Rapid Reaction: Geno Smith, Boye Mafe Shine in Seahawks' Annual Mock Game
Conducting their first dress rehearsal one week before kicking off the preseason, the Seattle Seahawks' starters held on for a 20-17 win over the reserves in their annual mock game scrimmage at Lumen Field on Friday.
Playing well in his first game action of the year, Geno Smith threw for 171 yards in a half of action before giving way to Drew Lock and undrafted rookie Holton Ahlers, who each threw touchdown passes in the final quarter of play. Jake Bobo led all receivers with seven receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Dre'Mont Jones and Boye Mafe each recorded a sack.
Here are five quick takeaways from Seattle's mock game and injury updates on several players coming out of the rehearsal:
1. Led by the accurate Smith, Seattle's first-team offense came out guns blazing and scored each of first three drives.
Picking up from where he left off winning Comeback Player of the Year last season, Smith promptly marched Seattle's first-team offense downfield with a pair of explosive passes. First, after narrowly missing Metcalf on a downfield bomb just one snap prior, he connected with the star receiver on a post route after he sprinted past safety Coby Bryant for a 40-plus yard completion. On the very next play, he hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba down the seam to inside the opposing 10-yard line, setting up Dallas' short touchdown run.
Though Seattle wasn't near as efficient over the next two drives, Smith remained poised in the pocket, weathering numerous penalties that set the offense back to convert multiple third down opportunities, including a third and long hook up with Cody Thompson for a new set of downs. Overcoming a trio of pass breakups by veteran cornerback Artie Burns, he helped led the offense into scoring position for two Jason Myers field goals before halftime to give the starters a 17-3 advantage. He completed 10 out of 15 passes with no turnovers, turning in a strong first tune-up for the new season.
2. Mafe looked every bit like the most improved player on either side of the ball for the Seahawks.
Following Thursday's practice heading into the mock game, coach Pete Carroll gushed about Mafe's progress, calling the second-year edge rusher the "most improved" player on the team early in camp. Such praise may seem lofty, but the former Minnesota standout has been a frequent backfield visitor throughout camp and continued to terrorize Seattle's second-string offensive line as a starter opposite of Uchenna Nwosu on Friday night.
On Seattle's second defensive drive for the first team, following back to back minimal gains in the run game, Lock dropped back to scan the field and immediately felt pressure collapsing down on him. Tucking and running, he escaped the pocket and scrambled for a 12-yard run that would have moved the chains. But rookie guard Anthony Bradford allowed the run to happen by tackling Mafe, who smoked him with a hard slant inside and would have had an easy sack opportunity without a blatant holding penalty that negated the first down.
Shortly before halftime, Mafe struck again, this time blowing by Greg Eiland on a speed rush and tightly bending the corner. Though he admitted after the scrimmage that he wasn't supposed to touch the quarterback and the turnover was an "accident," he instinctively swiped the ball out of Lock's hands as he ran by him and defensive tackle Jarran Reed recovered the fumble, setting up a field goal by Myers as time expired before the half.
3. Undone by sloppy play and iffy blocking, Lock and the second-team offense were stifled most of the evening.
As should be expected, with the second-string offensive line protecting him against Seattle's starting defense, Lock didn't have much time to scan the field in the pocket and found himself under constant duress. Without a run game to support him either, his issues with pressure were magnified by several third and long scenarios, and he often had to resort to check downs for self preservation in the first half. He also had a pair of passes dropped by receivers that would have been first downs, though one of them may have been tipped by rookie sensation Devon Witherspoon.
In an abbreviated second half, one of Lock's drives was quickly cut short when McIntosh had the ball punched out of his hands by former USFL edge rusher Levi Bell deep in the offense's own territory. Initially, refs ruled the runner down by contact, but always competing, Carroll threw a challenge flag and the crew overturned the call with undrafted linebacker Patrick O'Connell recovering, setting up a two-yard touchdown run by recently signed rookie SaRoderick Thompson Jr.
Despite the lack of support around him, Lock hung in tough and did close out the scrimmage on a strong note, showing a strong rapport with Bobo, an undrafted rookie out of UCLA. Going against most of Seattle's starters, he connected with Bobo four times on a last-minute scoring drive, including threading the needle through two defenders in the middle of the field to hit the rookie for a 12-yard score. For the game, Lock completed 16 out of 22 passes for 178 yards, a touchdown, and most importantly, no interceptions.
4. Anchored by Dre'Mont Jones, Bobby Wagner, and Devin Bush, Seattle's run defense played lights out from the outset.
It's only August 4, so it remains to be seen how much better, if at all, the Seahawks will be at defending the run compared to a year ago. But continuing to show encouraging signs of improvement with a new cast of characters along the defensive line and at linebacker, they shut down Kenny McIntosh, Bryant Koback, and company, dominating the line of scrimmage throughout the mock game.
After forcing a punt by stuffing Cade Johnson on a bubble screen, Bush started Seattle's second defensive drive by getting downhill and smacked McIntosh for no gain. Not to be outdone by his new teammate, after Lock managed to move the chains following a sack by Jones, Bobby Wagner made his own punishing run stop on McIntosh, popping him in the hole and driving him back several yards. This led to yet another Dickson punt two plays later with the offense behind the sticks.
Though he didn't have any notable run stops on his own, Jones continued to shine in the teeth of Seattle's new look defensive line, proving difficult to move off the ball and forcing backs to cut back into other defenders multiple times with his penetration. While he received a $51 million contract in large part due to his ability to hunt down quarterbacks, he keeps showcasing his underrated skills stopping the run for his new team as well with outstanding power at the point of attack and elite quickness.
5. In typical early August fashion, penalties were an annoying problem on both sides of the ball.
Just starting the second week of training camp, mistakes should be expected as NFL teams continue to shake off the rust and work to become a cohesive unit with new players on both sides of the ball. Nonetheless, Carroll and his staff had to be frustrated at times by the constant flags raining down onto the field after Smith engineered the opening touchdown drive.
In particular, holds of both the offensive and defensive variety negated several quality plays, starting with Bradford's takedown of Mafe that eliminated Lock's long first down scamper. Moments later, on one of the few successful run plays on the afternoon, McIntosh bounced outside and got loose for a 15-yard run near the sideline, only for the play to be called back due to tight end Colby Parkinson hugging a defender at the second level. Smith's second scoring drive also got extended on third down by cornerback Chris Steele grabbing onto Thompson's shoulder pads at the top of his route.
There were plenty of pre-snap infractions as well, with Dallas getting penalized for a false start and multiple encroachment flags thrown against the defensive line. These shouldn't be overly concerning, as the team has more than a month until the opener, but it's clear that playing more disciplined football will be a priority heading towards next week's first preseason game against Minnesota.
Injury Updates: With his knee twisted awkwardly on the run where he fumbled, McIntosh visited the blue injury tent and spent the remainder of the scrimmage on the sideline with an ice pack on his leg. Per Carroll, he has a knee sprain and the Seahawks won't know the severity until additional tests are done... At the receiver position, Tyler Lockett had a bit of tightness before the scrimmage and the team held him out to rest him, while Dareke Young currently is dealing with a hip/groin issue that may be sports hernia related and the significance of the injury isn't yet known.
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