offense is like we like it. I would hope we can get better. He's in command of that. I know he's excited. He's having fun playing football and he can really feel his guys and who he's working with and you can see the different style of throws he'll make to different guys and that's because he's really tuned in."
It's also a pretty clear reminder of how good Wilson can look when he has his full arsenal at his disposal.
Wilson was injured in the season-opener against Miami last season and never got back to 100 percent. Seeing the difference in the way he's able to move - and how much different it allows him to perform - is staggering and a stark reminder of just how good Wilson can be.
3. Chris Carson with another strong showing.
If you had any lingering doubts about Chris Carson's spot on the team's 53-man roster, they can probably be put to bed now.
"Every time I get a chance to play out here in the NFL is a blessing," Carson said. "I just take everything for what it is and I'm just blessed to be out here."
Carson had another impressive showing against the Chiefs on Friday night. He rushed for 46 yards and eight carries and caught two passes for 44 yards as well. For the preseason, he's rushed for 92 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries and caught four passes for 64 yards.
"For a rookie, I mean he has been really remarkable," quarterback Russell Wilson said. "I think he is going to have a remarkable year as well. He gives me a chance and he makes a lot of really good plays on the field."
4. David Bass making push for roster spot.
Defensive end David Bass has made plays in every preseason game with Seattle as he tries to force the Seahawks to keep him on the roster for the start of the regular season.
Bass is a fifth-year player that spent the last four years playing with the Chicago Bears and Tennessee Titans before signing with Seattle this offseason.
"Honestly I think this team makes you play better," Bass said. "The people that's on the team, the coaches. The feeling you get is you want to go out and put your best foot forward. You've got so many people, so many accomplished people who care about everybody on the team, it wouldn't be smart not to go out there and give your best because they're going to put everything on the line for you so why not do it for them."
Bass has recorded eight total tackles with 1.5 sacks in three preseason games with the Seahawks. He also has a pass defended that nearly became an interception last week against Minnesota.
He's also been asked to play inside at tackle the last couple of weeks as Seattle is exploring his versatility.
"The past two weeks is the most I've played inside," Bass said.
Before Malilk McDowell's ATV accident, there may not have been a roster spot available for Bass to take, but after consistently showing up in games he may find his way onto the roster. He's been the most productive member of the deeper depth group along the defensive line.
5. Run defense concerning at all?
If there's anything to raise an eyebrow of concern about through three weeks of the preseason, it may be Seattle's run defense.
Kareem Hunt and Spencer Ware combined to rush for 54 yards on 12 carries against the Seahawks on Friday night before the starters left the game after halftime.
The duo frequently had room to run early on. If not for K.J. Wright's stop of Hunt for a 4-yard loss inside the 10-yard line on Kansas City's opening drive, the numbers could look a little more troubling as well.
"I think we can do better than we did.The numbers didn’t support that we played pretty well," Carroll said. "... We have really high standards for the running game, and I thought that we allowed them to move the football a little bit, on the ground."
Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook gained 40 yards on seven carries against Seattle's starters last week as well.
"I don’t think we’re where we need to be to go where we want to go," defensive end Cliff Avril said. "There’s a lot of leaky things, but it’s all things that we can fix. We have the personnel and the right guy and the right mindset. It’s just little things like not allowing them to get two or three yards after that first contact."
Against the passing game, Seattle has been quite good. Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes combined to complete just 15 of 32 passes for 114 yards through three quarters of play Friday night. Outside of an opening drive touchdown allowed to Philip Rivers and the Los Angeles Chargers in the preseason opener, the pass defense has been successful. The Vikings and Chiefs did not score an offensive touchdown against Seattle's starting unit.
Avril and Michael Bennett have not played extensively this preseason. Wright missed last week's game to have a Regenokine procedure on his knee. Michael Wilhoite has missed the last two games with a calf issue. It all plays into the run defense not quite being where Seattle wants it.
It's nothing to be alarmed about, but it's worth keeping an eye on when the season gets going for real in Green Bay in just over two weeks from now.
Photo Credit: SEATTLE, WA - AUGUST 25: Running back Eddie Lacy #27 of the Seattle Seahawks rushes against the Kansas City Chiefs at CenturyLink Field on August 25, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)