SEATTLE — The film of the Seahawks' first-half performance in Thursday's preseason game at Lumen Field should be dutifully studied by all the participants — and then burned. No reason to leave for future generations any remnants of this ragged display of uninspired, mistake-filled football, which improved only slightly after intermission.
The Seahawks' 27-11 loss to the Chicago Bears, rife with penalties, missed tackles and all-around sloppiness, doesn't doom Seattle's season, of course. Make broad generalizations off exhibition football at your own risk — even one as putrid as Thursday's. But there is one conclusion that jumps out of this debacle:
The Seahawks should not let Drew Lock's ill-timed COVID-19 absence take him out of a legitimate shot at winning the quarterback competition. Or put another way, it would be a disservice to hand the starting job to Geno Smith just because Lock's illness messed up the timeline that coach Pete Carroll had carefully concocted.
