KANSAS CITY – This was the night that the Seahawks starters were going to play into the second half for the only time in the preseason.
They made sure it was a good night.
Not to be outdone, the defense then flexed its prowess by forcing a three-and-out, as defensive end
Faster than the coaches could say that’s exactly how we would have drawn it up, the starters called it an evening – and, basically, a preseason because the backups will play most of Thursday night’s finale against the Oakland Raiders at Qwest Field.
The rally lifted the Seahawks to 3-0, and the way they did it gave coach Jim Mora a lift.
“The most positive thing for us as football team was coming on the road, facing some early adversity and coming back and winning,” Mora said. “You’re never happy to see an interception return for a touchdown, but I was happy to see the way our team reacted.”
The early adversity came when Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers intercepted a Hasselbeck pass that was tipped and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown on the Seahawks’ second play of the game.
After that, however, the Seahawks outscored the Chiefs 14-3, as Hasselbeck also passed 8 yards to
Hasselbeck finished 19 of 25 for 216 yards and a 111.4 passer rating, while Carlson (68 yards) and Houshmandzadeh (60 yards) each caught five passes.
Both teams should have scored more points, but the usually sure-footed
Needless to say, neither Mare nor Coutu did anything to help decide which one will end up as the Seahawks’ kicker this season.
“That decision will go right down to the wire,” Mora said.
The Seahawks’ drive to Hasselbeck’s second touchdown pass almost resembled a training-camp practice, as he hooked up three times with Carlson.
Hasselbeck actually looked to Houshmandzadeh first. But when the Chiefs safety took a half step toward him, Hasselbeck went instead to Carlson.
“He’s earned it,” Hasselbeck said of his tight end, who had been the team’s best and most consistent player in training camp. “John practiced really hard all summer, and he really made a nice effort to get into the end zone.”
Especially when that pass play proved to be the game winner.
But the defense also did its part. First came the three-and-out by the No. 1 unit on the Chiefs first possession of the second half.
“It was nice,” strong safety
Well, almost perfect.
“It was nice, but I wanted to play a little longer,” said Tatupu, who had four solo tackles to share team-high honors with Grant.
But the Seahawks also needed some big plays from their backups to ice the deal.
After the Chiefs had moved from their own 18-yard line to the Seahawks 39 with less than two minutes left in the game, defensive ends Derrick Walker and 
The Seahawks finished with four sacks, including one by defensive tackle
The Seahawks also ran the ball better than they had in wins over the San Diego Chargers, as
Still not what the coaches are expecting, but the progress they were hoping to see in the third preseason game.
That, and what they were able to get from the No. 1 offense and defense to start the second half.
“I wish we could have started the game like that,” Mora said. “But what I liked was the way we responded to adversity on the road.”
