Game 14: Seattle 24, San Diego 16

Seattle starts the game on offense. The game is apparently held up momentarily so Andrea Kremer can complete an interview with LaDainian, who won't even play tonight. Glory TV!

Hey, Shaun Alexander played. Well, took a couple of handoffs, anyway. A Hasselbeck pass is tipped and hauled in by the guard, Rob Sims, who fairly sprints off with it for a 16-yard gain. Largest. Receiver. Ever. Hasselbeck's luck continues when Drayton Florence's INT is called back by, well, Drayton Florence's defensive holding penalty. Hasselbeck gets plenty of time to find Deion Branch beating Quentin Jammer for a 31-yard TD. 7-0 Seattle. That's how you want to start the preseason if you're Seattle.

Michael Turner starting at tailback for San Diego. Philip Rivers abuses Brian Russell a couple of times for 30 yards. Holding and a false start slow the Chargers down, and Leroy Hill comes in on Rivers untouched for an 8-yard sack. On 3rd-and-17, Darren Sproles nearly got the first down on a screen. But on 4th-and-1, the Seahawks stuff Lorenzo Neal.

Seneca Wallace at QB, Maurice Morris at TB for Seattle. Morris tears off for 13 to open the drive but that's about it. Wallace dumps off incomplete on a 3rd down, and Ryan Plackemeier sort-of pins the Chargers at the 15 with a short punt.

Turner nearly breaks away with a run that goes for 10. On a 2nd down, Chuck Darby gets to Rivers easily for a 7-yard sack. Seattle is getting through to the QB pretty easily. The Chargers surprise Seattle on the next play with a draw to Sproles, who gets 23. I like that little guy. San Diego crosses midfield on a Malcom Floyd reception as the quarter expires. 7-0, Seattle.

Craig Davis opens the 2nd quarter by fumbling an end-around back across midfield. Vincent Jackson isn't having the greatest of games, despite being regarded by many as one of this year's prime fantasy football sleepers. He committed the holding penalty in the 1st, and now he fumbles the ball back to Seattle, though Humgrum had to win a replay challenge first.

Doesn't take long for Wallace to give the ball back, as he throws a TERRIBLE lob pass that's picked off by rookie Eric Weddle. You probably heard most of Seattle shout, What the hell was he doing? on that one.

Billy Volek at QB. Sproles appears to be the #3 tailback as well as the 3rd-down back. After crossing midfield, Volek gets sacked back-to-back, once by Russell Davis, once by Darryl Tapp, who pounds Volek to force a fumble that's recovered by Davis.

This is shades of last year's Seattle-San Diego preseason game, in which I believe the first 37 points were scored off of turnovers. Tonight's game has the turnovers without all the uninteresting stuff like scoring.

I no sooner than have that last bit typed out when Wallace FUMBLES THE BALL BACK at the end of a scramble. Seattle deserves more credit than they get for winning the division last year with this joker starting 5 games.

The Chargers don't cash that in, with Andrew Pinnock failing to corral a 3rd-and-2 pass. Chargers don't go for it this time, either, but pin the Seahawks inside the 10 with the punt.

New tailback for Seattle is Leonard Weaver. Wallace gets them out of the hole with a 40-yard pass to a wide-open Ben Obomanu. The Chargers hold there, though. Carlos Polk stops Wallace short on a 3rd-and-3 scramble, and Derrek Robinson trips him up on 4th down to give the Chargers the ball back near midfield. It looked like that play was going to be a pass.

Volek looks sharp, completing 3-of-3 for 50 yards, two to Malcom Floyd, the second a 14-yard bullet TD pass. Game tied at 7.

Seneca Wallace's drives tonight, including the one that just ended with 1:22 left: punt, interception, fumble, lost on downs, punt.

Sproles gets 20 more on a draw out of the shotgun, but the Chargers essentially run out of time before the half. 7-7 at halftime. A lineman having a rough night despite having one of my favorite names in football is Cory Lekkerkerker, who has a false start and gave up a couple of the sacks this half.

Malcom Floyd is having a big night. With his last catch for 18, he's now 5-63 with the TD. TE Scott Chandler follows that up with a 24-yard catch over the middle. This leads to a Nate Kaeding FG; 10-7, San Diego.

Ah, preseason. Josh Wilson fumbles the kickoff return back to San Diego, putting them in business at the Seattle 28. Not much happens from there, though. Kevin Bentley helps keep San Diego out of the end zone with a tackle and a pass defense against Pinnock. Chargers settle for Kaeding's 2nd FG to make it 13-7.

Wallace still in for the Seahawks, who don't do much with this possession. They get their second catch of the night by an offensive lineman when Tom Ashworth collects a tipped pass for a loss of two. Six possessions and Wallace has failed to move the offense.

Charlie Whitehurst at QB for San Diego. Running back is Tyronne Gross from Eastern Oregon State, which I figure must hold classes inside trees. Whitehurst moves the Chargers well until Tapp hammers him for his second sack of the game. Kaeding opens the 4th quarter with his 3rd FG, a 50-yarder. 16-7, San Diego.

FINALLY a good drive by Wallace, who hits Obamanu three times, the third a pretty one-handed catch deep in the end zone for a 17-yard TD. Obamanu's 5-83 with the TD, and the Seahawks have themselves a player there. 16-14 San Diego.

Three-and-out for the Chargers with Whitehurst being hit while he throws on 3rd down for an incompletion. Obamanu brings the punt back 22 yards to keep Seattle out of a hole. If momentum can be said to have switched during a preseason game, it definitely has.

Three straight passes from Wallace to Chris Jones for 41 yards put Seattle near the Charger red zone. At which point Wallace throws three straight incompletes. What's this --- Josh Brown MISSES a clutch FG? Bah, the Chargers had 12 men on the field. Idiots! Brown hits the do-over from 36 to give Seattle the lead, 17-16.

Whitehurst is 0-for-his-last-5 after a three-incompletion 3-and-out. Not looking good for the Chargers. Good rush from Brandon Mebane forced the first throwaway.

Seahawks appear to score the coup de grace, burning 5 minutes, two San Diego timeouts and the two-minute warning off the clock on a TD drive that puts them ahead 24-16. They convert three third downs, two of them on passes from Wallace to Logan Payne. Marquis Weeks finishes it off with a nifty 21-yard run and a 6-yard TD stroll.

The Chargers try to dink and dunk their way back into it in the final 2:00, and get to the Seahawk 26, but CJ Wallace picks off an attempted TD pass to stick the proverbial fork in it.

Seneca Wallace (still in there!) kneels to end it and Seattle wins 24-16.

Seahawks have to be happy with their start, even though that opening TD required a certain amount of luck. Wallace overcame a lousy start to look semi-competent by the end of the game. They got a strong pass rush going against a normally-solid San Diego offensive line. Ben Obamanu looks like the real deal.

Kind of a sloppy game for San Diego, but Darren Sproles is going to prove quite a weapon for them, even if it's just returning kicks. For all the talk about Vincent Jackson, it sure looks like Malcom Floyd is their top WR. Eric Weddle looked good at safety, and Kaeding was solid kicking. You could do a lot
worse than him in the 15th round of your fantasy draft.

Up next: probably Broncos-49ers from Monday night.