GAME: Seattle Seahawks (7-9-0, 3rd, NFC West, 2011; 1-0 preseason) at Denver Broncos (8-8-0, T1, AFC West, 2011; 1-0 preseason). TYPE: Preseason. WEEK: 2. WHEN: Saturday, 6 p.m., Sports Authority Field, Denver. MEETING: 10th, preseason (Broncos lead 9-1). STREAKS: Seahawks W 1; Broncos W 1. HEAD COACHES: Pete Carroll, Seattle; John Fox, Denver. LINE: No line. TV: Q13. RADIO: 97.3 FM KIRO.
Matt Flynn is not officially Seattle’s starting quarterback, but will get his second consecutive start when the Seahawks, a 27-17 winner over Tennessee in their preseason opener, face the Broncos in Denver. Flynn will play the first half, rookie Russell Wilson will play the second and Tarvaris Jackson will again carry a clipboard.
“The emphasis right now is to get Matt and Russell their playing time,” coach Pete Carroll said this week,”so we can really get another big body of knowledge of information for them.”
Statistically, Wilson produced the more impressive line in the preseason opener, completing 12 of 16 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown with a passer rating of 91.7. Wilson threw one interception. Flynn completed 11 of 13 for 71 yards with one interception and a 57.4 passer rating.
“All indications are that we are still competing,” Flynn said. “I think that (the Denver game) another great opportunity for me because I do get to go in there, get reps with the ones, try to get my feet under me a little bit more, and get a great chance to go out there and execute and try to put some points up. I dont feel like I have an inside track or anything like that. Im just going out there, putting my hard hat on every day and working.”
For the first time during the preseason, Flynn will get a chance to throw to WR Terrell Owens, who signed with Seattle Aug. 6, and will make his game debut with the club. Carroll did not say how many plays Owens will get, but said he would play early. It will be the first NFL action for Owens since Week 15 of the 2010 season with Cincinnati.
Carroll said that the emphasis is on execution and playing up to expectations.
I felt that the execution was pretty good last week, but that doesnt mean anything unless we come out and do it again,” Carroll said. “We have to learn how to come back week after week after week playing up to expectations. The first half with no penalties and basically taking care of the ball pretty well like we did, all of those things are emblematic with the kind of play we want. It doesnt matter what we’ve done before. Now we have to come back and do it again.
The Broncos, coming off a 31-3 preseason win over the Chicago Bears, are expected to start Peyton Manning at quarterback and use him for part of the first half. Manning completed 4 of 7 for 44 yards with one interception against the Bears.
“Ill be excited to see how we do against him,” said Carroll. “Were going to take that very seriously, knowing that hes as equipped a quarterback as you can go against. I dont know what theyll try to do or how much theyll try to use all of the great stuff that he brings; all the tempo he brings, all of the checks he makes at the line of scrimmage.
“It would be a good test for us right out of the chute. It’s fun for the young guys to play against him. There are a lot of the guys are looking forward to that.
In the wake of Felix Hernandez of the Mariners throwing the 23rd perfect game in major league history Wednesday, here’s a fun fact about Manning. The highest official passer rating that a quarterback can receive is 158.3. Thirty-five quarterbacks have produced a “perfect game” since the advent of the passer rating system in 1973. Manning holds the NFL record with four “perfect games.”
RIVALRY: Dates to Oct. 2, 1977, when the Broncos won 24-13 in the Kingdome in a game in which Craig Morton (Denver) and Steve Myer (Seattle) were the starting quarterbacks. Seahawks are 18-34-0 all-time against the Broncos in the regular season and last defeated Denver Dec. 3, 2006 (23-20). Seahawks have lost three of the past four played between the teams.
LAST MEETING (Sept. 19, 2010): Kyle Orton completed 25 of 35 passes for 307 yards and touchdown passes to Demaryius Thomas (21 yards) and Eddie Royal (13 yards) in a 31-14 victory at Denver. The Seahawks scored on an 11-yard TD pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Ben Obomanu. Hasselbeck scored on a 20-yard run. The Broncos had a 31-7 lead before Hasselbeck’s score. Seahawks had more total yards than Denver (369 to 339), but were hurt by Hasselbeck’s three interceptions.
LAST GAME (Seahawks 27, Titans 17, Aug. 11): Flynn got the start, and the free-agent acquisition completed 11 of 13 passes with one of the incompletions a drop in staking the Seahawks to a 10-3 halftime lead. Rookie draftee Wilson took over in the second half and added an exclamation point by scoring on a 32-yard run with less than two minutes remaining. Wilson went 12 of 16 for 124 yards during his second-half stint, and also led the team with 59 rushes on three carries.
LAST GAME (Aug. 9, Broncos 31, Bears 3, Aug. 9): Manning, playing for the first time in more than a year, was intercepted near the goal line on the game’s opening possession and watched from the sideline the rest of the way as Denver trampled the Bears. The Broncos had 338 yards to 132 for Chicago.
