SEATTLE — This was the Jimmy Graham the Seattle Seahawks were hoping for when they acquired him.
The pass-catching tight end has a monster game in Monday’s 31-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills at CenturyLink Field.
Graham had eight catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. It was Graham’s first two-touchdown game since the three-time Pro Bowler was acquired from the New Orleans Saints prior to the 2015 season.
Graham did the majority of his damage during an electrifying first half in which he showed off all his attributes. Both of Graham’s touchdown catches were incredible one-handed grabs, the first coming when one of his arms was being grabbed by the defender. Then just prior to his second touchdown he showed off his athleticism by hurdling Buffalo cornerback Stephon Gilmore clean.
It was a stark contrast to the previous week’s game against New Orleans, when in his homecoming he was targeted just five times and caught just three passes for 34 yards.
”Jimmy was phenomenal tonight,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “Gosh, what a game! What an incredible player and competitor and all of that. Every game is a highlight film of catches. The first one was one-handed, his arm was getting pulled out, the second looked like another one-hander. … He did a lot of great things tonight. There’s nothing more fun then watching a guy hurdle someone like that, an athlete of that kind of stature, it was an extraordinary play. He was phenomenal tonight.”
Sowell sits
Seattle played without starting left tackle Bradley Sowell on Monday. Sowell had been listed on the injury report as questionable because of a sprained knee. However, Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Saturday that Sowell wouldn’t play. Sowell being inactive meant George Fant, an undrafted rookie free agent who was a basketball player in college, made his second straight start at left tackle.
The Seahawks were also without two of their big names on defense as strong safety Kam Chancellor (groin) and defensive end Michael Bennett (knee) were inactive because of injuries. For Chancellor it was his fourth straight game out, while Bennett missed his second straight. Kelcie McCray continued to start in place of Chancellor at strong safety, while Frank Clark continued to start in place of Bennett at defensive end.
Also out injured were running back Thomas Rawls (fibula), tight end Luke Willson (knee) and cornerback DeAndre Elliott (hamstring). Willson, who’s missed his third straight game, spent part of the warm-up catching passes.
Harvin returns
Former Seahawks receiver Percy Harvin was active for Monday’s game. Harvin, who had a controversial stint with Seattle from 2013-14, came out of retirement earlier this week, and it was questionable whether he’d be ready for an NFL game by Monday. However, he was in uniform and was one of Buffalo’s captains for the opening coin toss.
Harvin was not a factor as he had no catches and was on the field sparingly.
Extra points
Monday’s attendance of 69,084 was a CenturyLink Field record. The previous record was 69,080 last Dec. 27 against the St. Louis Rams. … Nate Boyer raised the 12 flag prior to Monday’s game in honor of Seattle’s Salute to Service game. Boyer, a former Green Beret, spent the 2015 preseason with the Seahawks as a long snapper. … Two former Seahawks quarterbacks, Matt Hasselbeck and Trent Dilfer, were back at CenturyLink Field as part of the ESPN broadcast team. For Hasselbeck it was his first time back at CenturyLink since the 2012 preseason, when he was playing for the Tennessee Titans.
For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at www.heraldnet.com/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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