Seahawks take down Chargers in preseason opener, 31-10

The backup quarterback debate may have been sealed for the Seattle Seahawks, as a stellar performance by Tarvaris Jackson led the Seahawks to a 31-10 victory over the San Diego Chargers in the first preseason game.

Aug 8, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Brady Quinn (10) shakes hands with San Diego Chargers linebacker Manti Te

Jackson led with 128 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Brady Quinn added a touchdown and 59 yards. Rookie running back Christine Michael finished with 89 yards on 16 carries, and Stephen Williams finished with two huge receptions for a total of 83 yards, including a touchdown.

The defense looked shaky at first, and that wasn’t aided much by a few questionable calls by the officiating crew. The first Chargers drive brought them within 11 yards of the touchdown, but they had to settle for a field goal, giving them an early 3-0 lead.

That score would hold for 20 minutes of game time. It wasn’t until late in the second quarter that the Seahawks could get some true momentum, when Byron Maxwell intercepted a pass by Charlie Whitehurst at the Seattle 44-yard line. He returned it 28 yards and another 15 yards was tacked on after an unnecessary roughness call.

On third and 7, coming out of the two-minute warning, Quinn completed a pass to former Washington Husky Jermaine Kearse, who was wide open in the end zone, giving the Seahawks their first points of the evening. Steven Hauschka converted on the extra point to put Seattle up 7-3.

San Diego attempted to score in the final 1:56 of the game, but an interception by Chris Maragos at the Seattle 29-yard line put an end to that bid. Maragos ran it out of bounds at the San Diego 43-yard line with three seconds remaining on the clock. Hauschka attempted the 61-yard field goal, but fell about a yard short, and the Seahawks retreated to the locker room with a 7-3 lead.

In the second half, each team was forced to punt on their first drive. But on the Seahawks’ second chance of the half, Walter Thurmond had a huge 46-yard return off of Richard Kent’s punt. Carson Wiggs eventually converted on a field goal to put the Seahawks up 10-3.

Jackson took over the reins at quarterback for the remainder of the game, and the offense really kicked into high gear. On third and 7, Jackson made a perfect 41-yard pass up the middle to Williams, putting the Seahawks at first and goal. On the next play, Spencer Ware danced up the middle for six yards and a touchdown, and the extra point by Wiggs extended the lead, 17-3.

Jackson and Williams connected once again on the next drive, this time beginning the fourth quarter with a 42-yard pass to push the lead to 24-3.

On the Chargers’ following drive, Brad Sorenson gave the ball to Tasker who Luke Tasker who gained 34 yards before being swallowed up by Winston Guy. Two plays later, Sorenson passed to Ladarius Green for a 21-yard touchdown, cutting the Seahawks lead to 24-10.

The Seahawks responded on the next drive, however, with a sequence of short runs from Michael. Jackson sealed the win with a short pass to Derrick Coleman who ran it in for a touchdown. This would be the final score of the game, with the Seahawks winning 31-10.

Allen Bradford, taking over for injured linebacker Bobby Wagner, had a huge game on defense for Seattle, with five tackles. Benson Mayowa had consecutive sacks on third down during the third quarter to squelch any hopes of a San Diego comeback.

And, most importantly in the preseason, no significant injuries occurred during the game — very much a win-win situation for the Seahawks as they head into their second exhibition game August 17 against the Denver Broncos.