2011 Seahawks: Finished 7-9-0, 3rd in NFC West; scored 321 points (20.1 per game), ranking 23rd; allowed 315 points (19.7 per game), ranking seventh; differential of +6 points ranked 18th. 2011 Broncos: Finished 8-8-0, T1 in AFC West; scored 309 points (19.3), ranking 25th; allowed 390 (24.4), ranking 24th; differential of -81 points ranked 25th.
QUARTERBACKS: Matt Flynn — Played in 34 games with two starts for the Green Bay Packers. His second start was in the 2011 season finale vs. Detroit. He eclipsed the franchises single-game passing yardage and touchdown pass records after completing 31 of 44 passes for 480 yards and six touchdowns with one interception. In two career starts, Flynn completed 55 of 81 passes for 731 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions for a 123.0 passer rating . . . Russell Wilson — Replaced Flynn in second half against Tennessee and completed 12 of 16 for 124 yards and one TD; ran 32 yards for a TD.
Peyton Manning (Denver): Sat out the 2011 season while rehabbing a neck injury. Last played in 2010 when he completed 450 of 679 passes for 4,700 yards, 33 TDs and a passer rating of 91.9. Career: 54,828 yards, 399 TDs, 94.9 passer rating.
SEAHAWKS STATS / NOTES
- SEASON SUMMARY (Preseason): Record: 1-0. Home: 1-0. Road: 0-0. Vs. NFC: 0-0. Vs. AFC: 1-0. Vs. NFC East: 0-0. Vs. NFC North: 0-0. Vs. NFC South: 0-0. Vs. NFC West: 0-0. Points For: 27. Points Against: 17.
- Since 2003, all but one Seahawks game has sold out, giving the team 77 consecutive sellouts through Week 17 of the 2011 season, including playoffs.
- Seattle has the NFCs second-best home record since moving to the conference in 2002 with a 51-29 mark, joining only Green Bay, Atlanta and Philadelphia with 50+ wins over that span.
- Seattle added another offensive target when it acquired Kellen Winslow in a trade with Tampa Bay May 21. Winslow, the son of Chargers Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow, Sr., has a streak of 92 consecutive games (every game of his career) with at least one reception, second-longest active streak among tight ends and sixth-longest active streak overall.
- Owens ranks sixth all-time in receptions (1,078), second all-time in receiving yards (15,934), tied (Randy Moss) second all-time in receiving touchdowns (153) and fourth all-time in total touchdowns (156). He ranks second among active players (Tony Gonzalez — 1,149) in receptions, first in receiving yards and T2 in receiving touchdowns.
- Meeting 52 times, Seattle and Denver played twice a year from 1978-2001, when the Seahawks were in the AFC West. Seattle has played no team more often. Seattle has faced only two other opponents at least 50 times (Oakland 51 and Kansas City 50).
- 2012 Flag Raisers: Tennessee — Steve August.
NFL OFFENSIVE RANKINGS (2011)
| Seahawks | Stat | Rank | Broncos | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 4861 | 28 | Total Yards | 5066 | 23 |
| Yards / Game | 303.8 | 28 | Yards / Game | 316.6 | 23 |
| Rush Yards | 1756 | 21 | Rush Yards | 2632 | 1 |
| Rush / Game | 109.8 | 21 | Rush / Game | 164.5 | 1 |
| Pass Yards | 3105 | 22 | Pass Yards | 2434 | 31 |
| Pass / Game | 194.1 | 14 | Pass / Game | 152.1 | 31 |
| Points | 321 | 23 | Points | 309 | 25 |
| Points / Game | 20.1 | 23 | Pass / Game | 19.3 | 25 |
| Differential | +6 | 18 | Differential | -81 | 25 |
NFL DEFENSIVE RANKINGS (2011)
| Seahawks | Stat | Rank | Broncos | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 5315 | 9 | Total Yards | 5725 | 20 |
| Yards / Game | 332.2 | 9 | Yards / Game | 357.8 | 20 |
| Rush / Allw. | 1797 | 15 | Rush / Allw. | 2021 | 22 |
| Rush / Game | 112.3 | 15 | Rush / Game | 126.3 | 22 |
| Pass Allw. | 3518 | 11 | Pass Allw. | 3704 | 18 |
| Pass / Game | 219.9 | 11 | Pass / Game | 231.5 | 18 |
| Points Allw. | 315 | 7 | Points Allw. | 390 | 24 |
| Pass / Game | 19.7 | 7 | Points / Game | 24.4 | 24 |
SEAHAWKS OFFENSIVE LEADERS (Preseason)
Rushing
| Player | G | Att. | Yards | TDs | Long | Y/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Wilson | 1 | 3 | 59 | 1 | 32t | 59.0 |
| Leon Washington | 1 | 5 | 26 | 0 | 9 | 26.0 |
| Robert Turbin | 1 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 10 | 24.0 |
| Kregg Lumpkin | 1 | 6 | 23 | 0 | 11 | 23.0 |
Passing
| Player | G | Att. | Cmp. | Yards | TDs/INT | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Wilson | 1 | 16 | 12 | 124 | 1/1 | 91.7 |
| Matt Flynn | 1 | 13 | 11 | 71 | 0/1 | 57.4 |
Receiving
