The Seattle Seahawks are rolling right now. After destroying the Arizona Cardinals 44-22 in Week 10, the Seahawks have now won their past four games, pushing their record to 7-2 on the season. That has set the stage for a wildly important divisional clash with the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11 that could have some major playoff implications.
There isn’t much that would be able to take the wind out of Seattle’s sails, but injuries could do the trick. Sure enough, the Seahawks suffered a tough injury blow to their offensive line, as Jalen Sundell is expected to miss multiple weeks with a knee injury. That means Olu Oluwatimi will be filling in for him moving forward, and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak made it clear just how much faith he has in his new starting center.
Klint Kubiak Dishes on Olu Oluwatimi’s New Role
After a quiet rookie season, Sundell emerged as the Seahawks’ starting center this year, and he’s been a key piece of an offensive line that has done an excellent job of protecting quarterback Sam Darnold under center. Without him now, though, the team is going to have to turn to Oluwatimi, who initially seemed to have the inside track to being Seattle’s starting center this year.
A fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Oluwatimi started eight of the 12 games he played in last season at center. His play left a lot to be desired, though, and Sundell ended up replacing him as the team’s starting center this season. Seattle will now have to turn back to Oluwatimi, though, as Sundell is expected to miss quite a bit of time with his knee injury.
It’s obviously not an ideal situation, especially when considering that Oluwatimi and Darnold weren’t on the same page for a snap that led to a fumble in the team’s win over the Cardinals last weekend. While Kubiak admitted those sorts of mistakes can’t happen, he sounded confident with Oluwatimi’s ability to fill in for Sundell.
“Olu had a really good training camp,” Kubiak said on Thursday. “Olu is a really good player, and really glad to have him come in and be our center. We need all the reps we can get right now with him, just to get back up to speed. I liked the way he came into the game (against the Cardinals). We did put the ball on the ground, which is unacceptable … so we gotta be better there.”
Seahawks Gearing Up for Important Rams Clash
GettySam Darnold is one of the best passers in the NFL thanks, in part, to stellar offensive line play.
Sundell’s injury could not have come at a worse time, as this contest against the Rams could have a major impact on how the rest of the Seahawks’ season plays out. Both of these teams are 7-2, and in the process, they have emerged as perhaps the two most dangerous teams in the NFC. With the San Francisco 49ers also looming behind them with a 6-3 record, there isn’t much room for error in the NFC West right now.
Oluwatimi is going to have his work cut out for him against a potent Los Angeles front seven. He will have the help of a talented group around him, though, so if Oluwatimi can keep Darnold off his backside and ensure he’s actually getting the football on his snaps, he should be able to at least hold his own in this one. Kickoff for this major divisional matchup is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak Sends Strong Message on New Starter After Devastating Injury appeared first on Heavy Sports.