Offense struggles again as Seahawks lose 14-13 to Chiefs

KANSAS CITY – The Seahawks never did get much of a push.

Not in the first quarter when Seattle managed three punts and no points. Not in a first half in which Seattle didn’t run a play inside the Kansas City 20. And not even in the fourth quarter when third-string quarterback R.J. Archer had Seattle in Kansas City’s half of the field, trailing 14-13 with less than 5 minutes remaining before being forced to punt.

The 14-13 loss at Arrowhead Stadium isn’t that big of a deal. This is the preseason after all.

It was the way Seattle lost that was at least a little concerning. The defense scored Seattle’s only touchdown of the game, and they did it in spite of missing 11 members of its secondary, including All-Pros Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, not to mention holdout Kam Chancellor.

The offense was entirely underwhelming and the offensive line particularly unnerving, and after Seattle’s offense has scored a total of one touchdown in eight quarters of preseason play the rest of this weekend will be spent wondering if guard Evan Mathis, formerly of Philadelphia, should be added.

Mathis was reportedly in Seattle on Friday night, scheduled to meet with the Seahawks on Saturday. Seattle is interested, too, but only at a certain price. The question is whether Mathis is using the threat of signing with Seattle as leverage to wring more money out of another suitor as Jared Allen did before signing with Chicago last year, or if the former Pro Bowl guard – who was scheduled to make $5.5 million in 2015 before Philadelphia cut him – would play for the Seahawks at a significantly lower price.

Coach Pete Carroll was asked about the inquiry into Mathis after the game, but said only that Mathis was coming in for a physical examination.

Seattle started a reshuffled offensive line in Kansas City, Justin Britt moving to left guard after starting every game at right tackle last season, Drew Nowak at center and Garry Gilliam at right tackle.

On the positive side, Seattle’s quarterbacks weren’t sacked in the first three quarters. That constituted progress after last week’s preseason opener in which the Seahawks quarterbacks were beaten with a regularity usually reserved for dead horses and pinatas. All three Seattle QBs were sacked and backup Tarvaris Jackson was injured.

On the other hand, the Seahawks’ first three possessions yielded three punts and no points, and Seattle didn’t run a play inside the Kansas City 20 in the first half.

In fact, the Seahawks’ best scoring position turned out to be when the Chiefs had the ball on their own 20 with just under 3 minutes left in the first half. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith looked outside to receiver Jason Avant, never seeing middle linebacker Bobby Wagner running in front of Avant to not only pick off the pass but run 25 yards untouched into the end zone.

That gave Seattle’s defense as many touchdowns as its offense through the first six quarters of the preseason, each scoring one apiece.

Seattle’s defense was pretty darn good in fact despite the fact that seven of the team’s 10 cornerbacks were not in uniform for the game. In fact, Seattle was so thin that DeShawn Shead – who started at strong safety in the preseason opener – played the first three quarters at left cornerback.

And while the Seahawks gave up two touchdown passes, the first to receiver Jeremy Maclin in the second quarter and then to tight end James O’Shaughnessy in the third quarter, the story of this game for Seattle was its offense. Or more accurately, its lack thereof.

Seattle’s offense gained 39 yards in the first half. The Seahawks’ fourth drive alone covered 59 yards, but Seattle never got closer than the Kansas City 21 and had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka.

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