Seahawks beat Cowboys 21-12 in playoff elimination game

By SCHUYLER DIXON
AP Pro Football Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Russell Wilson didn't have to do much to keep alive Seattle's hopes for a sixth straight trip to the playoffs, despite the return of star Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott from a six-game suspension.

Justin Coleman put the Seahawks in front for good with a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown , and Seattle beat the Cowboys 21-12 in a playoff elimination game Sunday.

Dak Prescott threw two interceptions and the Dallas offense didn't score a touchdown despite the reunion with his backfield mate, the one he shared a remarkable rookie season with a year ago when Cowboys had an NFC-best 13 wins.

Now Dallas (8-7) is eliminated from the postseason with the end of its three-game winning streak, and the Seahawks (9-6) still have life after Wilson threw for two touchdowns despite a career-low 93 yards passing.

"In these situations where it truly is a must-win game, we don't have to make anything up," receiver Doug Baldwin said. "We're well-prepared for it. The process that we've gone through the whole season really helped us today."

Coleman gave Seattle a 14-9 lead in the third quarter when he reached down to catch Prescott's badly overthrown pass to Elliott and ran untouched 30 yards for a touchdown.

It was the fourth pick-six of the season for Prescott, who threw just four interceptions last season when he was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has 13 interceptions for the season.

The Seahawks were eliminated in the NFC West race by the Los Angeles Rams' 27-23 win at Tennessee. But they can still make the postseason with some help despite gaining just 136 total yards - their fewest since getting 135 in a 14-9 win over the St. Louis Rams in 2013.

Seattle's first two offensive touchdowns were set up by pass interference penalties in the end zone. The first was a 3-yarder to Jimmy Graham, the second a 6-yarder to Baldwin after running plays backed up the Seahawks both times.

The Cowboys, who lost their first three without Elliott before the winning streak, didn't take it easy on last year's NFL rushing leader after his six-week layoff, giving him 15 carries for 73 yards in the first half.

The longest carry was a 9-yarder as he averaged 4.7 per carry. Elliott, who was suspended on domestic violence allegations, finished with 97 yards on 24 carries.

But Dallas didn't give Elliott the ball with a first down at the Seattle 3 when trailing by nine points midway through the fourth quarter. After a Prescott run, a holding penalty on a pass play and the third sack of Prescott, Dan Bailey missed a 34-yarder.

Bailey, who had two 51-yarders among his four kicks, missed again in the closing seconds.

"It's hard to get over," said Prescott, who was 21 of 34 for 182 yards. "I'm sure I'll get over it at some point. But right now's not the time. Didn't play well enough for us to win. Simple as that."

Dallas receiver Dez Bryant dropped the first pass of the game and was caught on camera on the sideline yelling at former Cowboys receiver Miles Austin, now a staff member. Soon after, he fumbled after making a catch , setting up Wilson's scoring toss to Graham.

Wilson saved that scoring chance by recovering a fumble on a bad handoff on the previous play.

"I didn't have time to sense anything," Wilson said. "The year on the line right there, with the ball on the ground. Whoever takes it, so I just leaped to get that ball."

Bryant had another ball go off his hands on a throw behind him, and the tipped ball was intercepted by K.J. Wright to wipe out one of several promising Dallas scoring chances.

"I'm a little numb because the way we started, the good feeling, the uptick we had with Zeke coming back," owner Jerry Jones said. "All of that, I thought that would rule the day today."

MIMICKING ZEKE

Coleman repeated an Elliott antic from last season, when the Dallas running back jumped into a jumbo Salvation Army red kettle after a touchdown on Thanksgiving. Coleman got the same penalty, too - a 15-yarder for unsportsmanlike conduct.

WAY BACK

The Seahawks had 2 yards passing at halftime thanks in part to DeMarcus Lawrence's 22-yard sack of Wilson in the first half. Lawrence overpowered Germain Ifedi, forced Wilson to backtrack after he tried scrambling to his right and tackled Wilson as he tried to run away from him at the Seattle 8.

GRAHAM MILESTONE

Graham's second-quarter touchdown made him the first NFL tight end with at least 10 scoring catches in a season for two franchises. He did it three times with New Orleans and has 69 career TDs.

INJURIES

Cowboys: Five-time Pro Bowl LT Tyron Smith started despite a right knee injury that kept him out of practice most of the week. He came out after the first series, replaced by Byron Bell.

UP NEXT

Seahawks: Home against Arizona next Sunday.

Cowboys: At Philadelphia next Sunday.

Gurley, Rams run over Seahawks

SEATTLE -- The Los Angeles Rams are on the verge of their first division title in 14 years after routing the Seattle Seahawks, but they deflected talk of a changing of the guard atop the NFC West.

Todd Gurley ran for three touchdowns and caught a scoring pass as the Rams dominated from start to finish and gained control of the division with a 42-7 dismantling of the Seahawks on Sunday.

"I don't think so. We have a lot of respect for Seattle," Rams coach Sean McVay said when asked about a transfer of power. "I think it was a great job by our players coming in in a tough atmosphere and getting it done today. We know what Seattle's done. The reason you talk about them the way you do is because they've consistently performed well year in and year out over a handful of years."

The Rams (10-4) avenged a 16-10 loss to the Seahawks and opened a two-game lead over Seattle (8-6) with two games left, putting them on the brink of their first division title since 2003 when the franchise was in St. Louis.

Gurley followed two 1-yard touchdown runs with a 57-yarder with 28 seconds left in the first half that put the Rams up 34-0. Gurley added a 14-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter that made it 40-0.

"This is the only game you've ever seen us play like this," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "I can't remember back to year one or something like that. Our expectations were that we were going to be right in the middle of this thing."

Gurley carried 21 times for 152 yards, and Jared Goff completed 14 of 21 passes for 120 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Los Angeles outgained Seattle 352-149 yards and held the Seahawks to 78 yards on the ground.

"In my eyes, and I might be a little bit biased, but I think he's the best running back in the league, the most complete back," Goff said of Gurley. "He can do it out of the backfield, he can do it in the pass-protection game, and obviously the way he runs is special."

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson completed 14 of 30 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown, and he led the Seahawks with 39 rushing yards. However, he was sacked seven times.

The Rams scored on six of their seven possessions in the decisive first half and did not have to punt. The only time they failed to score was when Goff was intercepted on a fourth-and-1 pass from the Seattle 24-yard line early in the second quarter.

Seattle was held to 59 yards and four first downs in the first half when Wilson was sacked four times for 47 yards. The Rams began five first-half drives in Seattle territory, including one at the 1-yard line and another at the 50.

The Seahawks scored on Wilson's 26-yard pass to Luke Willson with 1:23 left in the third quarter. The Rams added a safety in the fourth quarter when Wilson was called for intentional grounding in the end zone.

"They beat us pretty good today," Wilson said. "They scored in every fashion you could imagine. ... The reality of the situation is no matter if we had lost by one or lost by the way we lost, it's still a loss."

Los Angeles took advantage of a turnover, a long punt return and Seattle's offensive ineffectiveness to build a 13-0 lead after three possessions.

The Rams capitalized on a Seahawks fumble for a quick 3-0 lead. On Seattle's third offensive play, linebacker Alec Ogletree recovered Tanner McEvoy's fumble after a 19-yard pass completion at the Seahawks 40-yard line.

Los Angeles moved to the Seattle 18 before settling for Greg Zuerlein's 36-yard field goal.

Seattle was forced to punt following a third-down sack on its next possession and the Rams responded with a seven-play, 37-yard drive, extending the lead to 6-0 on Zuerlein's 31-yard field goal.

The Seahawks started their next possession from their 20 after a holding penalty, then had an apparent 23-yard pass to Jimmy Graham ruled incomplete after review, followed by another sack of Wilson.

