Seahawks vs Chargers: Game Preview

Aug 15, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) makes the touchdown grab against Seattle Seahawks defensive back Steven Terrell (26) during the first half at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Matchup To Worry About

Keenan Allen vs Marcus Burley/Josh Thomas

As a Husky fan, I thought I was done watching my teams get burned by Keenan Allen when he left Cal after his junior year. Apparently not. Allen had a HUGE year for San Diego last year, one of the best in recent memory. He finished with the third-most yards for a rookie since 2000 with 1046, only 11 behind AJ Green. But his 71 catches and eight touchdowns both surpass the Bengals star who is easily a top-3 NFL receiver.

Allen is a true #1 with great size, hands, after the catch ability, ball skills and route-running. He doesn’t have great sprinter speed, which is just about the only reason he fell to the third round in last year’s draft. The Chargers mostly use him in underneath routes which could be good news for us being that the Hawks pursue and tackle very well.

Allen’s individual matchup will be the issue. Marcus Burley wasn’t bad in his LOB debut, but he’s not a guy you want covering Keenan Allen, which could unfortunately be the case as Allen often lines up in the slot. Seattle recently brought in Josh Thomas to compete with Burley but either way, advantage San Diego.

Now on to position-by-position.