There was only one game on the docket for Friday, with the Seahawks beating the Vikings 20-13. Below, you'll find everything you need to know from that game as well as more on Friday's preseason news throughout the day.
Here's the rundown of this week's action:
Scores and schedule
Eagles 20, Bills 16 (box score)
Ravens 31, Dolphins 7 (box score)
Buccaneers 12, Jaguars 8 (box score)
Seahawks 20, Vikings 13 (GameTracker)
Panthers at Titans, 3 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Chiefs at Bengals, 7 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Colts at Cowboys, 7 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Jets at Lions, 7:30 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Packers at Redskins, 7:30 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Patriots at Texans, 8 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Broncos at 49ers, 10 p.m. Sat (GameTracker)
Rams at Raiders, 10 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Bears at Cardinals, 10 p.m. Sat. (GameTracker)
Falcons at Steelers, 4 p.m. Sun. (GameTracker)
Saints at Chargers, 8 p.m. Sun. (GameTracker)
Giants at Browns, 8 p.m. Mon. (GameTracker)
The Blair Walsh Revenge Game
Blair Walsh used to kick for the Vikings until he stopped being able to make kicks with any sort of consistency last season. In November, the Vikings cut him. He was eventually signed by the Seahawks -- the same team he missed that infamous playoff field goal against.
Those events all set up what happened Friday night, when Walsh got his chance to take his revenge against the Vikings. That's what he did. He made a pair of 52-yard field goals. After each make, he taunted the Vikings' sideline.
Blair Walsh hit a 52-yard field goal
— SB Nation (@SBNation) August 19, 2017
and then pointed to his former team's sideline 👀. pic.twitter.com/5seo3p0wzC
Let's call it what it is: The Blair Walsh Revenge Game.
It's also the preseason. So, R-E-L-A-X.
Lacy fails to make strong case for starting job
With Thomas Rawls unavailable, Eddie Lacy had a great opportunity to go out and show the Seahawks' coaches why he deserves to be the team's lead back. He failed to do so.
Lacy rushed for 20 yards on six carries. One of his carries picked up nine yards, which means his other five carries resulted in just 11 yards. He caught one pass for three yards.
Two Seahawks running back did stand out, though. Seventh-round pick Chris Carson impressed. In the first half, he picked up 27 yards on six carries, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He also caught a 17-yard pass. Then there's Mike Davis, who rushed for 40 yards on five carries. He also caught a 22-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson.
They certainly did everything in their power to ensure that they remain a part of the running back mix.
Of course, the Seahawks didn't sign Lacy to sit on the bench. He's going to get carries. But at this point, it's looking more likely that the Seahawks will use a committee featuring players like Rawls, Lacy, and C.J. Prosise. That's a great group -- and a Fantasy football nightmare.
Dalvin Cook looks legit
Against one of the league's best defenses, Vikings rookie running back Dalvin Cook shined, rushing for 40 yards on seven carries. He added one reception, which picked up 10 yards.
Cook fell to the second round due to off-the-field concerns. He didn't fall because of his talent. This is what he can do on the field:
Starting to Cook! 👨🍳 pic.twitter.com/okZBxttboA
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) August 19, 2017
Cook's dazzling display could be bad news for Latavius Murray, who signed with the Vikings in free agency this offseason. At this point, Cook looks like the best running back on the roster.
Seahawks' starting left tackle goes down
The Seahawks, a team that is perpetually unable to trot out an offensive line that is capable of adequately protecting Russell Wilson, suffered a potential blow in the second quarter when starting left tackle George Fant went down with a injury. Justin Britt, Fant's teammate, appeared to accidentally roll up on Fant's right leg.
Fant remained on the ground for a few minutes. He was eventually carted off the field after getting fitted for an air cast. Members of the Seahawks gave him hugs before he exited.
George Fant had reshaped his body and was really developing for seattle this offseason. Big blow to what they hope is improved OL
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) August 19, 2017
If Fant is forced to miss a chunk of the regular season, the Seahawks' offensive line will be in bad shape. Hopefully, they get good news after the game.
Rees Odhiambo took over for Fant.
Sam Bradford looks sharp early
The Vikings didn't score a touchdown on their opening drive, but they did get three points. For that, they can thank Sam Bradford, who looked sharp.
On that first drive, Bradford went 5 of 6 for 76 yards. He favored Stefon Diggs, targeting him three times. Diggs caught all three for 54 yards. Bradford also hooked up with Michael Floyd (one catch for 12 yards) and rookie running back Dalvin Cook (one catch for 10 yards).
Penalties ended up derailing that first drive, but consider Bradford's start a good sign. He played until the final few minutes of the second quarter. In all, he went 7 of 11 for 95 yards (8.6 YPA), zero touchdowns, zero picks, and a 91.1 passer rating.
Seahawks' offense sizzles with Russell Wilson leading
The Seahawks' first-team offense was down Thomas Rawls and Jimmy Graham, but it didn't matter. Second-year receiver Kasen Williams provided all the necessary firepower.
On the opening series, the Seahawks marched 77 yards on 11 plays. It was all about the passing game as Russell Wilson went 5 of 6 for 60 yards. Doug Baldwin caught three passes for 32 yards but was somehow outshined by Williams, who made two great catches -- including the touchdown.