Pharoh Cooper returned the punt 53 yards before being tripped up from behind at the 1-yard line by Neiko Thorpe. Gurley crashed over on the next play to make it 13-0 with 5:57 left in the first quarter.

Cooper set up the Rams' next touchdown with a 26-yard punt return to the Seattle 36. Gurley capped the five-play drive with another 1-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 20-0 with 8:13 left in the half.

On the ensuing possession, Wilson fumbled on a 13-yard sack and defensive end Morgan Fox recovered at the Seattle 39. The Rams needed just seven plays to make it 27-0 with Goff hitting wide receiver Robert Woods on a 1-yard touchdown pass.

Cooper returned Seattle's final punt of the half 26 yards to set up Gurley's 57-yard touchdown run.

The Rams play at Tennessee next week, then finish at home against San Francisco. Seattle, which has made the playoffs five straight seasons, dropped into a wild-card scramble with at least four other teams. The Seahawks play at Dallas next week before playing host to Arizona.

"We're going to start talking about Dallas tomorrow, and we have a big game coming up and we have to go ahead and finish this thing," Carroll said. "There's all kinds of opportunities for us. We just have to make sure we don't let what happened affect what's coming up."

NOTES: Among Seattle's inactives was LB K.J. Wright, the team's second-leading tackler, who sustained a concussion last week against Jacksonville. He had started 61 consecutive games. ... Seattle made two roster moves on Saturday, finally putting injured S Kam Chancellor (neck) on injured reserve and waiving G Mark Glowinski, who started the first two games this season. LB Kache Palacio and CB Mike Tyson were added to the roster off the practice squad. ... The Rams avoided their first season sweep against the Seahawks since 2013. ... The 34-0 halftime deficit was Seattle's largest at home since Nov. 7, 2010, when the New York Giants built a 35-0 halftime lead en route to a 41-7 victory. ... Los Angeles' Pharoh Cooper had four punt returns for 109 yards in the first half, seven for 128 yards in the game. ... Seattle rookie SS Delano Hill was penalized for unnecessary roughness on a punt return scuffle and ejected early in the third quarter. ... The Rams, who were in Los Angeles from 1946 to 1994, then moved to St. Louis in 1995 before returning to Southern California in 2016, last made the playoffs as an L.A. franchise in 1989.

Jaguars pick off Wilson, Seahawks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- For the first time since 2007, the Jacksonville Jaguars will post a winning record.

Blake Bortles passed for two touchdowns, and the Jaguars intercepted Russell Wilson three times in a 30-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday at EverBank Field.

The victory pushed the Jaguars (9-4) into sole possession of first place in the AFC South, with the Tennessee Titans (8-5) losing at Arizona.

The Seahawks (8-5) are a game back of the Los Angeles Rams (9-4) in the NFC West and are currently on the outside of the NFC wild-card race.

Cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and Jalen Ramsey came up with the interceptions of Wilson, who had eight picks coming into the game. Bouye picked Wilson off twice, and Ramsey intercepted Wilson late in the first half.

The Jaguars held a 10-0 lead in the third quarter, but Seattle came back with a 28-yard field goal and a 26-yard touchdown catch by Doug Baldwin with 7:32 remaining in the period.

Bortles broke the 10-10 tie on the first play of the ensuing drive. He found rookie receiver Keelan Cole for a 75-yard touchdown.

"It's an uncharacteristic play," Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said. "We allowed the guy to get across the field when we should have been on top of him. It should have been easy for us, but we didn't play it right."

After Jacksonville made a defensive stop, Jaydon Mickens returned a punt 72 yards to Seattle's 1-yard line. Rookie Leonard Fournette scored from there for a 24-10 lead with 5:37 remaining in the third quarter.

"I thought that all three phases kind of complemented each other at times during the game," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said. "You have to do that to win games late in the season in December."

Wilson made sure the Seahawks weren't done. He found receiver Paul Richardson for a 61-yard touchdown and hit receiver Tyler Lockett for a 74-yard touchdown, each of the scores coming after a Jaguars field goal.

Wilson eluded pressure to find Lockett, cutting the deficit to 30-24 with 3:42 left in the fourth quarter.

Seattle got the ball back with 2:39 remaining and went four-and-out as Wilson was sacked by Malik Jackson for an 8-yard loss on third-and-1.

"It's an unfortunate loss, but we played a really good football team today," said Wilson, who threw three touchdown passes. "Jacksonville has some good football players and did some good things. But the reality is that we're fighting for first place next week."

Fournette broke a 13-yard run on third-and-11 to seal the victory.

"It was funny because Blake was like, 'We need this,'" Fournette said. "In the back of my mind, I was like, 'I can't let nothing stop me.' I got the first down, and that was it."

Bortles threw for 268 yards on 18-of-27 passing with no interceptions.

"We've said it all year long, there's going to come a time when we're going to have to find a way to win offensively," Bortles said. "Russell Wilson is an unbelievable football player. He's going to do a lot of stuff like that. We knew we were going to have to score points."

Fournette ran 24 times for 101 yards.

"This is not the old Jaguars team," Fournette said. "We are not pushovers."

Wilson was 17 of 31 for 271 yards. He also ran for 50 yards on five carries.

The game didn't seem headed for a shootout in the first half. The Jaguars took a 3-0 lead on a 38-yard field goal by Josh Lambo with 6:26 left in the first quarter.

Seattle had a chance to tie the game before halftime, but kicker Blair Walsh missed wide right from 38 yards with 16 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Jaguars went ahead 10-3 on an 18-yard touchdown catch by rookie Dede Westbrook early in the third quarter.

NOTES: Seattle DT Sheldon Richardson was ejected for throwing a punch in the final minute of the game when the Jaguars were in victory formation. Seattle DE Quinton Jefferson was ejected on the next play. ... Seattle's star tandem of linebackers, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, left the game after getting hurt. Wagner sustained a hamstring injury, while Wright had a concussion. Jaguars WR Larry Pinkard also left with a concussion. ... The Jaguars were without LB Telvin Smith (concussion) and WR Allen Hurns (ankle). Both were among the team's inactives. The Seahawks were without S Kam Chancellor (neck). ... The Jaguars announced a crowd of 64,431, their first sellout since the regular-season opener last year against the Green Bay Packers.

Wilson throws for 2 TDs, runs for another as Seahawks win

By JANIE McCAULEY
Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Russell Wilson realized as they tirelessly worked out together in the offseason just what a special connection he has with Jimmy Graham.

Seattle's quarterback saw it again during training camp, and now their mutual trust is leading to spectacular and timely successes on the field during a push for the playoffs.

They are clicking in a way Pete Carroll can only admire: eight touchdowns over seven games.

Lots of synchronicity.

Wilson found Graham for one of his two touchdown throws to give him 150 career TDs passing, and also ran for a short score as the Seahawks overcame a sloppy start to beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-13 on Sunday.

"Jimmy Graham's playing phenomenal football," Wilson said. "He's one of the best tight ends to ever play the game. I think that he really stands out and he can do some special things.

Wilson connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Nick Vannett in the third quarter for the second-year tight end's first career TD and a 1-yarder early in the fourth to Graham, whose 16 TD receptions passed Jerramy Stevens for most by a Seattle tight end.

"The chemistry between he and Russ has reached the level that makes them really on top of their games," Carroll said. "We'll keep going."

Jimmy Garoppolo made his 49ers debut with 1:07 remaining after starting quarterback C.J. Beathard went down with a left leg injury on a hit by Michael Bennett as he threw a pass. Garoppolo — acquired from New England at the trade deadline last month and intended to stay on the shelf a little longer given the lost season — immediately scrambled to gain 4 yards and found Louis Murphy for a 10-yard touchdown as time expired.

