Seahawks starters look sharp in limited action, Seattle tops Dallas 22-14

Updated Aug. 20, 2023 2:22 a.m. ET

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SEATTLE (AP) — Geno Smith looked sharp in his two drives, Drew Lock led Seattle to a pair of second-quarter touchdowns, and the Seahawks beat the Dallas Cowboys 22-14 on Saturday night.

Seattle (2-0) gave a number of its starters on both sides of the ball a little bit of playing time in the second week of the preseason, while Dallas (0-2) left the majority of its starters on the sideline as spectators yet again.

“Really pleased with the overall feeling of the game from start to finish,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “We got the (starters) a little bit of work, you know selective (starters) played on both sides of the ball and got enough to just get them out there.”

Smith had two drives behind his starting offensive line and the second possession ended in a 57-yard field goal from Jason Myers. Smith was 5 of 6 for 46 yards in his limited action.

Lock took over in the second quarter and continued to show the Seahawks would be in good hands if they need their backup. Lock was 5 of 6 for 119 yards, including a 48-yard strike to first-rounder Jaxon Smith-Njigba that set up DeeJay Dallas’ 1-yard TD run.

SaRodorick Thompson also rushed for a 1-yard touchdown and Seattle led 17-7 at halftime. Lock played just a couple of series and appeared a little gimpy after taking a low hit from Sam Williams that drew a roughing penalty.

Carroll said the plan was to play Lock more, but the team was cautious. Lock said he expects to be fine.

“I wanted to show that tonight to not only the coaches but the team that I'm going to be ready at all times,” Lock said.

Dak Prescott’s backup, Cooper Rush, played into the second quarter and was 9 of 14 for 96 yards and threw a 6-yard touchdown to running back Rico Dowdle. Deuce Vaughn continued to show his electric elusiveness, scampering 14 yards for a touchdown the first time he touched the ball early in the third quarter to pull Dallas within 17-14.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said the young crew of running backs would be closely watched in the preseason finale.

“We got to make sure we get a really good evaluation particularly this upcoming week against the Raiders because this young group has a chance to be pretty good,” McCarthy said.

But Dallas would get no closer. Will Grier was 13 of 18 for 136 yards, but was intercepted at the goal line by Seattle’s Tre Brown two plays into the fourth quarter. Brown got extensive play time after major injuries left him sidelined for most of the past two seasons. Grier also took a 20-yard sack on fourth-and-3 at the Seattle 28 inside the final two minutes.

“When I threw the ball I thought it was a touchdown to be honest. Just weren't on the same page with the receiver. I thought I played great,” Grier said.

Backup Seattle wide receiver John Hall also blocked a Dallas punt for a safety.

The two teams will see each other later in the season on a Thursday night in late November in Texas. Seattle coach Pete Carroll said if the Cowboys were an opponent earlier in the season, playing them in the preseason would be problematic, but wasn't concerned with the regular season game not happening until Week 13.

INJURIES

Dallas may have suffered a significant loss with rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown leaving in the first quarter with a left knee injury. Overshown was hurt making a tackle on Seattle’s Zach Charbonnet and walked off the field under his own power before riding a cart to the locker room. Overshown was a third-round pick out of Texas.

Offensive tackle Matt Waletzko (shoulder), TE John Stephens (knee) and S Sheldrick Redwine (hamstring) also didn’t return.

“We had a couple young guys go down and you just say your prayers and hopefully the imaging points in the right direction,” McCarthy said.

BAD PENALTY

Dallas S Juanyeh Thomas was called for taunting after Seattle went three-and-out on its first offensive possession of the second quarter. The penalty kept the drive alive and the long connection from Lock to Smith-Njigba set up DeeJay Dallas' short TD run.

MOMENT OF SILENCE

Seattle held a moment of silence before kickoff for Alex Collins, a former running back for the Seahawks and Ravens who was killed this week in a motorcycle accident. Collins was a fifth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2016 and spent parts of the 2016, 2020 and 2021 seasons with Seattle. Collins was 28.

UP NEXT

Cowboys: Dallas wraps up the preseason next Saturday hosting Las Vegas.

Seahawks: Seattle will close out the preseason next Saturday at Green Bay.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

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