Seahawks rally over Raiders in preseason finale, 17-13
OAKLAND, Calif. — Seattle quarterback Austin Davis wasn’t real happy with his game-winning touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler, even if it might have solidified his status as the Seahawks’ primary backup.
The way Davis viewed the play, it was a lucky throw that Lawler made the best of.
Davis threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Lawler with 1:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, and Seattle beat the Oakland Raiders 17-13 in a preseason game on Thursday night.
“It wasn’t a great throw,” Davis said. “I threw it behind him, but I threw it early enough where the defender couldn’t make a play on it. Really a better catch than it was a throw.”
The Seahawks trailed 13-10 following Giorgio Tavecchio’s 28-yard field goal with 3:46 remaining before Davis engineered a seven-play, 75-yard drive in 2:36 that likely gave him the edge over Trevone Boykin for the backup job behind Russell Wilson.
“He had a terrific opportunity and was able to come through,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “He hit a big touchdown pass and handled the clock and everything beautifully and very poised. Was a really good showing for him.”
Davis completed 10 of 16 passes for 123 yards, while Boykin went 13 of 21 for 166 yards and a touchdown.
Boykin was also intercepted twice and narrowly missed a third, and his 34-yard scoring pass to Rodney Smith came after defensive back Dexter McDonald tripped and fell in coverage.
“Obviously he was stronger in his first two games than the last two, but he shows us he can do a lot of stuff for us,” Carroll said of Boykins.
Seattle finished 4-0 in the preseason, while the Raiders went winless for only the third time in franchise history.
The Raiders likely also cleared up their backup quarterback spot.
EJ Manuel completed 8 of 12 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown while appearing to gain the upper hand in the battle with Connor Cook behind Derek Carr. Cook went 6 for 16 for 71 yards and was intercepted on Oakland’s final possession.
“I think EJ’s been ahead. He was ahead most of the summer,” Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. “We like both of these young men — they’ve worked hard for us. They challenge each other and work well. Right now I’d say that EJ’s ahead.”
As expected, the game was basically a matchup of backups.
Seattle sat out 18 starters, including Pro Bowl defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, Wilson, and cornerback Richard Sherman.