He needed only one hand to bring in this third-down conversion:
🚨 ONE-HANDED CATCH 🚨
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2017
That's Kasen Williams!#MINvsSEA pic.twitter.com/YqS3ltgJMh
And then he hauled in the touchdown on a fade -- again, on third down:
Make a circus catch to continue the drive ... finish it off with a TD.
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2017
Kasen Williams was BIG on an impressive @Seahawks drive.#MINvsSEA pic.twitter.com/R0uCohVV3c
That's a great outing for a player who caught one pass last year. This preseason, he's notched six catches for 147 yards and a touchdown.
For the Seahawks, that opening drive went exactly as planned. Wilson was almost perfect. Baldwin looked like the dominant receiver he's developed into. And Williams seemed like he could be a capable contributor during the upcoming season.
Wilson was the star of the half, though. He played the entire first half and put up an incredible stat line. In all, he went 13 of 18 for 206 yards (11.4 YPA), two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 147.0 passer rating.
Here he is looking like a star pocker passer:
Nice little find by @DangeRussWilson to @N_Vannett81 down the seam.#MINvsSEA pic.twitter.com/o1df4auocl
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2017
Even Pete Prisco admitted it.
Looked good tonight
— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) August 19, 2017
Wilson has been on fire during the preseason.
Russell Wilson this preseason: 16-for-22 for 247, 2 TDs, 0 INTs. I believe two incompletions were throw-aways. Two more were drops.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) August 19, 2017
The Seahawks have talked about wanting to get back to their running roots. But based on the way Wilson is slinging the ball, they might just want to let him air it out.
Michael Bennett continues his protest
As expected, Bennett continued his protest against racial injustice by sitting through the national anthem. Bennett's teammate, Justin Britt stood near Bennett and placed his hand on Bennett's shoulder.
Take a look:
Justin Britt, Jeremy Lane stand next to Michael Bennett as he sits for national anthem. #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/ib406D3NdT
— Stephen Cohen (@scohenPI) August 19, 2017
Earlier this week, Bennett called for white players to join the protest.
Handful of Vikings starters sit
It's still only the second week of the preseason so -- as expected -- a handful of starters did not play. For the Vikings, the list went like this:
- Riley Reiff (back)
- Alex Boone (undisclosed)
- Latavius Murray (ankle)
- Laquon Treadwell (hamstring)
- Kentrell Brothers (hamstring)
- Trae Waynes (shoulder)
- Andrew Sendejo (undisclosed)
Rawls, Prosise take a seat
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said on Thursday that Thomas Rawls wouldn't play in Friday's game while he nurses an ankle issue, per the Seattle Times. That gave Eddie Lacy a chance to start and make his case why he should be the team's primary back during the regular season after Rawls served as the feature back at the beginning of the team's preseason opener against the Chargers.
But don't rule out seventh-round pick Chris Carson emerging as a viable run-game weapon for Seattle. He scored two touchdowns in the preseason opener and mixed in with the first team during practice earlier this week, per ESPN.com.
Rawls wasn't the only running back out for the Seahawks. Neither was C.J. Prosise, according to ESPN's Sheil Kapadia.
Here's the list of notable Seahawks who did not play:
Seahawks NOT expected to play tonight: Richardson, Lockett, Rawls, Tyson, Wright, Wilhoite, Alexander, Willson. ...
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) August 19, 2017
You can add Jimmy Graham to that list. Graham didn't take the field with the starters.
Previously in Week 2 of the preseason
The big news Thursday was Jay Cutler making his Dolphins debut out of coming out of retirement, and while the stats don't reflect it, the former Bears quarterback looked sharp. Also on Thursday, Ryan Mallett was outplayed in what could be an important race to be Baltimore's backup QB, Tyrod Taylor endured a horrible first-half performance and Blake Bortles got booed after another terrible outing that could put him on the hot seat before the season even begins. You can read about those performances plus even more on the day's action in Thursday's roundup.
More news
- Former Ravens LB Zach Orr announced his decision to stay retired after 17 teams refused to medically clear him.
- Top Patriots draft pick Derek Rivers could reportedly miss the entire season due to a knee injury suffered in practice.
- Browns rookie DeShone Kizer agrees with vet Joe Thomas that he could use some more seasoning before starting.
- Panthers coach Ron Rivera ripped his offense after an ugly practice session on Thursday.
- Cam Newton will reportedly sit out his team's matchup with the Titans Saturday, per ESPN.com.
- The Ravens brought back Jeremy Zuttah to help fill their hole at center, signing him to a two-year deal.
- Eagles rookie Derek Barnett will start mixing in with the starters after impressing in his first two games, per Philly.com.
- Le'Veon Bell's agent denied the report that the Steelers' running back vetoed a new contract.
- Bills running back LeSean McCoy bought nearly $3,000 worth of cheesesteaks for his teammates.
- New Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler said DeVante Parker is a faster version of Alshon Jeffery.
- Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs is using Starbucks-themed cleats in Seattle on Friday night.
- Bears running back Jordan Howard suffered a corneal abrasion and won't play Saturday, but the injury is considered minor, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
- Packers tight end Martellus Bennett released his first political cartoon.
- Cardinals running back David Johnson has eliminated most meat from his diet.
- Rob Gronkowski told a "legendary" story about Tom Brady.