Lock throws 2 TDs, Seahawks beat Vikings to open preseason

Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 10, 2023

By Bob Condotta / The Seattle Times

SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks didn’t even look ready for an intrasquad scrimmage, let alone the preseason, during the opening minutes Thursday night.

But after spotting the Vikings a 10-0 second-quarter lead in the preseason opener for both teams, the Seahawks rallied for a 24-13 victory at Lumen Field.

Not that there was much to be gleaned from what happened in how the Seahawks will play once the regular season rolls around.

Only five players listed as starters on the team’s depth chart saw action — center Evan Brown, guard Phil Haynes, cornerback Michael Jackson, linebacker Devin Bush and outside linebacker Boye Mafe — and the Seahawks had almost all backups in the game from the mid-second quarter on (as did the Vikings).

But coach Pete Carroll said he liked the energy the team showed to dominate the second half.

“It was hard getting started,” he said. “We needed the first quarter to kind of shake the cobwebs or whatever. … All in all, it was a really strong win for us because we can build on all of the things that happened.”

The game was marred by a scary scene at halftime when third-year Seahawks receiver Cade Johnson was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to Harborview Medical Center as a precaution to be examined for head and neck injuries.

Johnson was examined for more than 10 minutes in the medical tent on the sideline before the stretcher was brought out. Carroll said after the game Johnson had suffered a concussion but had full movement and that tests showed nothing else significant.

Here are some thoughts on what stood out:

After spotty start, a good night for Lock

The Seahawks promised that backup quarterback Drew Lock will get a lot of action in the preseason after not playing at all in the regular season in 2022.

And indeed he got the start Thursday and played the first three quarters, which Carroll said will likely be the plan for the Seahawks for the next two preseason games, as well.

As could be expected, he got off to a sluggish start — though to be fair, so did the entire offense. The Seahawks got just two first downs on their first three drives and punted after each.

Lock and the offense got going as he hit on 7 of 8 passes in the second quarter for 87 yards (to finish with 10-15 for 105 at halftime), driving the Seahawks to a touchdown (which he capped with a 12-yard pass to former Washington State star Easop Winston Jr. on a third-and-seven).

Just when he seemed to be rolling, Lock threw an interception when his pass for Matt Landers was tipped at the line of scrimmage by T.J. Smith and corralled by Jaylin Williams.

But Lock shook it off. After the Seahawks got the ball following a muffed punt, he used his arms and legs to drive them 32 yards for the score, the last 19 coming on a perfectly placed pass to rookie undrafted free agent Jake Bobo.

The final tally looked good enough as Lock completed 17 of 24 passes for 191 yards, two touchdowns and an interception and a 104.7 passer rating, working against what was mostly the Vikings’ backups and deep reserves.

Carroll noted that Lock made the right read on his interception with the ball simply being tipped and said, “Drew did really well tonight. Did a nice job.”

Lock noted later it was the first time he had played with the Seahawks at Lumen, with his only two preseason appearances last year coming on the road.

“Man, it felt good again to finally be out there again,” he said of playing for first time in almost a year.

Undrafted rookie free agent Holton Ahlers of East Carolina took over for the fourth quarter and showed the mobility he has throughout camp and also turned in the most memorable play of the night when he heaved a desperation throw under pressure in the general direction of Matt Landers down the right sideline. Landers caught the ball as a defender fell down, then scooted past another to complete a 30-yard TD.

Some defensive spottiness

Carroll said Wednesday that seeing players hit and run around and finally be able to fully tackle was maybe the No. 1 thing he wanted to see in the game.

Given it was the first game of the year — and that the Seahawks do not do any full tackling to the ground in camp — there were a few missed tackles early.

Among the most costly was a miss by cornerback Tre Brown on a fourth-down pass to Johnny Mundt. Brown had a chance to make the stop short of the first down. Instead, Mundt squirted free to keep alive a drive that ended in a field goal.

There were a few times the Seahawks got beat in coverage. Brown, who is competing for a starting spot, was outreached for a four-yard TD pass from Nick Mullens to Nick Muse in the second quarter that put the Vikings up 10-0 — though to be fair, Muse has seven inches on Brown.

Rookies have their moments

The team’s first pick in the 2023 draft — cornerback Devon Witherspoon — did not play because of a hamstring injury.

But the first two offensive players picked — first-round receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and second-round running back Zach Charbonnet — saw ample action in the first half and showed glimpses of why the Seahawks are so excited.

Smith-Njigba, the 20th overall pick out of Ohio State, made the first big offensive play of the game for the Seahawks with a 15-yard catch on a slant early in the second quarter. He leapt high to almost bring down a pass with just his right hand on a high throw over the middle on the next play.

He finished with three catches for 25 yards.

Charbonnet, the 52nd overall pick out of UCLA, had a nifty nine-yard run to kick-start the Seahawks’ touchdown drive in the second quarter in finishing with 14 yards on four carries. He also had 14 yards on two receptions.

Some big hits

While the defense had some issues early, there were also some highlights.

Mafe, a second-year outside linebacker starting at the moment with Darrell Taylor sidelined, had two nice tackles on running plays.

Bush, a free agent signed in March after four years with the Steelers and slated to start at weakside linebacker alongside, had a big hit on a kickoff and six tackles overall.

And Coby Bryant — who started at safety with Quandre Diggs and Julian Love sitting out — came up to make a stop for no gain on a third-and-one in the first quarter.

Is Jake Bobo that guy?

There’s always a UDFA or two who emerges every year to contend — if not win — a roster spot.

And Bobo gave more evidence Thursday he could be that guy this year.

Bobo was the leading receiver in the mock game with seven catches for 76 yards and a TD.

And he backed that up Thursday with a team-high 55 yards receiving and three catches. That included a 19-yard TD from Lock with three seconds left in the third quarter for Seattle’s go-ahead touchdown.

Bobo has been a consistent playmaker since arriving last spring, and with the back end of Seattle’s receiving rotation in some flux, his chances of making the team seem to be increasing.