Seattle Seahawks News: Okung, Unger Will Not Play
We’re hours away from the biggest NFL game of the season, at least as far as this city is concerned. Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals, with the winner moving into a commanding position in the race for the NFC West. The ‘Hawks are favorites, despite the fact that they’ll be playing on the road. And without two critically important players.
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Russell Okung and Max Unger weren’t necessarily expected to play today, but they hadn’t yet been given up on by the fingers-crossed crowd. But now we can officially confirm what was long expected: neither Okung or Unger will suit up, leaving the offensive line severely weakened.
This would be a big deal any week, as Okung and Unger are a significant upgrade over Patrick Lewis and Alvin Bailey. The offensive line hasn’t always been a strength for the Seahawks, but when it’s been good, it’s been largely due to Okung and Unger. Losing one would suck bad enough, but being down both leaves Seattle at a huge disadvantage.
Then there’s the opponent to consider. These two teams met less than a month ago, and while Seattle came out with a fairly dominant victory, the highlight on Arizona’s end was definintely the pass rush. Russell Wilson was sacked seven times. They were already without Unger at that point, but now with Okung out of the picture as well it’s easy to imagine Calais Campbell going on some outrageous, unstoppable tear.
Of course, this isn’t to say the Seahawks are doomed. They can still take pressure off the QB without their two star linemen, and it’s not as if Bailey, Lewis, and Lemuel Jeanpierre are useless. They’re all competent NFL players, and have filled in admirably before. But while the Seahawks were favored before, now they’re slightly less favored. Because they’re slightly worse than they would be if they had a more ferocious line.
No Okung, no Unger, no problem, right? The good news is that those are the only major Seahawks injuries. The better news is that the Cardinals really, truly are starting their third-string quarterback against a fully healthy and present Seattle defense. There’s always that.