Seahawks, Chiefs can't get offenses off the ground
Chiefs coach Andy Reid insists he has a handle on who will start along the offensive line when Kansas City opens the regular season, assuming a couple guys get healthy.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll? He remains decidedly noncommittal about his own.
Alex Smith threw for 81 yards and a touchdown behind a hodgepodge bunch of blockers — and also tossed an interception that was returned for a touchdown — as Kansas City beat Seattle 14-13 in their preseason game Friday night.
"You know what? For being a makeshift group, I thought they were OK," Reid said of his line, which was missing left tackle Eric Fisher to an ankle injury and right guard Jeff Allen to a knee sprain. "They tightened up a little bit and got better."
Meanwhile, the Seahawks turned over three of their five starters on the offensive line from their preseason loss to Denver, and the result was some patchy protection for Russell Wilson. He finished 9 of 15 for 78 yards, most of that coming on three completions to Jimmy Graham.
"We've got some stuff to clean up," Carroll said.
The play of the game from Seattle's perspective was Bobby Wagner's interception, which he returned 25 yards for a touchdown that gave the Seahawks a 10-7 halftime lead.
"I just sat back and read his eyes," said Wagner, who scored his first touchdown since he was a high school tight end. "I've never had a pick-six in my life. It felt amazing."
Chase Daniel led the Chiefs (2-0) on an 86-yard go-ahead drive to open the second half, hitting tight end James O'Shaughnessy from 1 yard for the score. The backup QB has been sharp in two preseason games, throwing four TD passes without an interception.
R.J. Archer played better than he did last week for the Seahawks (0-2), who lost regular backup Tarvaris Jackson to a high ankle sprain in a loss to Denver. But Archer was unable to move his team into range of a winning field goal in the final minutes Friday night.
"I was pleased with the intensity of the running and the hitting across the board," Carroll said. "A ton of good things happened. I can't wait to see the films."
OFFENSIVE LINES
Seahawks: C Drew Nowak, LG Justin Britt and RT Garry Gilliam were new to the lineup from the preseason opener, joining LT Russell Okung and RG J.R. Sweezy. They performed better as the game wore on, though Gilliam had his hands full with All-Pro pass rusher Justin Houston. "I heard he was pretty good," Gilliam said, "so I thought it was going to be a pretty steep learning curve."
Chiefs: LT Eric Fisher (high ankle sprain) and RG Jeff Allen (knee sprain) did not dress, nor did their replacements fare well. Paul Fanaika started at tackle and was consistently pushed off the line of scrimmage, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff was manhandled at his guard spot.
MISSING STARS
Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch made the trip but did not play, while S Kam Chancellor was again absent as his holdout continues. The Chiefs used RB Jamaal Charles sparingly as they try to keep his workload down in the preseason.
ROOKIE WATCH
Seahawks: WR Tyler Lockett made a nice catch while working with the first team, but was bottled up in the return game. Lockett played at Kansas State, a short drive down Interstate 70.
Chiefs: CB Marcus Peters, the No. 18 overall pick, had a solid home debut. C Mitch Morse, drafted in the second round, struggled to deal with Seattle's starting interior line.
INJURY UPDATE
Seahawks: CB Earl Thomas, who had shoulder surgery in February, was among many Seahawks who did not dress for the game. Thomas returned to practice Tuesday.
Chiefs: LB Dee Ford was leveled by Seahawks RB Christine Michael in the second quarter. Reid said after the game that Ford may have a fractured rib.
FLAG DAY
The Seahawks were penalized 11 times for 105 yards, while Kansas City's offense only managed 238 yards. "That's a good way to lose a football game," Carroll said.
QUOTABLE
"The ride to the stadium, smelling the barbecue, seeing the fans waving — I made sure I had my windows rolled down so I could take it all in. I went extra slow." — Chiefs safety Eric Berry, who played at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since he was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma last December. Berry was deemed cancer-free in June after several rounds of chemotherapy.
