Seahawks Not Surprised By Tyler Lockett's Clutch Day vs. Lions
The Seattle Seahawks got their first win of the season on Sunday at Ford Field against the Detroit Lions thanks to some late-game heroics from starting quarterback Geno Smith and longtime star receiver Tyler Lockett. For fans who have been watching Seattle for the last eight years, it shouldn't have been surprising that the Lockett performed in the clutch of the 37-31 overtime win.
“I mean he does it time and time again," Smith said of Lockett's game-winning touchdown. "It’s the stuff that we practice. Coach Carroll puts us in those positions every single week. We’ve got Comp Wednesdays, Touchdown Thursdays, Turnover Thursdays and we’re competing our butts off every single week and so for Tyler to go out there and make the plays that he’s always made is just routine for him."
After the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, where, despite a hot start that saw Seahawks take a 13-7 lead into the locker room at halftime, it wasn't enough to prevail. The Rams' offense exploded for 23 points in the second half, while the Seahawks were shut down, garnering just 12 total yards as they were kept off the scoreboard.
Determined not to suffer the same historic second-half collapse, the Seahawks not only gained more total yards this go around but also scored 24 points in the final two quarters of play heading into overtime.
After trailing Detroit for much of the third quarter, Lockett's first touchdown gave Seattle a 24-21 lead with 10:38 remaining in the game. While in the moment, that felt like it'd be set-up punch to what seemed like a knockout blow from Seahawks cornerback Tre Brown on a 40-yard pick-six, the Lions would score the 10 points they needed in the final three minutes of regulation to force overtime.
After giving Seattle the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, Lockett would come up big again for the Seahawks as Smith found him for the walk-off six-yard score.
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The decisive touchdown capitalized a busy day for the eight-year veteran, as he totaled eight receptions for 59 yards and two touchdowns. It was a strong performance after being held to just 10 yards on two catches in the season-opener. However, there was a blemish.
With Seattle driving early in the fourth quarter after the Lions' turnover on downs, an intentional grounding penalty was called on the Seahawks as Smith threw a pass that was supposedly intended for Lockett, who ended up nowhere near the ball.
“Yeah, that was a miscommunication between Tyler and I and obviously, we can’t have that happen," Smith said of the penalty post-game. "They made the call, and it was just great that we were able to overcome that and still get a touchdown on that drive.”
Not only would Lockett make up for it later with the go-ahead touchdown, he'd add an insurance policy with a walk-off in overtime.
"Tyler Lockett had a phenomenal day today, and as always, we’ve been watching him. I just hope he can keep playing forever because he continues to just make those spectacular plays," Carroll said.