"There's never an easy situation to go into," Garoppolo said. "Being the backup, I've experienced both ends of it. But you always have to be ready."

Wilson completed 20 of 34 passes for 228 yards and moved past Joe Flacco to become the winningest quarterback in his first six seasons with 63 victories. He got going in the second half on a gray — even Seattle-like — Bay Area day that featured a light rain in the early going and more when the clock wound down.

The Seahawks (7-4) won their ninth straight in the series in a streak that began with the NFC title game in January 2014 at Seattle. These are hardly the anticipated matchups they used to be in what had been one of the NFL's best rivalries.

Seattle was 2 of 8 on third-down chances before Wilson found Doug Baldwin for a 23-yard gain midway through the third period. That was followed by Tanner McEvoy's 24-yard reception.

Things didn't start well for Seattle.

Wilson threw an interception on the Seahawks' first play from scrimmage, then struggling kicker Blair Walsh hooked a 48-yard field-goal try wide left. Ahkello Witherspoon broke up a pass intended for Tyler Lockett in the end zone late as Seattle failed to score in the opening quarter, yet San Francisco (1-10) couldn't capitalize until getting on the board with Robbie Gould's 38-yard field goal moments before halftime. Trent Taylor's 29-yard reception put the Niners in good position.

Gould converted a 42-yarder in the third quarter to make it a one-point game. The Seahawks then took control.

About a minute into the second quarter, replay confirmed an interception by Bobby Wagner after he hadn't practiced all week. He ran it into the end zone but got called back after the review. Wilson scurried into the end zone two plays later for the first points of the game.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan stuck with Beathard following the team's bye week, allowing Garoppolo time to get comfortable in a new system. San Francisco managed just 16 yards of total offense in the opening quarter.

Carlos Hyde was held to 9 yards on eight rushes in the first half, then ended up with 47 yards rushing on 16 carries, including a 14-yard run early in the third.

Beathard was 22 of 38 for 201 yards Sunday before the injury.

WALSH'S MISSES

Before a 34-yard field goal late, Walsh had failed on two straight field goals after missing from 52 yards late in the final seconds in Monday's 34-31 loss to Atlanta. He also missed three against Washington in another three-point Seahawks defeat Nov. 5. He is 18 for 24 on the year.

INJURIES

Seahawks tight end Luke Willson was lost in the first half and evaluated for a concussion and will be in the protocol, while linebacker Josh Forrest sprained a foot "fairly significantly" in the first half according to Carroll.

Running back Raheem Mostert was lost to a knee injury for San Francisco, already without right tackle Trent Brown because of a shoulder injury sustained Wednesday. Wideout Marquise Goodwin injured a foot in the third quarter.

Veteran 49ers left tackle Joe Staley went down early in the fourth period with what looked like a scary knee injury, but he later returned.

UP NEXT

Seahawks: Host Philadelphia on Sunday.

49ers: At Chicago on Sunday.

Ingram, Collins, Lockett named NFC Players of Week 11

​Running back Mark Ingram of the New Orleans Saints, safety Landon Collins of the New York Giants and kick returner-wide receiver Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 11 (November 16, November 19-20).

Ingram led the Saints in rushing in the team's 34-31 thrilling overtime victory over Washington with 11 carries for a season-high 134 yards with one touchdown. Ingram recorded the longest run of the day with a 36-yard touchdown run. Ingram also surpassed 5,000 career rushing yards becoming only the second Saint to do so. Ingram's two runs in overtime set up Wil Lutz's game-winning field goal.

Collins led the Giants with a career-high 14 tackles (10 solo) and intercepted his second pass of the season. He had nine tackles (seven solo) and the interception in the second half and overtime.

Lockett piled up 197 yards on five kick returns, which was not only a career high for him, but the fifth highest single-game total in franchise history behind Leon Washington (253), Maurice Morris (231), Washington again (222) and Charlie Rogers (198). That was also the highest kick return total in a game since the NFL moved the touchback on kickoffs from the 20 to the 25-yard line in order to discourage returns.

Ryan’s 2 TD passes enough as Falcons hold off Seahawks 34-31

By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons did enough through 3 ½ quarters that even the best comeback attempt by Russell Wilson fell short this time.

A couple of yards short to be exact.

Ryan threw a pair of touchdown passes, Adrian Clayborn returned a fumble 10 yards for a score and the Falcons watched Blair Walsh’s 52-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds fall short, holding off the Seattle Seahawks for a 34-31 win on Monday night.

Atlanta won its second straight to stay on the heels of New Orleans and Carolina in the NFC South, and handed Seattle a second consecutive home loss.

“What an absolute team win from the guys tonight,” Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said. “Coming here, in this environment, with the crowd, we thought it would be two competitive, tough teams that were going to battle for it in the biggest way.”

Ryan threw TDs to Mohamed Sanu and Levine Toilolo, while Tevin Coleman added a 1-yard TD run on Atlanta’s opening possession.

But it was Clayborn’s fumble return that helped break the game open early in the second quarter and gave Atlanta a 21-7 lead. He scooped up a loose ball after Wilson was crunched by Takk McKinley and Courtney Upshaw.

“I think we’re moving in the right direction. We keep proving we can finish games and beat guys. We have to take the momentum and keep rolling with it,” Clayborn said.

With Seattle down 11 points, Wilson hit Doug Baldwin on a 29-yard TD with 3 minutes left and then threw to Jimmy Graham for the two-point conversion. Seattle got the ball back and moved in range for Walsh, whose attempt was on line but landed short of the crossbar.

“That was in our range, and in hindsight I would have just driven it more,” Walsh said. “I would have driven it more and not left it short. I was too accurate and didn’t have enough on it.”

Wilson again was the entirety of Seattle’s offense, throwing for 258 yards and two touchdowns, and running for another 86 yards and a TD.

But it was an awful night for the Seahawks, filled with more injuries and questionable decisions by coach Pete Carroll. He called for a fake field goal late in the first half rather than attempting a 35-yard kick. He also made a questionable challenge in the fourth quarter that didn’t go his way and left Seattle with just one timeout.

That lack of timeouts came back to haunt Seattle on the final drive when seconds ticked away and rather than running one more play, Walsh was sent out to attempt the 52-yard kick. His long for the season is 49 yards.

The conclusion only amplified Carroll’s baffling decision at the end of the first half, when Seattle ran a fake field goal rather than having Walsh attempt a 35-yarder that would have pulled Seattle within 24-20. Holder Jon Ryan completed his shovel pass to Luke Willson, but Grady Jarrett read the play and tackled Willson for a 4-yard loss.

Willson said Atlanta’s defense on the play was different than what Seattle had seen on film.

“It would have been a really good call if we had made it,” Carroll said. “Terrific opportunity right where we wanted it and the defensive tackle made a better play.”

Seattle played a game for the first time since the end of the 2010 season without Richard Sherman. His streak of 99 consecutive starts in the regular season was snapped because of a torn Achilles tendon suffered against Arizona. The Seahawks were also without safety Kam Chancellor because of a neck injury, leaving their vaunted secondary with several new faces.

“Those two are phenomenal players. ... It was a lot different,” Sanu said. “They did a lot of different things but we just had to take advantage of our routes.”

MATTY ICE

Ryan was more than happy to pick on a defense without Sherman and Chancellor. He was 19 of 27 passing for 195 yards and rarely faced pressure. Seattle had one sack, and the Falcons went 9 of 14 on third-down conversions.

Sanu made a great one-handed grab for a 2-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Ryan found Toilolo on a 25-yard TD in the third quarter to give Atlanta a 31-20 lead. Matt Bryant added a 19-yard field goal with 3:49 left to put the Falcons ahead by 11, and Wilson’s late heroics weren’t enough.

