KANSAS CITY, Mo. At one point late in the loss to Kansas City on Sunday, it appeared as if Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had to physically move tight end Tony Moeaki into the right position.
No surprise there, he’s only been with the team for a couple weeks.
Moeaki ended up catching a touchdown pass that gave Seattle a 20-17 lead in the third period against a Chiefs team for whom he used to play.
But he was symbolic of the effects of injuries on the Seahawks’ roster, as four other players also participated Sunday after being with the team only a few weeks.
Defensive lineman Demarcus Dobbs arrived on Nov. 5, a day after Moeaki. And backup linebacker Allen Bradford, a former Hawk in 2011-13, was brought back last week.
Fullback Will Tukuafu was picked up on Oct. 29, and center Patrick Lewis is the “veteran” among the newcomers, having signed with the Hawks to back up Max Unger on Oct. 8.
A leg injury to Unger caused Lewis to be cast into the lineup during critical series in the fourth quarter.
Moeaki was a third-round draft pick of the Chiefs in 2010, and had 80 catches despite a series of injuries that led to his being waived and signed by Buffalo in 2013.
When Seahawks starter Zach Miller was placed on the injured-reserve list, the Hawks picked up Moeaki for depth.
“My time (in Kansas City) was great; the fans here were awesome today,” Moeaki said. “It would have been nice to get a win.”
Moeaki did his part, pulling in a 1-yard pass from Wilson.
“It was nice to put us up with the lead, but it would have been a lot sweeter had we come away with the victory,” Moeaki said. “We’re going to get back to work and keep pushing. Today we gave ourselves a chance by getting to the 2-yard line, but we couldn’t take advantage of it. Credit to them. Next time we’ll be more prepared and capitalize on that.”
Moeaki said he’s already comfortable with the Seahawks offense. And Wilson made it clear that they trusted his skills.
“We studied and we gave Tony a shot there,” Wilson said. “He executed the play extremely well. The line did a great job of blocking, and Tony raced to the corer and made a great catch in the corner of the end zone. I was really pumped up for him.”
Tukuafu played more than one role for the Hawks, shifting over to the defensive line after Dobbs was sidelined briefly with a leg injury. He finished with an assisted tackle, and Dobbs had a tackle for the defense and also one on special teams.
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