Sam Howell threw for 130 yards and a touchdown in his first game with Seattle, and the Seahawks won their preseason opener under Mike Macdonald, beating the Chargers 16-3 on Saturday. This game was also coach Jim Harbaugh’s first with Los Angeles.
Howell, who joined the team from Washington during the offseason, led two scoring drives in the second quarter. He completed 16 of 27 passes in 10 series and played until a little past halfway through the third quarter.
“Offensively, did some good things. Could have scored a little more points, I thought. Would have liked to finish that drive there early in the third quarter,” Howell said.
Seattle quarterback Geno Smith did not play because he missed practice last week due to knee and hip issues. Wide receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and running back Kenneth Walker III, were also among the Seahawks offensive starters who did not play.
“I thought our operation was clean for the most part,” Macdonald said. “Got a bunch of notes written down as the game kind of unfolds, things we’re gonna want to chase and debrief on, but I’d say it’s a foundational first game. It’s something we want to build on.”
The Seahawks were able to move the ball, but the Chargers had a hard time. They went three and out and gained only 21 yards on their first six offensive drives with Easton Stick at quarterback.
Stick, who has been taking most of the first-team snaps recently with Justin Herbert out due to a foot injury, was 5 of 13 for 32 yards and an interception in his eight series of work during the first half.
Stick used one word to sum up his performance — “frustrating.”
“I think it’s always a combination of things, but just not executing at a high enough level to move the football. And that starts and ends with me,” said Stick, who is in his sixth season.
Apart from Herbert, and running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards, the rest of the starting offense got some playing time. With Herbert’s injury status still unknown, it should be an interesting couple of weeks for Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL after leading Michigan to a national championship last season.
“There’s work to be done. A lot of work to be done,” Harbaugh said. “Now we’ve begun, which is a positive. Offensively there were some good things, but not enough.”
Howell — who started all 17 games for the Commanders last season — started the scoring with a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brady Russell with 12:27 left in the first half. Russell caught the ball at the Los Angeles 10-yard line and avoided a tackle attempt by Chargers linebacker Nick Niemann before reaching the end zone.
“I was kind of just expecting to get the first down, but it’s great when you got a guy who can run after the catch and make guys miss,” Howell said. “Brady’s had a really good camp, and he’s doing a great job. Every time he’s in there, I’m gonna try to keep finding him for sure.”
Seattle added to its lead on the next series after Coby Bryant intercepted Stick on a pass down the middle. George Holani ran off right end from 11 yards out to make it 13-0. Jason Myers missed the extra-point attempt.
Stick gave the Chargers their first down on an 11-yard run with five minutes left in the first half. Then he completed a 15-yard pass to tight end Stone Smartt to the Seahawks’ 40-yard line.
The drive ended, but Cameron Dicker put the Chargers on the board with a 58-yard field goal. If it had been a regular-season game, it would be the second-longest kick in franchise history.
Myers scored the only points of the second half with a 47-yard field goal with 4:41 left in the fourth quarter.