Ryan’s streak of 64 straight games passing for at least 200 yards was snapped.

INJURIES

Seattle’s injury woes continued. The Seahawks lost rookie cornerback Shaquill Griffin to a concussion on the second play of the game, forcing newly signed veteran Byron Maxwell into a more prominent role than expected.

Early in the second half, promising running back Mike Davis was lost to a groin injury after taking a screen pass 21 yards. Davis had two receptions and had carried six times for 18 yards before getting hurt. Seattle also lost starting guard Oday Aboushi in the fourth quarter with a shoulder injury.

Atlanta got a scare when safety Keanu Neal was checked for a concussion in the first half. He was cleared to return.

UP NEXT

Falcons: Host Tampa Bay on Sunday to open a three-game homestand.

Seahawks: Travel to division foe San Francisco on Sunday.

Cousins comes through late as Washington stuns Seattle 17-14

By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — The comeback by Kirk Cousins topped any late rally Russell Wilson tried to engineer, and suddenly injected some hope into Washington's season that was trending toward trouble.

Cousins drove Washington 70 yards in 35 seconds, capped by Rob Kelley's 1-yard touchdown run with less than a minute remaining, and the Redskins rallied late to stun the Seattle Seahawks 17-14 on Sunday.

"On offense it was a lot of adversity. The injuries made things tough," Cousins said. "We felt like we had to keep grinding, and you never know when your defense is able to keep you in the game, your special teams, that you may have an opportunity in the fourth quarter."

Seattle (5-3) took a 14-10 lead with 1:34 remaining after Russell Wilson found Doug Baldwin for a 30-yard touchdown pass after the Seahawks had scuffled on offense all day. But Cousins had an unexpected answer.

Taking over at his 30-yard line, Cousins hit Brian Quick for 31 yards and Josh Doctson for 38 on consecutive throws to get to the Seattle 1 with 1:02 left. Doctson beat rookie Shaquill Griffin down the sideline and made an impressive diving catch. Kelley bulled his way in from the 1 on the next play for his second touchdown.

"It was good, but also, he's Russell Wilson. He's known for coming back," Kelley said. "It was like, 'Uh, oh, let's calm down, let's chill out for a minute or so.' It was kind of awkward, you just know how good those guys are when they're in the same situation we were in."

Wilson did his best but couldn't match his magic from last week against Houston, when he threw for a franchise-record 452 yards and put together a winning touchdown drive in the final minute. Wilson was 24 of 45 for 297 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He got Seattle to the Washington 38 in the final 30 seconds. Instead of spiking the ball, Wilson tried to run a play and was sacked by Terrell McClain back to the Redskins 46. After a lengthy review, Seattle had the ball with 4 seconds left after Washington (4-4) called time out to get organized.

Wilson's desperation toss on the final play in the direction of Jimmy Graham and Tanner McEvoy fell incomplete and Seattle saw its four-game win streak snapped.

"We made this so hard on ourselves," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

Washington coach Jay Gruden warned his defensive players this week that with so many injuries on the offensive side it was incumbent on them to keep Washington in the game. They accomplished that task, and combined with Seattle's mistakes, allowed Cousins the chance at the end.

"You play with confidence, you feel good about yourself, good things are going to happen," Washington defensive lineman Ziggy Hood said.

Kelley finished with two touchdown runs, while Cousins was 21 of 31 for 247 yards. He was responsible for a fumble in the first half, but otherwise took care of the ball against Seattle's standout defense. He also withstood six sacks and a number of other quarterback hits behind a makeshift offensive line of backups and rookies.

"This lets everyone know we can definitely win in the most hostile environment. ... If we can play under these conditions it means we can go anywhere. We can play home, we can play away, we just have to be poised, we have to be disciplined," Washington tight end Vernon Davis said.

SEAHAWKS ERRORS

Seattle was undone by its mistakes. The Seahawks committed 16 penalties, failed to find much rhythm on offense and saw kicker Blair Walsh miss three first-half field goals inside 50 yards. Walsh was 12 of 13 on the season, but missed from 44, 39 and 49 yards, the last on the final play of the first half.

"This is the first time this year where I haven't really come through and I got to remember that," Walsh said. "As much as it sucks and as much as I want to be there for my teammates and help us win, I've got to remember I'm capable of doing good things here."

Those misses and two failed 2-point conversion attempts got the better of the Seahawks thanks to Cousins' heroics at the end.

UNDERMANNED

Washington was minus six starters, including three on the offensive line, yet became the first non-NFC West team to win in Seattle since Week 6 of the 2015 season, when Carolina beat the Seahawks.

INJURIES

While Washington had a larger quantity of key injuries, Seattle was without three very important pieces. Safety Earl Thomas (hamstring) and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (oblique) were inactive because of injuries. The Seahawks lost running back Eddie Lacy in the first quarter to a groin injury after Lacy was expected to be the featured back Sunday.

UP NEXT

Redskins: Washington returns home to host Minnesota.

Seahawks: Seattle has a short week and faces division foe Arizona on the road on Thursday night.

Reports: Seahawks acquire LT Brown from Texans

The Seattle Seahawks acquired left tackle Duane Brown from the Houston Texans in exchange for cornerback Jeremy Lane, multiple outlets reported on Monday.

The 32-year-old Brown returned to the Texans after his holdout did not result in a new contract. He is entering his 10th NFL season and was the longest-tenured Texans player prior to the trade.

Brown, whose base salary was $9.4 million this season, lost about $3.3 million -- forfeiting six $552,921 game checks -- by not reporting. He will have about $6.1 million remaining on his base salary.

The three-time Pro Bowl selection has two years remaining on his six-year, $53.4 million contract through the 2018 season with a $9.65 million nonguaranteed base salary next year.

Brown was a vocal critic of team owner Bob McNair's comment, "We can't have the inmates running the prison," during last week's owners meeting in reference to ongoing player protests during the national anthem.

Lane was supplanted in Seattle's lineup by rookie Shaquill Griffin. The 27-year-old Lane recorded nine tackles in five games this season and had 124 and two interceptions in 62 career contests -- all with the Seahawks.

Seahawks sign DE Freeney to bolster pass rush

The Seattle Seahawks added veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney to bolster their pass-rushing depth as the two sides agreed to terms on a one-year contract late Tuesday night.

The 37-year-old Freeney spent the first 11 seasons of his career in Indianapolis, earning Pro Bowl honors seven times and first-team All-Pro honors three times.

Freeney was in Seattle on Tuesday to work out and take a physical for the Seahawks. He later tweeted: "Time to get loud, 12s. #GoHawks Seahawks."

Freeney was expected to practice for the first time with the Seahawks on Wednesday and could make his debut when Seattle hosts the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Freeney's 122.5 career sacks rank 18th all-time, and he is second among active players behind Carolina's Julius Peppers. He also has 47 career forced fumbles.

Following a run with the Colts, which included a Super Bowl championship, Freeney spent two seasons in San Diego and one with Arizona, where he had 8.0 sacks in 11 games as an in-season signing. Last year he appeared in 15 games for the Atlanta Falcons, recording 3.0 sacks.

Freeney also recorded a sack in the Falcons' Super Bowl loss to New England, one of his 11 career postseason sacks. He has been a free agent since the end of last season.

The 6-foot-1, 268-pound Freeney gives the Seahawks an extra pass rusher to help compensate for the loss of Cliff Avril, who was placed on injured reserve last week with a neck injury. The Seahawks had not filled Avril's spot on the 53-man roster, leaving an opening for Freeney.

Quarterback Russell Wilson welcomed his new teammate, tweeting: "Excited to have my homie DwightFreeney join the squad! #SackKing."

