Seahawks’ third exhibition game is still a dress rehearsal, but it does have significance

The third game of the NFL exhibition season traditionally is regarded as closest to the real thing, the regular season.

Still, even with the starters expected to play into the third quarter when the Seahawks face the Chargers tonight in San Diego, the game remains a dress rehearsal.

Or, as cornerback Richard Sherman said this week: “It’s a glorified practice. So you’re just practicing against another team.”

It’s the games within the game, then, that remain the most important thing. Here are five areas to watch tonight, as provided by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times:

Offensive line

This has been the most-scrutinized area of the team throughout the preseason as the Seahawks look to settle on a five-man grouping up front while replacing the departed Max Unger (center) and James Carpenter (left guard).

For now, the Seahawks are sticking with the same five that started last week against Kansas City, an alignment that consists of Garry Gilliam at right tackle, Justin Britt at left guard and Drew Nowak at center with stalwarts Russell Okung at left tackle and J.R. Sweezy at right guard.

If that group plays well against San Diego, then the Seahawks might decide to settle on it as their starting five entering the regular season.

Secondary

Sherman is expected to play for the first time this preseason as is nickel back Will Blackmon and backup Tharold Simon, making Seattle’s cornerback position essentially whole.

The safety spots, however, remain without Kam Chancellor (holdout) and Earl Thomas (recovering from shoulder surgery).

That means Dion Bailey is expected to get his second start in place of Chancellor at strong safety with his best chance to prove he’s up to the task of starting the season opener at St. Louis. Philip Rivers is expected to start at quarterback for the Chargers, which would be a good test for Bailey and Steven Terrell, expected to get another start at free safety.

Bailey has shown good tackling ability the first two preseason games – his eight solo tackles are the most on the team – but he knows he must show he can be as adept in the passing game.

“This game I really want to put on display my coverage ability,” Bailey said. “We haven’t really been tested in the air this preseason, but we are going against a passing offense this game, and I’m really excited. I’ve always been a guy to get my hands on the ball and be around the ball, so I’m excited to show what I can do against a guy like Philip Rivers. It doesn’t get any better.’’

Receiver battle

One of the more intriguing story lines of the preseason has been sorting out the logjam among the second tier of receivers. Former quarterback B.J. Daniels has appeared to take a step ahead in the last week, and has five receptions in two preseason games, tied for the team lead.

Players such as former University of Washington standouts Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams remain in the mix, but with cutdowns looming – teams must get to 75 players by Tuesday and the regular-season maximum of 53 by Sept. 5 – they need to make a serious move soon.

Running game

This obviously goes hand-in-hand with the offensive line but also deserves its own mention due to its overall importance in how the Seahawks operate.

Seattle has rushed for just 167 yards in two games – less than last year’s regular season per-game average of 172. Though there are lots of reasons for that – the work-in-progress offensive line, no Marshawn Lynch and little use of the zone-read offense among them – the Seahawks would like to see that number improve against the Chargers.

Lynch could play some, and that might help. But the Seahawks also hope the line can open more holes for backups Robert Turbin and Christine Michael, the latter of whom figures to again get a lot of work.

Penalties

It’s too early to start worrying much about statistical trends. Still, penalties have been a consistent issue for the Seahawks the past few years – their 130 led the NFL last season – and have reared their ugly head a bit in the preseason. Seattle has been flagged 21 times (seventh in the NFL) for 176 yards (sixth).

“This is not the way we want to go,” Carroll said this week. “We set out to not to let this happen, so we’re going to see if we can correct this the next couple weeks. We don’t need to be making it hard on ourselves; it’s hard enough as it is. We’re working very diligently to see if we can get that cut down and not let that be a factor.”