The NFL might have done the Seahawks a huge favor by bookending the Rams games to start and end the season.
The O-Line faces off against the best Dline in the on Sunday, a big test for the Seahawks trench men.
But after that game, the Oline will have 16 weeks to galvanize and progress before facing the best Dline in the NFL again Wk 17 and the Seahawks can see how much progress those guys made over that time before the Post-Season. Health withstanding, knock on wood.
Not only that, with Rams having the deepest and de facto best Dline rotation, Seahawks potentially have one of the best DLines in the NFL as well, top 10 for sure with the potential and deep rotation to be 2nd to 5th best. Bringing the LBers into the mix, Seahawks could have potentially the best defensive front 7 in the league.
So the Oline gets to compare and contrast thier growth Wk 1 and Wk 17 but they also get to practice against one of the best defenses in the NFL in between. I think each game theyll just get better and better. Health withstanding, knock on wood.
The first half of the season is probably going to be ugly for the Oline, but they will face no greater test than that first game against the Rams and arguably the guys they'll get to practice against day in and day out. We've only seen a month of progress.
3, 4, 5 months in it could be a different story. By season's end they could have polished that raw potential and gain the needed acculmative experience to be a very solid, perhaps above average unit. Again, health withstanding, knock on wood.