Wilson throws 3 second-half TDs, Seahawks D dominates

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The way Seattle was moving the ball on offense and how its defense was dominating the banged-up New York Giants, Russell Wilson knew it would just be a matter of time before the Seahawks found a way to win.

It was just a matter of being patient. It paid off.

Wilson threw three second-half touchdown passes and the Seahawks limited the Giants' receiver-depleted offense to season-low 177 yards in a 24-7 win on Sunday.

"The score was 7-3 and we were calm," Wilson said. "No panic. For us, we just had to stay the course. We've been here before. The defense was lights out tonight. Credit to them and what they were able to do. For us, we just had to make plays. We were moving the ball down the field. We just weren't finding the end zone."

Wilson hit Doug Baldwin with a go-ahead 22-yard touchdown pass midway through the third quarter. He put the game away with a 38-yard TD throw to Paul Richardsonon a play that had to be reviewed because of simultaneous possession and he closed out the scoring with a 1-yard toss to Jimmy Graham with 2:14 to go.

The Seahawks (4-2) limited the Giants (1-6) to 46 yards rushing, 14 first downs and just 24:34 in time of possession. The defense only forced one turnover, but the fumble byEli Manning led to the Richardson touchdown.

The points came in the second half and once Seattle was ahead it was unlikely that the Giants would find a way to rally against its defense.

"We came out here to win a ballgame and play some good football," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "It took us a while to put it all together. Really liked the way our guys hung together when we were kicking ourselves around in the first half. The belief in both sides of the ball was solid. We knew we were going to turn this thing."

The Giants, who stunned Denver on Sunday night for their first win, were only in this game because their defense made plays and limited the Seattle to a field goal in the first half despite being on the field for more than 20 minutes.

The unit set up the Giants' touchdown with a forced fumble and a 32-yard return by Landon Collins to the Seahawks 17. It set up a 5-yard TD toss to Evan Engram , the only receiver who could get open on a consistent basis.

Blair Walsh had kicked a 39-yard field goal late in the first half to get the Seahawks within 7-3.

Seattle took the lead with a four-play 59-yard drive that featured passes of 29 yards to Graham and 23 yards to Richardson by Wilson, who was 27 of 39 for 334 yards.

The Giants had a chance to tie the game early in the fourth quarter but a 47-yard field goal by Aldrick Rosas was wide right.

Seattle was forced to put on its next series but they got the ball back quickly when Jarran Reed sacked Manning and forced a fumble that Frank Clark recovered at the Giants 37.

On the first play, Wilson pitched the ball to J.D. McKissic and took a return lateral. He tossed a pass to the left corner of the end zone and Richardson and Collins made a simultaneous catch. It was ruled a touchdown and the review didn't change it.

"What an exciting play," Wilson said. "It was a great call by (Darrell) Bevell. I tossed it to J.D. and he throws it back to me. I just let Paul do his thing, one on one.

Referee Tony Corrente said the play was over once the players touched the ground with simultaneous possession.

"So at that point when they were on the ground together, and they're tussling to begin with, the catch is over," Corrente told a pool reporter. "That's the touchdown."

Graham, who had dropped a touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter, caught one late.

Despite being outgained 222-42 and having the ball just over nine minutes, the Giants led 7-3 at the half.

Manning's TD pass to Engram (six catches for 60 yards) came two plays after rookie defensive end Avery Moss knocked the ball out of Thomas Rawls' hands and safety Landon Collins returned it 32 yards to the Seahawks 17. Manning finished 19 of 39 for 134 yards.

"The defense played their tails off today," said Giants running back Orleans Darkwa, who led the team with 35 yards rushing. "As an offense we have to put points on the board, simple and plain. With the bye week coming up we have to figure out what we do well and what we do bad an improve from there."

GOING EAST: Seattle is now 5-0 at MetLife Stadium, including their Super Bowl victory over Denver. They have beaten the Giants three times — 36-25 in 2011 and 23-0 in 2013 — and knocked off the Jets last year 27-17.

UP NEXT

Seahawks: Host Houston on Oct. 29.

Giants: bye week, Host Rams on Nov. 5.

Seahawks use huge 2nd-half surge to rout Colts 46-18

By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — It took a trio of relative unknowns to wake up the Seattle Seahawks.

J.D. McKissic took the second carry of his career 30 yards for a touchdown and Bobby Wagner scooped up Marcus Smith's forced fumble and rumbled 21 yards for a score in a 13-second span late in the third quarter, and the Seahawks beat the Indianapolis Colts 46-18 on Sunday night.

Justin Coleman added a 28-yard interception return for a TD in the first half and Seattle overcame a sleepy first 30 minutes from its offense to finally put away the Colts.

"It was a terrific night. It just took us a while again. ... We finally got going," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said.

McKissic was once cut by Atlanta, but his athleticism earned him a spot in Seattle. Coleman was deemed expendable by New England and was acquired in a trade just before the start of the regular season. And Smith, who finished with 1 1/2 sacks, was a former first-round pick who was a bust with Philadelphia.

Their big plays turned boos that cascaded down at halftime with Seattle trailing 15-10 into cheers in a hurry. CenturyLink Field was left shaking after Wagner scooped up Smith's forced fumble against quarterback Jacoby Brissett and weaved through tacklers for Seattle's second defensive score and a 32-18 lead.

Russell Wilson threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions, but his most important play was a 23-yard run in the third quarter to give Seattle an 18-15 lead. Adam Vinatieri pulled the Colts even at 18 as the Colts capitalized on Wilson's second interception. Graham dropped a catchable pass and it was intercepted by Malik Hooker , his third straight game with an interception.

But Seattle answered with a 75-yard drive that was capped by McKissic's touchdown sprint. Wilson added TD passes of 6 yards to Luke Willson and 27 yards to McKissic in the fourth quarter and the Seahawks outscored Indianapolis 36-3 in the second half.

"It's the same thing that always happens. Slow start out of the gate and for whatever reason we pick it up the third and fourth quarter," Seattle wide receiver Doug Baldwin said.

Seattle's win came appeared to come with a big blow in the final minutes when starting running back Chris Carson sustained a left leg injury. Trainers immediately placed an air cast on Carson's leg and he was carted off the field. Carroll said Carson's injury was significant.

Brissett threw an 18-yard strike to Donte Moncrief late in the first half to give the Colts the lead. Brissett was 16 of 29 for 157 yards and was sacked three times. The biggest play turned out to be Smith's sack, knocking the ball from Brissett's hands just before his arm moved forward as Seattle suddenly took a 14-point lead.

"They just outplayed us big time in the second half. We didn't do a good job of adjusting. That's on me," Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano said. "We're a lot better than that, but it's going to be the same old song and dance if we don't get things cleaned up."

RECORD WATCH

Frank Gore finished with 46 yards rushing, leaving him 4 yards short of passing Eric Dickerson for seventh on the career rushing list.

RETIREMENT CEREMONY

New Hall of Famer Kenny Easley had his No. 45 retired by the Seahawks at halftime. Easley is the fourth player and the fifth number overall retired by the franchise, an honor held specifically for those players elected to the Hall of Fame. The Seahawks also have the No. 12 retired in honor of the fans.

Easley was the senior committee selection for induction to the Hall of Fame this year.

INJURIES:

Colts: Center Deysahawn Boyd, already filling in for injured starter Ryan Kelly, was hurt on the second play of the game and did not return. Boyd suffered a knee injury. Adam Redmond took over for Boyd.

Seahawks: Defensive end Cliff Avril left in the first half with a neck injury and did not return. Avril appeared to lose feeling in his hands. He tweeted later that he was OK. Nickel cornerback Jeremy Lane was lost on the first drive of the game to a groin injury.

