SEATTLE — The Seahawks will host an intriguing young team Sunday at Lumen Field when the Carolina Panthers come into town.
Carolina will be without its new franchise quarterback, as Andy Dalton will start for the Panthers as 2023 No. 1 overall draft choice Bryce Young has been ruled out with an ankle injury.
Despite the Seahawks being sizable favorites per most of the online sportsbooks, anything can happen in the National Football League (NFL) in a given week. Here are three players to watch as the Seahawks look to make it two wins in a row against Carolina.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR
Though he has had 8 catches through his first two NFL games, the Seahawks' star rookie has not had a breakout performance yet in his professional career.
Sunday could be that day for Smith-Njigba to announce himself on a national stage as one of the top rookies in the NFL. The Panthers' two starting cornerbacks on the outside, Donte Jackson and CJ Henderson, both rank outside the top 70 in the league at their position through the first two weeks of the season, based on their Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades.
Smith-Njigba's yards per catch is just 5.9, meaning the Seahawks have really only gotten him the football close to the line of scrimmage. Don't be surprised if Geno Smith and the Seahawks draw a play up to find Smith-Njigba down the field for a big gain Sunday.
Quandre Diggs, S
One of the Seahawks' unquestioned defensive leaders, Diggs might have been one of the happiest people in the Seattle locker room after beating his former team in the Detroit Lions for the third consecutive time since Diggs left.
Diggs has yet to force a turnover so far in 2023, something Seahawks fans have become accustomed to seeing from the veteran. His PFF grade going into Week 3 is also the lowest of his NFL career, and a Panthers offense without its starting quarterback might be just the right opponent for Diggs to get a takeaway against.
He didn't practice on Thursday due to a hamstring issue, but Diggs has not missed a single regular-season game since the end of the 2019 campaign.
Tre Brown, CB
Brown appears set to start as Riq Woolen deals with a chest issue and hasn't practiced all week for the Seahawks. Brown initially started in Week 2 before eventually being replaced by rookie Devon Witherspoon, only to return after Woolen left the game due to injury.
He had an interception return for a touchdown, a sack and two pass deflections in the win over the Lions. He could perform even better with Dalton being the Seahawks' opposing quarterback Sunday.
