Quarter notes: Second
In a nutshell: Seahawks 7-3. It took a while, not to mention an interception and 28-yard return by third-year cornerback Byron Maxwell, but the Seahawks took the lead with 1:56 left in the half on Brady Quinn’s third-down pass to a wide-open Jermaine Kearse for an 11-yard TD. It was almost 10-3, as Steven Hauschka’s 61-yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half hit the crossbar.
Player of the quarter: Jon Ryan. All the Seahawks punter did in the quarter was get off 65- and 60-yarders.
Plays of the quarter: So that’s why they drafted him, offensive edition. On a third-and-7 play, Brady Quinn went to rookie tight end Luke Willson – up the seam, of course – for 15 yards and the first down. So that’s why they drafted him, defensive edition. On a third-and-16 play, Maxwell, a sixth-round pick in 2011, intercepted a Charlie Whitehurst pass and returned it 28 yards.
Number of the quarter: 6, as in the number of penalties called against the Seahawks in the first half – a late hit; holding on a punt return; illegal hands; roughness; pass interference; and a hold that was declined. Pete Carroll is not going to be happy with that.
Quarter notes: Third
In a nutshell: Seahawks 17-3. A 46-yard punt return by Walter Thurmond allowed the Seahawks to stretch their lead to 10-7 as it setup a 22-yard field goal by Carson Wiggs with 7:29 left in the quarter. Another punt return, this one a 19-yarder by Will Blackmon to the 50, led to a 4-yard touchdown run by rookie Spencer Ware that made it 17-03 with 4:06 left.
Player of the quarter: Benson Mayowa. He’s not only a rookie free agent, Mayowa was signed after getting a tryout at the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp in May. Why? Because he can rush the passer. Just asked Charlie Whitehurst, who was sacked twice in a four-play span by the “the kid from Idaho,” as coach Pete Carroll referred to Mayowa after that rookie minicamp.
Play of the quarter: Welcome back, Tarvaris Jackson. And welcome, Stephen Williams. After Blackmon’s punt return, these two hooked up for a 41-yard completion to the Chargers’ 6-yard line to setup Ware’s TD run. Jackson, the starter in 2011 who spent last season with the Bills, laid up a beauty. Williams, who was with the Cardinals last season, made an even nicer catch against Josh Johnson.
Number of the quarter: 65. The combined return yardage of the punt returns by Thurmond (46) and Blackmon (19).
