Seahawks vs. Bears GAMEDAY: COVID, Preview, Odds

Seattle's competition at quarterback will be halted (for at least a week), as Drew Lock has tested positive for COVID-19.

The Seattle Seahawks face the Chicago Bears in Week 2 NFL preseason action from Lumen Field on Thursday. The 2022-23 Seahawks squad looks different than last season, as Seattle tries to improve on a 7-10 campaign that saw them miss the postseason.

The Seahawks lost their preseason opener 32-25 to the Pittsburgh Steelers despite strong showings from quarterbacks Drew Lock and Geno Smith and an encouraging debut from the rookies. 

The competition at quarterback will be halted (for at least a week), as Lock has tested positive for COVID-19, just days before the team’s matchup with vs. the Bears. The diagnosis comes at an unfortunate time for Lock, as coach Pete Carroll told reporters at training camp that Lock was going to start vs. Chicago because of his impressive performance in Week 1. Against the Steelers, Lock completed 11 of his 15 pass attempts for 102 yards and two touchdowns, with a 131.1 quarterback rating.

In total, eight of Seattle's nine draft picks (all but defensive end Tyreke Smith) saw action in the preseason opener. Carroll singled out rookie offensive tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, two highly touted players viewed as potential early impact pieces up front.

"Both the young tackles did a nice job and got some good stuff done," Carroll said. "I can't wait to watch them on film, but just overall, the coaches were really pleased with what they accomplished."

WHO: Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears

ODDS: Seattle is 4.5-point underdogs to Chicago.

GAME TIME: Thursday, August 18 2022 at 5 p.m. PT

LOCATION: Lumen Field, Seattle, WA

TV/RADIO: ESPN, Seattle Sports 710AM • KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM

THE FINAL WORD:  "As it turned out, for both guys that was a good outing because they had a lot of pressure on them to have to get things done,'' Carroll said about both quarterbacks. "We're coming from behind and drives to go ahead and all that kind of stuff. I'm anxious to see how it looks when we break it down. But those were the kind of options we were looking forward to see how the guys were doing.''