Seahawks get rolling in second quarter, defeat Los Angeles Chargers 48-17

CARSON, Calif. – The offensive line showed up – and really did block somebody.

The newest defenders showed up – and scored.

Quarterback Trevone Boykin and wide receiver Kasen Williams showed out – and greatly improved their roster chances.

Boykin completed 12 of 15 throws for 189 yards and touchdown, and ran for another score to erase a shoddy start to training camp behind starter Russell Wilson. Williams, an undrafted free agent, broke out with four circus catches for 119 yards. And the Seahawks’ reserves showed how much better they are right now than the Chargers’ over the final 3 1/2 quarters of Seattle’s 48-17 romp past Los Angeles’ newest pro sports team Sunday night in the preseason opener.

Rookie seventh-round pick Chris Carson continued his decisive straight-ahead running this month with two bullying touchdown runs. He is running past 2016 draft choice Alex Collins for the fourth running-back spot.

The Seahawks scored their second-most points in a preseason game in team history. They scored 55 in 1979.

Wilson played one series, leading the first-team offense to Blair Walsh’s 42-yard field goal on the opening drive that went eight plays and 51 yards. He completed three of four throws for 41 yards. Two of those completions went for 30 yards to Paul Richardson, the oft-injured wide receiver starting with Tyler Lockett, who broke a leg last season, not yet playing.

The only negative for the Seahawks was the only thing no team wants in faux games. Richardson left with a shoulder injury, after those two catches on the first drive. Reserve safety Jordan Simone left with a knee injury covering a kickoff.

Coach Pete Carroll said Richardson, whose first three NFL seasons have been plagued by injuries but emerged at the end of last season, has an injured AC joint in his shoulder. Carroll said Seattle’s second-round pick in 2014 will be out an extended period, though the coach didn’t specify how many weeks.

Carroll said Simone has a knee-ligament injury that will need further testing.

Other than that, the Seahawks sure got a kick out of this exhibition in this soccer stadium, the Chargers’ temporary new home.

Nearly the entire roster of players in Seattle white ran up to Williams after each of his leaping catches.

Safety Earl Thomas, who exited with the starters after one series, was screaming and jumping around the sidelines as if he’d just won Powerball midway through the first quarter. That was because new Seahawks linebackers Michael Wilhoite and Terence Garvin had just combined on an interception and return for a touchdown to put Seattle ahead 10-7.

Wilhoite, the former San Francisco starter Seattle signed as a free agent this spring, hit Chargers running back Branden Oliver as a dump-off pass arrived at the Los Angeles 35-yard line. Garvin, signed the same month as Wilhoite, grabbed the deflection and scored on a 37-yard return to put Seattle up 10-7.

But on the next scrimmage play, rookie safety Tedric Thompson, Seattle’s fourth-round pick this spring, failed to pick up Chargers wide receiver Travis Benjamin cutting across the field behind Garvin’s shallow zone coverage. Benjamin caught Clemens’ pass and sprinted in for a 74-yard touchdown that put Seattle back down, 14-10.

Boykin took over the second quarter from there.

The second-year undrafted free agent who backed up Wilson last season ran 23 yards for a first down after waiting for receivers that didn’t break open. He ran for another first down on third down. He completed seven of nine passes for 101 yards and a touchdown, to Kenny Lawler on fourth down from the 2 to put the Seahawks ahead 17-14.

New running back Eddie Lacy entered the game in the second series and gained 10 yards on four carries, with a long of 5 yards. Thomas Rawls, last year’s lead back before getting hurt for the second time in two NFL seasons, started and rushed two times for 5 yards on his only drive.

The offensive line rotated eight men around the five positions for most of the first half – and provided strong pass protection that allowed Wilson and Boykin time to read three and even four receivers.

Seattle scored 34 points in the opening two quarters – 14 directly off two turnovers the defense forced.

Williams missed a couple of practices after injury issues last year, and Seahawks coaches had to wonder about his place on the roster.

Sunday, he was wondrous.

Four times Boykin just chucked up and let the big wideout use his body to seize the ball. He stretched his 6-foot-1, 219-pound body for a balletic catch in the second quarter.

But the best of Williams’ fantastic four was early in the third period. Los Angeles cornerback Michael Davis leaped and had Boykin’s slightly underthrown pass in his hands. But Williams ripped the ball from Davis as both fell to the turf, and the Seahawks gained 34 yards to move them from the 13 to the 47.

Four plays later Williams did it again, leaping and twisting and catching Boykin’s sideline heave while deftly keeping both feet inbounds. That 29-yard gain to the 1 set up Carson’s second touchdown run on the next play. Seattle led 41-17. And it wasn’t even 4 minutes into the second half.

Collins added a 1-yard touchdown run on a drive led by a 17-yard scramble by third-string quarterback Austin Davis in the fourth quarter. That made it 48-17.

Davis, off-target like Boykin through 12 training-camp practices, was 7-of-9 passing for 108 yards and a passer rating of 116.7.