Halftime Observations: Sam Howell, Seattle Seahawks Build 13-3 Advantage

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Kicking off the Mike Macdonald era with a solid start, the Seattle Seahawks scored a pair of touchdowns to build a 13-3 advantage at halftime over the Los Angeles Chargers in their preseason opener.

Making the start under center in place of Geno Smith, who Seattle opted not to play, Sam Howell only completed 10 out of 20 passes for 60 yards, but he didn’t have any turnovers and connected with tight end Brady Russell for a 13-yard touchdown to open the scoring at the 13:27 mark in the second quarter. Moments later, following an interception by safety Coby Bryant, undrafted rookie running back George Holani bounced a run outside to his ride to scamper for an 11-yard touchdown run to extend the lead.

Standing out for the offense, which only mustered 3.4 yards per play for the half but finished both red zone visits with a touchdown, Kenny McIntosh led the Seahawks with 40 rushing yards on eight carries, while Howell and undrafted rookie Kobe Lewis each ran for 17 yards on four carries apiece. Dareke Young paced Seattle’s receiving corps with two catches for 18 yards and Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught a pair of passes for 13 yards

While the Seahawks were anything but explosive in the first half, they were efficient sustaining drives, as Howell and company converted seven out of 12 third downs to move the chains.

Defensively, Macdonald had to be thrilled by the effort Seattle’s defense gave in the first two quarters, holding Los Angeles to just three first downs, 71 total yards, and no third down conversions on seven attempts. Linebacker Jon Rhattigan and edge rusher Derick Hall each registered a sack on quarterback Easton Stick, while first-round pick Byron Murphy crashed into the backfield for a tackle for loss and also added two pressures as a pass rusher.

On special teams, Laviska Shenault exploded for a 44-yard return on Seattle’s lone kickoff return, providing some excitement about what the new rules adopted for the NFL could mean for a play that had become near non-existent in recent years.