Seahawks hold off Raiders 17-15 to finish preseason with 3-1 record

With 1:43 left to play in the final game of the NFL preseason, the Oakland Raiders tried the unspeakable: They went for a two-point conversion after scoring a touchdown and cutting the Seahawks lead to two points.

Seahawks 17, Raiders 15: Photo gallery | Stats

They got what was coming to them for making overtime in an exhibition game a possibility. Seattle’s Branden Jackson got to Oakland quarterback Nathan Peterman for a sack – a play that should earn Jackson Preseason MVP honors, an award which unfortunately does not exist – making sure the Raiders would not benefit from their careless decision.

The important thing, however, is that the Seahawks won 17-15 on a rainy night on their home field, finishing the preseason with a 3-1 record and going into Saturday’s roster cutdown deadline with a lot to think about.

Here’s a quarter-by-quarter look at the game’s events.

First quarter

Seahawks 7, Raiders 3

With the Seahawks sitting 31 players, as general manager John Schneider said was the case during his usual pregame interview on 710 ESPN Seattle, the final preseason game was all about settling the position battles that have yet to be determined before Saturday’s deadline to cut down NFL rosters to 53 players.

As far as that goes, Geno Smith wasted no time putting his best foot forward in the hopes of winning the backup quarterback job over Paxton Lynch. On the first offensive series of the game, Smith led the Seahawks on a five-play, 73-yard touchdown drive – in the rain, no less. The highlight of the drive was the touchdown itself, a beautifully-thrown ball from Smith to wide receiver Terry Wright for 39 yards.

Geno Smith droppin' in a beautiful ball for 6 👌

(via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/S8UhGEZsrm

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 30, 2019

On defense, rookie linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, a UW Huskies product, had the big play for the Seahawks on the final play of the quarter, sacking Oakland quarterback Mike Glennon for a loss of 9 on a fourth-and-goal play at the 1 and preserving Seattle’s 7-3 advantage.

SEA – Terry Wright 39 pass from Geno Smith, 12:23 (Jason Myers kick, 7-0 SEA)
OAK – Daniel Carlson 49 FG, 8:11 (7-3 SEA)

Second quarter

Seahawks 14, Raiders 6

Smith continued to have a nice showing until he gave his team a bit of a scare. He had to come out of the game after being tackled, and the same left knee that needed surgery earlier in the month to remove a cyst appeared to be the issue. Smith didn’t have to go back to the locker room, however, so he may have dodged a bullet.

On the scoreboard, the Seahawks built on their lead with tight end Jacob Hollister coming up with an 11-yard touchdown catch from Smith in traffic. Hollister is one of a handful of offensive players on the bubble that had some impressive plays in the second quarter. Wide receiver Jazz Ferguson also provided some excitement by getting up to haul down a 41-yard reception, while running back C.J. Prosise reeled off a 30-yard rush.

The Seahawks showed up on special teams, too, getting enough pressure on Oakland kicker Daniel Carlson’s 42-yard field goal attempt to get him to hit the crossbar. Carlson got another opportunity at the end of the quarter, however, and he converted on a chip shot to cut Seattle’s lead to 14-6.

SEA – Jacob Hollister 11 pass from Smith, 8:15 (Myers kick, 14-3 SEA)
OAK – Carlson 20 FG, :00 (14-6 SEA)

Third quarter

Seahawks 14, Raiders 9

Does it get any better than third quarter of the fourth game of the NFL preseason?

Yes. It absolutely does.

Rather than go off on a rant about the meaninglessness of the 15 minutes of game time that transpired after halftime, here are the few notable things that happened in the third frame at CenturyLink Field.

• Paxton Lynch nearly threw an interception, which certainly didn’t help his chances already as a long-shot to beat Smith for the Seahawks’ backup QB job.

• The Seahawks did not score.

• Oakland made a third field goal.

• And in one moment of excitement, Seattle cornerback Akeem King got to Oakland QB Nathan Peterman for a sack just as Peterman was about to throw. The fumble was recovered by Bryan Mone, but I’m not going to tell you which team Mone plays for because I think it would be fun to test your knowledge of late-preseason rosters.

OAK – Carlson 23 FG, 3:08 (14-9 SEA)

Fourth quarter

Seahawks 17, Raiders 15

Pro Bowl kicker Jason Myers opened the quarter with a 40-yard field goal, pushing Seattle’s lead back to eight points. Oakland made one last run at evening the score, finding the end zone inside the two-minute warning on a 3-yard James Butler run. But Oakland committed a false start on their first attempt at a two-point conversion, and Seattle’s Branden Jackson sacked Peterman on the next attempt to seal the win for the Seahawks.

SEA – Myers 40 FG, 15:00 (17-9 SEA)
OAK – James Butler 3 run, 1:43 (run failed, 17-15 SEA)

Seahawks could make a different splash instead of trading for Clowney

Follow @BrentStecker