UP NEXT

Colts: Indianapolis faces another NFC West opponent, hosting San Francisco.

Seahawks: Seattle plays its second NFC West game of the season, traveling to the Los Angeles Rams.

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Packers, Seahawks prepare for opening clash of titans

Stats, LLC

(TSX / STATS) -- The irresistible force paradox is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

It's also what will happen at Lambeau Field on Sunday when the Green Bay Packers host the Seattle Seahawks in one of the juiciest matchups of Week 1.

The unstoppable force is Green Bay's offense. Led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the Packers finished third in scoring last season in the NFL. That unit should be even stronger with the offseason addition of tight end Martellus Bennett.

"He's at the peak of his career. He's at the top of his game," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said of Rodgers. "It's hard to imagine what more he can do or how much better he can play.

"All the great players are looking for extraordinary consistency. He is just such a fantastic football player. We really marvel at the way he can throw the football, find guys, move to make guys available and just be a great competitor. We have the ultimate respect for him."

The immovable object is Seattle's defense. After leading the league in scoring defense in 2013, 2014 and 2015, the Seahawks finished third in that category last season. Eight of the 11 starters have been selected for at least one Pro Bowl, including defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, who was acquired in a trade with the New York Jets last week.

Rodgers and Co. demolished that defense in a 38-10 victory on Dec. 11 at Lambeau, but Seattle was without injured safety Earl Thomas in that game. Thomas is back, teaming with Kam Chancellor for perhaps the best safety combo in the NFL, and Richard Sherman returns at cornerback after being part of offseason trade speculation.

"He's a difference-maker," Rodgers said of Thomas. "He's been a Pro Bowl player in the past. He covers a lot of ground. They've got studs on the outside at corner, but Earl covers a ton of ground sideline to sideline and makes a lot of plays on the ball. He has very good ball skills and is a good tackler."

On the other side of the ball, Green Bay's revamped defense will be tested right out of the gate by Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense. The Seahawks have major questions on the offensive line but signed former Packers standout Eddie Lacy at running back to pair with Thomas Rawls.

After getting shredded for 44 points by Atlanta in the NFC Championship Game, Green Bay added cornerback Davon House and defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois in free agency and used its first four picks in the draft on defensive players, including cornerback Kevin King with the top pick.

The tinkering has continued, with veteran outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, rookie outside linebacker Chris Odom and veteran defensive lineman Quinton Dial signed since Saturday's league-wide roster cutdown.

Any lack of continuity from that group could be exploited by Seattle's new up-tempo attack.

"They're obviously playing a lot faster, huddling 2 yards from the ball and trying to get as many plays as possible," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. "They were extremely productive in the preseason."

Both teams are healthy. For Green Bay, right tackle Bryan Bulaga practiced for the first time since injuring an ankle at practice Aug. 23. He had limited participation.

Seattle's Frank Clark, who had 10 sacks last season, was limited by a wrist injury.

Along with this being a matchup of perennial powerhouses, the game will feature a poignant meeting between brothers. On Wednesday, Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett detailed a harrowing incident after the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor fight in Las Vegas on Aug. 26.

According to Michael Bennett, gunshots were fired and he began running. Bennett said police singled him out, ordered him to the ground and put a gun to his head.

"I felt helpless as I lay there on the ground handcuffed facing the real-life threat of being killed," Michael Bennett wrote on Twitter. "All I could think of was, 'I'm going to die for no reason other than I am black and my skin color is somehow a threat.'"

At his locker Wednesday evening, Packers tight end Martellus Bennett broke into tears at the thought of hugging his brother before the game.

"It gets emotional when you think about it," Martellus Bennett said. "Sometimes a hug is the best thing you can give, you know what I'm saying? You just think, 'What if?' You know? ... Two seconds this way, two seconds that way, the whole thing is different so, for me, I'll just be happy to see my brother because there's a chance I couldn't see him."

Seahawks win 26-13; Chiefs’ Ware sprains right knee

By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Kansas City running back Spencer Ware’s right knee injury might not be as bad as first feared.

Ware sprained his right knee and was carted off the field in the Chiefs’ 26-13 preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Friday night. But Kansas City coach Andy Reid said after the game that X-rays came back negative and that Ware would have an MRI to further access the damage Saturday.

It was optimistic news for what appeared to be a major injury.

“We’ll just see how that turns out,” Reid said.

Russell Wilson was again brilliant for Seattle, throwing for 200 yards and a touchdown, but his performance was secondary to the injury suffered by Ware and the impact it could have for the Chiefs.

Ware remained on the turf after making a 6-yard reception on a pass from Alex Smith in the first quarter. Ware appeared to take an awkward step with his right leg during the play and team trainers were looking at his knee while he was down on the field. Players from both teams took a knee while Ware was examined, and he was taken off the field on a cart.

“Our guys like the heck out of him. He is one of our guys,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said about Ware, who began his career with the Seahawks. “I wanted to send him some love and hope he is OK.”

It was the second straight week a starter in Seattle was taken off the field with a knee injury. The Seahawks lost starting left tackle George Fant for the season last week due because of a torn ACL in his right knee.

The Chiefs have depth at running back with veteran Charcandrick West and impressive rookie Kareem Hunt, who averaged 4.3 yards per carry filling in after Ware was hurt. But Ware’s strength was his versatility as a runner and pass catcher out of the backfield. Ware rushed for 921 yards and had another 447 yards receiving last season for the Chiefs.

“Kareem got good work last week and he learned how fast this thing can change where all of a sudden you become that starter and in a position to do that,” Reid said.

Ware’s injury was part of a lackluster effort form Kansas City’s offense. Smith was 7 of 17 for just 44 yards although there were a handful of drops. The Chiefs had just 102 total yards in the first half against Seattle’s starters and Kansas City’s only touchdown came on a 95-yard kickoff return from De’Anthony Thomas .

Wilson’s stellar preseason continued , playing the entire first half and one drive of the second half. He threw a 2-yard touchdown to Tre Madden and led Seattle on four scoring drives, including three field goals by Blair Walsh. In parts of three preseason games, Wilson is 29 of 41 for 447 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

“Everything he has done looks like it is culminating in really good, solid decision making, really clear thinking, very decisive, quick with the football,” Carroll said.

The biggest area of concern for Seattle coming into the week was how the offensive line would respond to the loss of Fant. His replacement, Rees Odhiambo, went mostly unnoticed with the exception of one play early in the third quarter. Chris Jones, in his preseason debut following offseason knee surgery, made Odhiambo whiff and engulfed Wilson for the only sack allowed by the Seahawks starters.

“Everything was pretty good for the most part,” Odhiambo said. “A few things we’ve got to clean up a little bit but for the most part I felt like we did a really good job.”

MAHOMES MADNESS: Kansas City rookie Patrick Mahomes wasn’t quite as impressive as the first two weeks of the preseason. Mahomes was 8 of 15 for 70 yards passing and led one scoring drive — a 32-yard field goal by Sam Ficken — in four possessions.

BACKUP BATTLE: The backup QB role in Seattle could be back open after Trevone Boykin had a miserable night and Austin Davis was solid. Boykin missed on all six attempts with an interception, while Davis was 5-of 5 for 64 yards and a 28-yard TD pass to Tanner McEvoy in the fourth quarter.

Carroll said the offense was so out of rhythm that he doesn’t read much into Boykin’s performance.

BENNETT SITS: Seahawks DE Michael Bennett continued to sit on the Seattle bench during the national anthem. For the second straight week, teammate Justin Britt stood next to Bennett with his right hand on Bennett’s shoulder. Cliff Avril stood for most of the anthem before sitting next to Bennett at the end.

