Julian Love is trending toward a return just in time for Seattle’s meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
The Seahawks safety said Thursday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center that he expects to be back after sitting out last week’s 33-31 loss to the Washington Commanders because of a calf issue that surfaced in practice the previous Thursday.
“I feel good,” Love said. “I’m gonna try to push. Obviously, I’ll keep working and see how practice goes today, tomorrow.”
When Love has been on the field, Seattle has gotten impact production from one of its best defenders. He opened the season with interceptions in each of the Seahawks’ first two games, along with three passes defended and two tackles for loss. He also gave up just two catches for 12 yards on four targets, and his 90.3 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus ranks third among all safeties.
The difference in Seattle’s results with and without him has been stark. The Seahawks are 12-1 in games Love has played, including the playoffs, and 7-3 in games he has missed dating back to last season.
In his absence against Washington, A.J. Finley stepped into the lineup next to Rodney Thomas II. Thomas has now started all three games this season while Ty Okada has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
“They did a good job,” Love said of last week’s game against Washington. “A.J.
Finley is a guy we really trust and believe in and he brought a nice calmness to everybody. I know it’s a big undertaking in this defense filling in on short notice.”
If Love does suit up, he’ll be helping Seattle prepare for a Chargers offense that has stumbled to an 0-3 start but still has Justin Herbert at the controls. The quarterback, a former Offensive Rookie of the Year and two-time Pro Bowler, is the kind of passer Love knows can stress every layer of a defense.
“He’s a quarterback who can do everything. He has every throw and you’ve seen it,” Love said.
“Sometimes he may throw it completely across the field off his back foot. He has the arm strength and the accuracy to make every throw, so you gotta play true to your rules.
Not every quarterback is like that. He can do all the things.
So, it puts stress on us to make sure we’re sound across the board.”
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