Report: NFL to cut 2 of 4 preseason games; Seahawks no longer playing Raiders, Vikings
The NFL will have half the preseason it usually does, in its wholly unusual attempt at playing a full season in 2020.
As expected, the league is cutting two of each team’s four exhibition games this summer to better prepare them for playing an entire regular season amid the coronavirus pandemic, NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk reported Wednesday citing a league source.
An official announcement from the league could come later Wednesday or Thursday.
PFT reported the league is dropping the first and fourth preseason games.
For the Seahawks, that means the preseason game Aug. 13 at home against the Las Vegas Raiders and the exhibition finale Sept. 3 at Minnesota are no more.
Seattle will play at Houston on Aug. 22 and at home against the Los Angeles Chargers Aug. 27.
The NFL wants to minimize the unnecessary travel of players and coaches before the season is scheduled to begin Sept. 10. And not having to take at least two days each week to travel, play and recover on a day off following exhibition games gives coaches and training staffs more time to get players who have not had any of their usual offseason practices in May and June ready for the real season.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has said he hopes the league maximizes the acclimation and preparation time for the regular season. Cutting the preseason games in half does that.
“That’s going to be a very big issue,” Carroll said. “I know that our guys need six weeks of work to get rolling, and that’s what the league has always allowed us. A couple weeks, then four (preseason) games, it takes a full five, six weeks in camp.
“Without an intense offseason, with competition and guys working against each other and all of that, I don’t know. We’re going to have to just figure it out. We won’t know until after we see the results of what happens.”
The Seahawks are scheduled to begin training camp July 28 at their team facility in Renton. It has been closed to players since the pandemic began sweeping the country in mid-March.
Camp is to begin 6 1/2 weeks before Seattle’s season is scheduled to open Sept. 13 at Atlanta.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 1:53 PM.
