KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Trevone Boykin did not just hit the ground running.
He hit it running, passing and winning in a last-second rally that sure made for a splashy NFL debut.
Competing to be Russell Wilson‘s backup, the rookie from TCU engineered a last-minute, 88-yard touchdown drive in four plays, connecting with Tanner McEvoy with a 37-yard scoring pass, and then handing the ball to Troy Pope for the 2-point conversion with no time remaining, lifting Seattle past Kansas City 17-16 Saturday.
Boykin, competing with veteran Jake Heaps, replaced Wilson after one possession and had some good and some not-so-good moments before getting going on the final drive.
The clock showed 0:00 when McEvoy out-positioned and out-jumped Malcolm Jackson in the end zone, bringing the Seahawks to within one point in a game they had trailed all day.
“Our guys fought to the end. That’s what we did,” said Boykin. “Tanner made a great catch.”
The stunned Chiefs were flagged for having 12 men on the field, moving the ball to the 1, and Pope went off left guard to score the winner.
Boykin, a star at TCU who was not drafted, was 16 for 26 for 188 yards. Keeping the winning drive alive, he had a scrambling 15-yard run. It was second-and-9 when he lofted the pass to McEvoy, who was waiting in the end zone for the ball.
For the first 59 minutes, the Chiefs dominated, getting a touchdown drive from Alex Smith on their first possession and three field goals from Cairo Santos, including a career-long 58-yarder.
Steven Hauschka also had three field goals for the Seahawks.
PICKING UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF
Seahawks: Hauschka was 3 for 3 after hitting 29 of 31 last season, connecting from 52, 49 and 50 yards.
Chiefs: Santos was also perfect on three attempts and Marcus Peters, last season’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, had an interception of Wilson at the goal line.
ROOKIE WATCH
Seahawks: Brandin Bryant, the 290-pound rookie out of Florida Atlantic who’s been turning heads in practice, had two tackles at left tackle and seemed to hold his own against more experienced Chiefs linemen. Tyvis Powell, a safety out of Ohio State, made an alert interception off a tipped ball, got up and returned it 11 yards to put the Seahawks at midfield.
Chiefs: Special teams hopeful Eric Murray made a nifty stop on the 9-yard line on the kickoff following Santos’ field goal, leading to KC next taking possession at its 44.
INJURY UPDATE
Seahawks: The injury issue that’s been hurting the Seahawks since camp opened kept a number of players from even suiting up, including running backs C.J. Prosise and Zac Brooks and wide receivers Deshon Foxx, Kevin Smith and Kasen Williams. … Tight end Jimmy Graham, who returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his patella tendon last November, stayed home.
Chiefs: Linebacker D.J. Alexander went out in the first quarter with a rib injury, but returned late in the second.
POSITION BATTLES:
Seahawks: Boykin got off to a good start in his competition to back up Wilson. His case is strengthened because his college offense is similar to what he’s doing now. Flashing the agility that made him a dual-threat star at TCU, he also faked out linebacker Ramik Wilson for a 5-yard gain on third down.
Chiefs: Nick Foles, signed after camp opened to perhaps provide experienced backup for Smith, completed half his eight passes for 37 yards and was high on his first couple of throws, a problem he’s been having in camp. But tight end Demetrius Harris dropped a well-thrown ball on third down.
Smith directed a nearly flawless touchdown drive in his only possession, making a particularly nifty third-down completion to set up KC’s touchdown. He was 3 for 4 for 36 yards.
Wilson was almost equally impressive in his brief appearance. But a goal-line interception by Marcus Peters thwarted an otherwise impressive drive by the Seahawks’ first-team offense and its revamped offensive line.
Heaps was 2 for 6 for 20 yards.
Nick Foles, who had success in Philadelphia with Andy Reid, completed half of his eight passes for 37 yards after replacing Smith but was high on several throws. Tyler Bray, the strong-armed undrafted fourth-year quarterback from Tennessee, was 3 of 9 for 48 yards.
Taking advantage of Seattle mistakes, the Chiefs’ first-team offense drove 49 yards in eight plays to take a 7-0 lead on the game’s first possession. Knile Davis picked up 34 yards with the kickoff, then a facemask penalty on Steven Terrelladded 15. On third-and-9 from the Seattle 21, Smith escaped pressure and found Jeremy Maclin on the 1. Spencer Ware went in for the TD.
“It was good work out there, going against another team for the first time,” said Ware, who had 24 yards on five carries for an offense that rushed for 135 yards. “Camp’s not over yet. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Photo credit – Ed Zurga / Associated Press