SITTING OUT: Chiefs DE Justin Houston was expected to make his debut but was scratched due to illness. Safety Eric Berry and outside linebacker Tamba Hali were also among the veterans that rested.

Seattle wide receiver Tyler Lockett went through full pregame warmups but did not play as he continues to recover from a broken leg suffered late last season. Also sitting out was running backs Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise, and linebacker Michael Wilhoite.

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Fant's injury cast shadow over Seahawks' win over Vikings

By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Just when the Seattle Seahawks were getting settled on its shaky offensive line, it's once again their biggest question with the regular season approaching.

Russell Wilson looked just fine throwing for 206 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and the Seattle Seahawks suffered a significant injury to left tackle George Fant in their 20-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night.

Fant suffered a torn ACL in his right knee when he was injured midway through the second quarter. Fant was rolled into by teammate Justin Britt and immediately fell to the turf in pain. The team training staff attended to Fant on the field and placed an air splint around his lower right leg before he was taken away.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll said Fant will need surgery and expected to be done for the season.

"It's heartbreaking. It's so unfortunate for George," Carroll said. "There are other things that follow that but my first thoughts are for George."

Fant's injury likely means significant changes for Seattle's offensive line. Luke Joeckel was set to be the starting left guard, but may be an option at left tackle with the entire right side of the line still unsettled.

Fant took over at left tackle midway through last season and spent the offseason reshaping his body to be stronger going into this season. Earlier this week offensive line coach Tom Cable said Seattle was set on the left side of the offensive line.

Fant's injury overshadowed what was an otherwise solid performance by the Seahawks. Wilson picked apart a Vikings secondary that played without starting cornerback Trey Waynes and safety Andrew Sedenjo, completing 13 of 18 passes. He hit Kasen Williams on a 1-yard touchdown pass and found Mike Davis on a 22-yard catch-and-run TD late in the first half.

Williams continued to make a bid for a roster spot with an acrobatic 27-yard catch, followed by his 1-yard TD on Seattle's opening drive. He nearly had a second TD but couldn't haul in a deep pass from Wilson near the goal line in the second quarter.

"I've been on practice squad for two years now and quite honestly I'm tired of it," Williams said.

Minnesota's Sam Bradford was 7 of 11 for 95 yards, leading three drives for the Vikings before calling it a night. Taylor Heinicke threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Bucky Hodges in the fourth quarter.

"It was progress from last week to this week, we moved the ball well," Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer said. "We still have to score in the red zone that was the bad part, but I felt good about the way we were moving the football."

BENNETT SITS

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett sat during the national anthem for the second straight preseason game.

Bennett was alone sitting on the Seahawks bench during the "The Star-Spangled Banner." But teammates showed support for Bennett with center Justin Britt standing alongside with his hand on Bennett's shoulder. Defensive back Jeremy Lane also stood next to Bennett.

"I'm going to continue talking with Mike and exploring and just continuing to understand. I wanted to take a first step tonight and that's what I felt like I did," Britt said.

KICKER REVENGE

Walsh took great joy in having success against his former team that released him last season. Walsh made a pair of 52-yard field goals in the second half and made gestures toward the Minnesota sideline after each kick. Walsh pointed at the sideline after his first make and walked toward the bench and appeared to say something after the second.

Walsh nearly had three made kicks of beyond 50 yards but a 53-yard attempt in the first half hit the crossbar. Zimmer said he did not see any of Walsh's gestures.

"When they're out there kind of yelling at you and taunting you on kicks it's just I've been in the league a little while, I didn't really like that," Walsh said. "I hope it was in jest because my response was in jest. I could see guys smiling so I hope nobody took it too seriously."

START COOKIN'

Vikings' rookie Dalvin Cook ran well in the first half against most of Seattle's starting defense. With the Vikings bringing back Latavius Murray slowly from ankle surgery in March, Cook had seven carries for 40 yards in the first half, including a 15-yarder. Cook also had one reception for 10 yards.

KICKIN' IT

Both of Minnesota's kickers converted their opportunities in the first half. Marshall Koehn hit from 29 yards in the first quarter and Kai Forbath was good from 51 yards just before halftime. That was the only opportunities for either kicker as the Vikings had only two drives inside the Seattle 40.

CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES

Davis' touchdown was his first since signing with the Seahawks in the offseason and he had a unique celebration. Davis ran into the end zone then laid down using the ball as a pillow as his teammates joined him to celebrate. It was the most extensive of any of the touchdown celebrations.

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Seahawks win 48-17 in Chargers' debut game at StubHub Center

By GREG BEACHAM
Associated Press

CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Philip Rivers' sharp throw found Antonio Gates in the middle of the end zone, and StubHub Center shook with cheers from fans who were thrilled to see this familiar teamwork in a brand-new setting.

Although the rest of this preseason opener belonged to the Seattle Seahawks, at least the Los Angeles Chargers opened their new home with a classic San Diego connection.

Rivers threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Gates on the opening drive of the Chargers' first preseason game since relocation, but the Seahawks' backups otherwise dominated a 48-17 victory Sunday night.

The Chargers had 21,054 fans in their tidy new home for the first game of a three-year residency at 27,000-seat StubHub Center. The team moved 111 miles north into a stadium built for soccer, yet providing an undeniably intimate NFL experience for fans.

"The atmosphere was great," Gates said. "I really wasn't expecting a full house. I assumed that Seattle would bring their fans, and we would have some Los Angeles fans that would be there to support us. I was more anxious to see what we were about as a team."

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Rivers and his first-team offense were excellent, marching 75 yards in 13 plays capped by Gates' TD catch. Although many things are changing for the Chargers this season in LA, they've still got Rivers and Gates going into their 14th year as teammates.

"You're talking about countless hours and hard work and practicing with anticipation of certain looks," Gates said. "The balance we had that first drive, it was great to get off to the right start."

The rest of the night was more impressive for Seattle. The Chargers' revamped defense clearly has work to do under new coordinator Gus Bradley after giving up 459 yards to the Seahawks, whose reserves mostly got off to a stellar start.

"Really good first night for us in a lot of ways," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "It started off with the defense not getting off the field the way we like to see them do. After that, I think we played pretty good football, save one play or so."

Russell Wilson led the Seahawks to a field goal in his only drive with Seattle's first-team offense. The rest of Seattle's 34-point first half was a showcase for its backup defense, which forced three turnovers, and a solid second-team offense led by Trevone Boykin, who passed for 189 yards.

"He did beautifully," Carroll said. "Threw the ball really well. Moved well, made some plays with his feet. Just was in really good command of what was going on."

Terence Garvin returned a tipped interception 37 yards for a Seattle TD, and Chris Carson cashed in a 1-yard TD run after LA's Kellen Clemens fumbled a handoff with Andre Williams.

Clemens threw a 74-yard TD strike to speedy Travis Benjamin, but Rivers' backup also had two interceptions on deflected passes.

"We turned the ball over and put our defense in poor positions early," Anthony Lynn said after his first game as the Chargers' new coach. "I thought we started well. I didn't like it when the (second-stringers) came in. We stopped playing Charger football."

COZY CONFINES

StubHub Center appears to fulfill the Chargers' promise to provide a unique place to watch football. The smallest stadium in the NFL has exceptional sight lines and remarkable closeness to the field — and the Chargers Cannon is really loud when the home team scores.

"From a player's perspective, you want to have that home-field advantage type of feel," said LaDainian Tomlinson, the Chargers Hall of Famer and a special assistant to owner Dean Spanos. "The kind of Seattle feeling that they have, the 12th Man, trying to feel something similar for this place, I think it would be a success for everyone if that could happen."

