SEATTLE — With newcomers Tyler Lockett and Jimmy Graham leading the way, the Seattle Seahawks snapped a two-game losing streak — three, if we count the Super Bowl — in emphatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, besting the Chicago Bears 26-0 before an appreciative crowd of 69,002 at CenturyLink Field.
Lockett, the rookie from Kansas State, opened the second half with a team-record 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Graham, acquired in an off-season trade with New Orleans, had a team-high seven receptions with a TD in a game that helped reduce the gloom brought on by season-opening defeats at St. Louis and Green Bay.
“That was a really good day here at CenturyLink for us,” said Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. “A lot of really good things happened.”
Of all the good things, nothing was more important than getting a win. For a team with designs of a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, the prospect of an 0-3 start was alarming.
Indeed, said Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, “We played with a sense of urgency.”
And if the Seahawks did not always play well, they certainly played well enough. Shrugging off a sputtering offensive start — until the final two minutes of the first half, Seattle had just 48 yards and one first down — the Seahawks took command in the second half, getting touchdowns from Lockett and Graham in the third quarter, and two field goals from kicker Steven Hauschka in the fourth quarter.
“It took us a while (to get going),” Carroll said wryly.
Seattle’s defense, meanwhile, was good at the outset and even better the rest of the way. The Bears had some success running the ball in the early minutes — “They came out and ran some plays we hadn’t seen on film at all, and we had to get on the sideline and adjust on the fly,” explained linebacker K.J. Wright — but through the final three quarters the Seahawks yielded just 93 yards and five first downs.
And, most importantly, no points. Against a Bears team using backup quarterback Jimmy Clausen in place of injured starter Jay Cutler, Seattle got its first shutout since a 23-0 decision against the New York Giants on Dec. 15, 2013.
“It’s so hard in this league to hold somebody to no points, so that’s a fantastic job by our defense,” Carroll said.
“Yeah, that’s the defense you know and love,” agreed defensive end Michael Bennett.
Among Seattle’s other heroes was Wilson, who completed 20 of 30 passing attempts for 235 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions; backup running back Thomas Rawls, who got most of the work with starter Marshawn Lynch slowed by injuries, and responded with 104 yards in 16 carries; and Wright, who led the Seahawks with 10 tackles.
Seattle will get an extra day of preparation before its next game, at home against Detroit next Monday night.
“It’s always fun to play at home,” said offensive tackle Russell Okung. “We pride ourselves in being a team that can win away as well as at home, but we’re looking forward to Monday Night Football first and then wherever it goes from there.”
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