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NFL Preseason Preview - Oakland (1-2) At Seattle (2-1)

POSTED: 11:11 am MDT August 27, 2008

(Sports Network) - Getting to the regular season without any further injuries will likely be the primary mission of the Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders on Friday night, in what will mark the final preseason tilt for each club.

Both the Hawks and Raiders have suffered significant injuries during the August warm-up period.

Seattle's problems have largely been on offense, where quarterback Matt Hasselbeck (back), receivers Bobby Engram (shoulder) and Deion Branch (knee), center Chris Spencer (back) and left tackle Sean Locklear (knee) have all been on the shelf. Pro Bowl linebacker Lofa Tatupu (knee bruise) was forced to leave the team's most recent preseason game as well.

Oakland's biggest injury problems cropped up in last week's preseason loss against the Cardinals, when potential starting wideout Drew Carter (knee) and fullback Oren O'Neal (knee) were both lost for the season. Both players sustained left knee injuries within a five-play span

Also likely to factor into the limitation of playing time for key Seahawks on Friday is the fact that Seattle will be playing on only three days rest. The team was a 18-17 loser to the San Diego Chargers on Monday night.

Hasselbeck is expected back for the Hawks' regular season opener at Buffalo on Sept. 7, but Engram and Branch are unlikely to be in uniform.

One storyline of note for Seattle will be the work of running backs T.J. Duckett and Justin Forsett, both of whom are vying for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart behind co-starters Julius Jones and Maurice Morris.

Forsett, a seventh-round pick out of Cal, has had the stronger preseason overall but was outplayed by the veteran Duckett in the loss to San Diego.

For Oakland, the most notable player to watch on Friday night could be kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who has missed all of the preseason to date with a hamstring injury.

Janikowski is expected to play on Friday, but Pro Bowl punter Shane Lechler (quadriceps) is among those unlikely to be in uniform.

The Raiders open their regular season on Sept. 8 at home against the AFC West rival Broncos.

The Seahawks and Raiders will have roughly 15 hours following the completion of Friday's game to whittle their active rosters from 75 to 53 players.

The Seahawks lead the all-time preseason series with the Raiders, 4-2, including a 19-14 home victory prior to last season.


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