BENNETT SITS

Defensive lineman Michael Bennett remained seated on the Seahawks' bench with a towel on his head during the national anthem. The Pro Bowler said he plans to sit all season. "I just wanted to be able to use my platform to be able to continue to speak over injustice," he said.

INJURIES

Chargers: Linebacker Denzel Perryman left the field on a cart after Los Angeles' first defensive series with a left ankle injury. The Chargers were crushed by injuries in each of the past two seasons, and Perryman is expected to call the plays as their starting middle linebacker this fall. He returned to the sideline in the second half on crutches with his foot in a walking boot. "I'm not sure how bad it is right now," Lynn said.

Seahawks: Safety Jordan Simone sprained his left knee on a kickoff return. Receiver Paul Richardson sprained his shoulder.

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Seattle Seahawks training camp capsule

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (11-6-1)

OPEN CAMP: July 30, Virginia Mason Athletic Center, Renton, Washington.

LAST YEAR: Won NFC West for fourth time under Pete Carroll and reached playoffs for fifth straight season, winning at least one game in each of those seasons. Quarterback Russell Wilson played through injuries, while key injuries to Earl Thomas and Tyler Lockett were critical in postseason. Seattle’s playoff run ended with 36-20 loss to Atlanta in divisional round that highlighted issues with offensive line running ball and protecting Wilson, and depth on defense.

IMPORTANT ADDITIONS: OL Luke Joeckel, RB Eddie Lacy, LB Michael Wilhoite, K Blair Walsh, OL Oday Aboushi, DB Bradley McDougald, rookies DL Malik McDowell, OL Ethan Pocic, CB Shaquill Griffin.

IMPORTANT LOSSES: K Steven Hauschka, LB Mike Morgan, OL Garry Gilliam, LB Brock Coyle.

CAMP NEEDS: CB Deshawn Shead suffered major knee injury in playoff loss to Atlanta, so Seattle needs to settle on starting cornerback opposite Richard Sherman, likely to be either Jeremy Lane or rookie Shaquill Griffin. How far along FS Thomas and WR Lockett are in recoveries from leg injuries will be closely watched early in camp. There’s also question of how carries will break down in backfield between Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise.

EXPECTATIONS: Anything less than playoff spot and being in Super Bowl conversation is now considered disappointment. Offseason was filled with drama surrounding CB Richard Sherman and whether it was time to rebuild elite defense that is getting older. But with standouts Sherman, Bobby Wagner and Wilson at quarterback, no reason to view Seattle as anything but favorite in NFC West.

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Seahawks must reunite after offseason Sherman drama

RENTON, Wash. -- As the heart of Seattle's offseason wound down in June, the Seattle Seahawks tried to put Band-Aids over any lingering issues surrounding offseason trade talks regarding star cornerback Richard Sherman.

Sherman and the Seahawks claimed there was plenty of communication both ways, and each side said they felt comfortable with the way things were handled. Teammates and coaches vouched for Sherman after multiple incidents late last season and into the spring when he criticized coaches and teammates.

Head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider insisted they were just doing their due diligence and listening to anything that came across their table. In any case, the Seahawks made it public knowledge they had received calls on Sherman's availability and said they had considered offers for the mercurial corner, despite having depth issues behind Sherman.

Now, they'll be put to the test with training camp opening to see whether they can put the offseason of uncertainty behind them.

The Seahawks and New England Patriots are the only teams in the league to have won at least one playoff game in each of the last five seasons. Seattle is a resilient team that has dealt with other issues internally and still managed to find success on the field. Additionally, Seattle didn't lose any significant free agents of note this offseason while adding a few strategic pieces in free agency and an 11-man draft class.

Seattle heads into training camp as the favorite to win the NFC West yet again. The Seahawks' roster remains the most talented in the division, and their track record of success is easy to point to in predicting their performance in 2017.

But what happens if the team struggles early? Will old fissures begin to emerge once again in the locker room? Will the team still be able to find ways to win?

The Seahawks have the talent to earn another trip to the Super Bowl. But for the first time in Carroll's tenure, it's a real question if he will be able to keep everything together.

TOP THREE TRAINING CAMP GOALS

--Stabilize the offensive line. The biggest area of weakness for Seattle a season ago was a young and inexperienced offensive line that was far too inconsistent for the offense to perform reliably. The team is hoping a year of experience will lead to a significant boost in performance across the group, with the additions of Luke Joeckel, Oday Aboushi and Ethan Pocic bringing competition and depth. The team has shuffled guys around, but the presumed starting unit returns mostly intact with Joeckel the only change.

--Find out what Eddie Lacy can bring. The Seahawks lamented the erosion of their rushing attack in the post-Marshawn Lynch era last season. The signing of Lacy was a direct response in an effort to bring a more punishing running style to the group. But Lacy was limited in the early stages of the offseason while recovering from ankle surgery and remains a relative unknown to Seattle.

--Develop young secondary pieces. The Seahawks used four of their 11 draft picks on members of the secondary. While Shaquill Griffin may be the only rookie that has a real chance to earn a starting role, all four will need to be significant contributors right away. Griffin, Tedric Thompson, Delano Hill and Mike Tyson will be core special teams pieces and key backups in the secondary. It's a talented, but inexperienced, group that faces a steep learning curve to be ready for Week 1.

PROJECTED CAMP DEPTH CHART

QUARTERBACKS: Starter -- Russell Wilson. Backups -- Trevone Boykin, Austin Davis.

RUNNING BACKS: Starters -- Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls. Backups -- C.J. Prosise, Alex Collins, Chris Carson, Mike Davis, FB Tre Madden, FB Algernon Brown, FB Kyle Coleman.

TIGHT ENDS: Starter -- Jimmy Graham. Backups -- Luke Willson, Nick Vannett, Marcus Lucas, Tyrone Swoopes, Steve Donatell.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters -- Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Tyler Lockett. Backups -- Paul Richardson, Amara Darboh, David Moore, Tanner McEvoy, Kenny Lawler, Kasen Williams, Rodney Smith, Cyril Grayson, J.D. McKissic, Darreus Rogers.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LT George Fant, LG Luke Joeckel, C Justin Britt, RG Mark Glowinski, RT Germain Ifedi. Backups -- G/T Rees Odhiambo, G/T Oday Aboushi, C Joey Hunt, G/T Ethan Pocic, C/G Will Pericak, T Justin Senior, G Jordon Roos, T Robert Myers.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LE Cliff Avril, DT Jarran Reed, NT Ahtyba Rubin, RE Michael Bennett. Backups -- DE Frank Clark, DE Malik McDowell, DE Cassius Marsh, DE Quinton Jefferson, DT Nazair Jones, DE Dion Jordan, DT Garrison Smith, DT Jeremy Liggins, DT Shaneil Jenkins, DE Tylor Harris, DE David Bass.

LINEBACKERS: Starters -- WLB K.J. Wright, MLB Bobby Wagner, SLB Michael Wilhoite. Backups -- OLB Terrence Garvin, MLB Arthur Brown, OLB Kevin Pierre-Louis, MLB Dewey McDonald, OLB Kache Palacio, OLB Otha Peters, OLB Ronald Powell, OLB Nick Usher.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters -- LCB Richard Sherman, RCB Jeremy Lane, FS Earl Thomas, SS Kam Chancellor. Backups -- CB DeShawn Shead, CB Shaquill Griffin, CB Mike Tyson, CB Neiko Thorpe, FS Bradley McDougald, FS Tedric Thompson, SS Delano Hill, CB DeAndre Elliott, CB Pierre Desir, CB Demetrius McCray, S Marcus Cromartie, S Jordan Simone.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K Blair Walsh, P Jon Ryan, LS Nolan Frese, LS Tyler Ott, KOR/PR Tyler Lockett.