| Player | G | Rec. | Yards | TD | Long | Y/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Turbin | 1 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 9.0 |
| Braylon Edwards | 1 | 2 | 51 | 1 | 39t | 51.0 |
| Zach Miller | 1 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 14 | 23.0 |
| Kregg Lumpkin | 1 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 15 | 22.0 |
| Charly Martin | 1 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 14 | 21.0 |
| Anthony McCoy | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 13.0 |
| Sean McGrath | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 13.0 |
| Golden Tate | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 13.0 |
| Vai Taua | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 6.0 |
SEAHAWKS DEFENSIVE LEADERS (Preseason)
| Category | Skinny |
|---|---|
| Tackles | Lane 6, Adams 5, Wagner 4, Scruggs 4, Maragos 4 |
| Sacks | Scruggs 0.5, Allen 0.5 |
| Interceptions | Sherman 1, Browner 2 |
| Passes Defensed | Sherman 1, Farwell 1, Thomas 1, Trufant 1, Bryant 1 |
| Forced Fumbles | Lane 1, Farwell 1 |
| Fumbles Recovered | Farwell 1 |
COACHES: Pete Carroll (47-49-0 career, 14-18-0 Seattle) is in his third season as head coach of the Seahawks. In 2010, he directed Seattle to the NFC West title, the Seahawks becoming the first team in NFL history to win a division with a losing (7-9) record. Prior to joining the Seahawks, Carroll served as head coach at Southern California, where his Trojans won seven Pac-10 titles.
John Fox (81-79-0 career, 8-8-0 Denver): Fox is in his second year as head coach of the Broncos after serving for nine years as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, from whom he produced three teams with at least 11 wins, topped by his 2008 club that finished 12-4. Fox began his career at San Diego State in 1978 and first coached in the NFL with Pittsburgh (defensive backs) in 1989. He has also coach with the Chargers (1992-93), Raiders (1994-95), Rams (1996) and Giants (1997-01).
KEY DATES: Aug. 27 — 90-man roster cutdown to maximum of 75 players; Aug. 31 — Roster reduction to 53 players; Sept. 1 — Clubs establish practice squad of eight players; Sept. 9 — Start of regular season; Nov. 18 — Seahawks bye week; Jan. 5-6, 2013 — Wild card weekend; Jan. 12-13 — Divisional playoffs; Jan. 19-20 — Conference championships; Jan. 27 — Pro Bowl (Honolulu); Feb. 3 — Super Bowl, New Orleans. Feb. 20-26 — NFL combine (Indianapolis); April 25-27 — NFL draft.
COMING UP: Seahawks at Kansas City Aug. 2. Seahawks close out their preseason schedule Aug. 30 by hosting the Oakland Raiders.
2012 Seahawks Preseason Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time | TV | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/11/12 | vs. Tennessee | 7 p.m. | Q13 | W | 27-17 | 1-0 |
| 8/18/12 | at Denver | 6 p.m. | Q13 | — | — | — |
| 8/24/12 | at Kansas City | 5 p.m. | Q13 | — | — | — |
| 8/30/12 | vs. Oakland | 7 p.m. | Q13 | — | — | — |
2012 Seahawks Regular-Season Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time | TV | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/9/12 | at Arizona | 1:15 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 9/16/12 | vs. Dallas | 1:05 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 9/24/12 | vs. Green Bay | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN | — | — | — |
| 9/30/12 | at St. Louis | 10 a.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 10/7/12 | at Carolina | 1:05 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 10/14/12 | vs. N. England | 1:05 p.m. | CBS | — | — | — |
| 10/18/12 | at S. Francisco | 5:20 p.m. | NFLN | — | — | — |
| 10/28/12 | at Detroit | 10 a.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 11/4/12 | vs. Minnesota | 1:05 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 11/11/11 | vs. NY Jets | 1:05 p.m. | CBS | — | — | — |
| 11/18/11 | Bye Week | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11/25/12 | at Miami | 10 a.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 12/2/12 | at Chicago | 10 a.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 12/9/12 | vs. Arizona | 1:15 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 12/16/12 | *at Buffalo | 1:05 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 12/23/12 | vs. San Francisco | 1:15 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
| 12/30/12 | vs. St. Louis | 1:15 p.m. | FOX | — | — | — |
* in Toronto
