When the Cleveland Browns take on the Seattle Seahawks, they will [likely] be facing a starting quarterback who has not stared for them this season: backup Charlie Whitehurst. Whitehurst was unable to beat out Tavaris Jackson for the team's starting quarterback role in the preseason, but Jackson suffered a sprained right pectoral against the Giants two weeks ago and is listed as doubtful. Whitehurst has been taking the reps with the first-team offense.
Whitehurst was a third-round pick back in 2006 by the San Diego Chargers, but there was no chance of him playing there behind the likes of Philip Rivers. He joined the Seahawks last season and was ineffective as a backup and a starter. In five appearances, he had a quarterback rating of 65.5, throwing 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Since the Seahawks were trying to contend at the end of last season, I saw a couple of their games. The issue with Whitehurst is that he really isn't much of a difference maker.
He might be in for a rude awakening when he faces the Browns' defense because of how porous the Seahawks' offensive line is. Jackson was sacked a league-high 18 times in 5 games, and that is pretty high when you add in the fact that he is a mobile quarterback. Whitehurst is not nearly as mobile and was sacked twice last week when he came in to relieve Jackson.
I hope the Browns' defenders are hungry tomorrow and are able to rattle Whitehurst early rather than playing conservative. With the offense struggling, a standout performance from the defense might be able to turn around the offense's struggles in quarters one, three, and four.