Takeaways from Seattle Seahawks 16-3 preseason win over Chargers
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 10: Coby Bryant #8 of the Seattle Seahawks makes a pass interception against Brenden Rice #82 of the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half during a preseason game at SoFi Stadium on August 10, 2024 in Inglewood, Califo (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
The Mike Macdonald era with the Seattle Seahawks is (un)-officially underway with a solid 16-3 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Saturday's preseason opener for both teams.
Macdonald's defense made a terrific first impression against the Chargers, who did not play many of their starters in the game. Nevertheless, the defense made it a miserable afternoon for those who did play for the Chargers.
Seattle's offense had some encouraging moments with many of their stars also sitting out. Geno Smith, Ken Walker III, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett were among a group of veterans that didn't play in L.A. Sam Howell made the start at quarterback in Smith's place and delivered a touchdown pass to tight end Brady Russell with George Holani adding a rushing touchdown as well.
After just over two weeks of camp, it was the first opportunity to see Macdonald's team play against someone else. It was a positive first impression left by the squad as they get set to head to Nashville for a trio of practices ahead of next week's preseason game with the Titans.
Now for the takeaways from the preseason opener in Los Angeles:
Defense delivers dominant effort against Easton Stick, Chargers.
The Chargers were playing very few of their starters in the game as quarterback Justin Herbert, running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, wide receiver Quentin Johnson, and former Seahawk tight end Will Dissly all did not play. Meanwhile, Seattle ran out all of their defensive starters except for injured linebacker Jerome Baker.
But while the Seahawks couldn’t choose the level of competition their opponent decided to put on the field, they did a tremendous job stopping the players that did line up on the opposite side of the ball.
Against backup quarterback Easton Stick, the Seahawks forced five three-and-outs and saw Coby Bryant come up with an interception off a tipped pass to tight end Hayden Hurst. Safety K’Von Wallace hit Hurst on a high throw from Stick as Bryant caught the ball for the only turnover of the day forced by either team.
The Seahawks held the Chargers to just three points, three total first downs, and 71 total yards of offense in the first half.
Linebackers Jon Rhattigan and Derick Hall each earned a sack of Stick before halftime.
First-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy also flashed his potential in the half as he blew through an offensive lineman for a tackle for loss of running back Isaiah Spiller.
Offense had its moments, though offensive line still developing.
With Connor Williams still unsigned, and tackles Charles Cross, George Fant, and Abe Lucas all not playing on Saturday night, the Seahawks offensive line remained a work-in-progress.
Stone Forsythe started in place of Cross at left tackle with McClendon Curtis getting the start at right tackle. Nick Harris got the nod over Olu Oluwatimi at center as well.
Sam Howell was pressured several times and took a pair of sacks starting in place of Geno Smith. Unlike the defensive side of the ball, several Seattle starters were given the night off by the coaching staff. That was felt most on the line of scrimmage, where the Seahawks are still trying to make strides forward.
Because they weren’t facing many starters on defense for the Chargers either, Howell and the Seahawks offense still managed to find the end zone twice. Brady Russell had a very nice 13-yard catch-and-run touchdown with undrafted rookie running back George Holani added an 11-yard score as well after the Bryant interception.
Howell finished his night with 130 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-27 passing and the pair of sacks as he played through the first drive of the third quarter.
New kickoff rules on display for first time.
Saturday night for the first time the Seahawks got to experience the new "dynamic" kickoff in a live setting and it did seem to be an improvement on the prior rules package.
Laviska Shenault Jr. had a 44-yard return for the Seahawks, and Jaelen Gill had a 43-yard return on the opening kickoff for the Chargers. Both returns saw kickers make the tackle as Jason Myers made the stop on Gill, and Cameron Dicker made the tackle on Shenault.
Additionally, Myers had a kickoff that didn't reach the landing zone, which gave the Chargers the ball at the 40-yard line to start their drive.
A vast majority of kickoffs last season resulted in touchbacks, including all 13 kickoffs from the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
While teams will better adapt to the new rules over time, it seems on the surface to be on its way to accomplishing the goal of creating more kickoff returns.
Who stood out?
RB George Holani – The undrafted rookie out of Boise State is very much in the competition for a roster spot. Holani had six carries for 24 yards and a touchdown, caught two passes for six yards, made a tackle on special teams, and delivered at least one strong blitz pickup in pass protection.
LB Derick Hall – The second-year pass rusher led the team with five tackles and had one of the team’s three sacks on the night. However, his pass rush efforts also led to DeVere Levelston’s sack of Max Duggan as he forced the Chargers quarterback to step up into Levelston’s grasp.
WR Laviska Shenault Jr. – Shenault would seem to be pretty clearly the No. 5 receiver on the team at the moment behind DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo. Shenault had a 44-yard kickoff return, and caught two passes for 31 yards along with a nice block on Russell’s touchdown. His skills in the return game could easily earn him a key role on special teams.
TE Brady Russell – Russell carved out a role as a special teams regular a season ago after being claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles. But now Russell is showing he might be able to give a bit more. He appears to be in a battle with Tyler Mabry for Seattle’s third tight end spot as both players saw time ahead of rookie A.J. Barner. Russell had three catches for 25 yards with the first touchdown of the preseason.
Who didn’t?
LB Boye Mafe – Continuing a pretty invisible training camp, Mafe didn’t have much impact on Saturday night’s game as he was one of few starters to play the entirety of the first half. Mafe assisted on just one tackle and had a pass defended. However, the pass he broke up came after he got blown back after the ball and then crossed the field to chase Stick outside the pocket. He’s been routinely beat in 1-on-1 pass rushing drills in camp practices as well.
QB P.J. Walker – The same caveats of a shaky offensive line for Howell carry over for Walker’s performance as well, but he didn’t do much of note in his time under center. Walker finished with just 61 yards on 4-of-10 passing and was sacked once.
S Marquise Blair – One of the knocks on Blair during his first stint in Seattle was his propensity for mental mistakes. It appeared he made another on one on the Chargers’ biggest plays of the night. Simi Fehoko caught a pass from Duggan up the right seam that saw safety Ty Okada barking at Blair after the play. It seemed as though Blair was supposed to be in the deep middle of the field instead of in the deep half. The play went for 29 yards and could have generated more if Fehoko could have kept his feet.