SEATTLE — Despite being on Seattle's roster for more than a year, Drew Lock had never taken a snap at his home stadium in a Seahawks uniform until Thursday night.
Lock threw a pair of touchdown passes, the second a 19-yard strike to Jake Bobo late in the third quarter, and the Seahawks beat the Minnesota Vikings 24-13 on Thursday night in the preseason opener for both teams.
With starting quarterback Geno Smith serving as a spectator — along with most of the starters for both teams — Lock showed that the Seahawks should feel comfortable about their backup.
“He needs to play football games, he sat around all last year," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "This formula of getting three quarters is just great for him.”
Lock completed 17 of 24 passes for 191 yards. His one mistake was a tipped pass intercepted by Minnesota’s Jaylin Williams in the third quarter. Lock threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Easop Winston Jr. in the first half, and gave Seattle a 17-13 lead by hitting Bobo in the final seconds of the third quarter. Bobo badly beat Andrew Booth Jr. off the line of scrimmage and hauled in pass near the goal line.
Lock missed Seattle's one home preseason game last season after testing positive for COVID-19, a game he was scheduled to start. He never saw the field during the regular season with Smith taking every snap.
“Never walked out there in a Seahawks uniform and played a snap. Had a blast," Lock said. said. "Overall, it felt great just to play football again. It's weird when you go a whole year without taking a snap."
Bobo has impressed during training camp and could be the latest undrafted rookie wide receiver to earn a spot on Seattle’s roster.
Third-string QB Holton Ahlers added a 30-yard TD pass to Matt Landers in the fourth quarter.
Nick Mullens played a solid first half for the Vikings, solidifying his spot as Kirk Cousins' backup. Mullens completed 14 of 20 passes for 139 yards and a 4-yard touchdown toss to tight end Nick Muse, who made a terrific leaping catch over Seattle cornerback Tre Brown. Mullens led a pair of scoring drives, and Greg Joseph hit field goals of 26 and 54 yards. Joseph was just 4 of 10 on kicks from 50 or more yards last season and is getting pushed with rookie Jack Podlesny from Georgia in camp.
“It's fun first of all just being able to command an offense and step into a huddle with the guys,” Mullens said.
Minnesota coach Kevin O'Connell said he was also impressed with running back Ty Chandler, who had 11 carries for 41 yards and four receptions for 29 yards.
“I really wanted to see Ty and see what he can handle as far as all the phases of our offense,” O'Connell said. “Calling plays for him here and there in the first half I found myself wanting to get him touches and that’s always a good thing.”
Only a handful of starters played for either team.
Seattle played center Evan Brown and right guard Phil Haynes on offense, and linebacker Devin Bush, edge rusher Boye Mafe and cornerback Michael Jackson on defense. All five were out of the game well before halftime.
“We had some poor tackling early on but there's always going to be stuff to clean up. It’s early in camp,” Bush said.
The Vikings gave nose tackle Khyiris Tonga and cornerback Akayleb Evans some time on defense, while right guard Ed Ingram was the only offensive starter to get some reps.
ROOKIE WATCH
Minnesota wide receiver Jordan Addison was one of the players to flash for the Vikings, even though he had only one catch. The first-round pick out of Southern California had a 22-yard reception for his only official grab, but it was a catch that didn’t count that stole the highlights. Addison caught a pass along the sideline in the first quarter that was ruled incomplete. But television replays showed Addison made a spectacular grab and dragged his toes. The catch should have been ruled complete, but the Vikings opted not to challenge.
Seattle first-rounder Jaxson Smith-Njigba had three receptions for 25 yards in his preseason debut. While not listed as a starter, Smith-Njigba is expected to see significant playing time as the No. 3 receiver in Seattle’s offense.
INJURIES
Seattle wide receiver Cade Johnson was taken to a hospital during halftime after suffering a concussion. Johnson was placed on a backboard as a precaution and transported to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation of head and neck injuries. Carroll said after the game that Johnson had suffered a concussion, but early tests showed no other findings beyond that.
UP NEXT
Vikings: Host Tennessee on Saturday, Aug. 19.
Seahawks: Host Dallas on Saturday, Aug. 19.
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