The Seattle Seahawks will have to face the rest of their NFL preseason betting schedule – and the entirety of the 2017 regular season for that matter – including Friday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs without offensive tackle George Fant. The former basketball forward tore his ACL in the ‘Hawks’ 20-13 won over the Vikings. Fant’s right leg rolled up in the second quarter and the tackle had to be carted off the gridiron like Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III.
- Date: Friday, 25th August
- Time: 8:05 PM
- Venue: CenturyLink Field
Sportsbook NFL Preseason Odds:
Chiefs +3½ (-115) 43 (-110)
Seahawks -3½ (-105) 43 (-110)
The Blind Side II
Tom Cable’s latest experiment, Fant signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2016 not having played football since the eighth grade and became – and remained – the starting left tackle following Bradley Sowell’s knee injury. In addition to his ACL, head coach Pete Carroll noted that “There is a little MCL work in there, no cartilage at all which is really a good sign, that makes it so the surfaces were not damaged at all, that really will help him in terms of long-term recovery too.” Fant showed his commitment to the team by putting over 20 pounds during the offseason, and the coaching staff staff were rubbing their hands in anticipation of Fant’s second professional season, which they expected to be a breakthrough. Having put all their eggs in that particular basket, Seattle’s coaches are now racing to find someone who can protect quarterback Russell Wilson’s blind side. At the top of the list is guard Rees Odhiambo who took over the position against the Vikes. At the bottom of the list is Branden Albert who is still looking for a team after second-guessing his retirement. Not on the list is Bradley Sowell, currently on the Bears’ roster. Other candidates include Luke Joeckel, Ethan Pocic, and Matt Tobin whom the ‘Hawks acquired from the Eagles on Monday in exchange for Seattle’s 2018 fifth round pick.
If the mountain won’t come to Mahomes
The Chiefs – who are for the second week in a row NFL preseason betting underdogs – are death-and-taxes sure about one thing.
Here in KC, #Chiefs coach Andy Reid is asked about Patrick Mahomes' development & QB Alex Smith: "It's Alex's job. There's no gray area."
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 21, 2017
However, Smith will have a deluxe backup in rookie Patrick Mahomes, who impressed the right people in Kansas City, including Smith himself. “There are a lot of things that he does instinctively and has done that have gotten him here. You don’t want to lose that even though you are getting coached on a gazillion different things. You just want to get back to playing ball. I think he does a great job of that naturally, just cutting that loose, taking the coaching, but once it’s time to play, just go play,” Smith said of Mahomes. The quondam Texas Tech Raider signal-caller, who went 10-of-14 for 88 yards and two touchdowns and rushed three times for 29 yards in the Chiefs’ 30-12 win over the Bengals on Saturday, on the other hand said he admires “how efficient [Smith] is.” The NFL preseason betting odds are against Mahomes overtaking Smith for the time being, but one never knows.