Seahawks top Chiefs 17-16 in preseason opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Seattle Seahawks played their first preseason game of the year Saturday, clinching a last-minute win against the Kansas City Chiefs 17-16.

Trevone Boykin engineered a last-minute, 88-yard touchdown drive in four plays, hitting Tanner McEvoy with a 37-yard scoring pass, and Tyvis Pope scored the 2-point conversion with no time remaining.

Boykin, competing with veteran Jake Heaps to be Russell Wilson's backup, 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.

Then the 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.

Steven Hauschka also had three field goals for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Their next preseason game will be against the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 18 at 7 p.m. See the Seahawks' full schedule here.

A few players were absent from the game, including rookie running back C.J. Prosise, wide receivers Kasen Williams, Kevin Smith, and DeShon Foxx, and tight end Jimmy Graham.

Though Graham missed the game Saturday, he is expected to be ready to play when the 2016 regular season starts. Graham suffered a ruptured patella tendon in his right knee last year. Read more here.

Here are some key considerations to watch for this season, according to the Seattle Times' Bob Condotta.

The offensive line was perhaps the biggest question mark heading into the season, Condotta notes — especially with projected right tackle J’Marcus Webb out with a knee injury. This leaves Garry Gilliam shifting over to the right side and Bradley Sowell on the left side. Gilliam spent the majority of training camp at left tackle, Condotta says.

Saturday’s game offered an opportunity to see whether the team could benefit with Sowell at left tackle and Gilliam back at right tackle, the position he played last season, Condotta says.

The game was also the first official debut for Seahawks rookie Germain Ifedi, who the Times' Jayson Jenks says distinguished himself during training camp by refusing to back down.

"He's got to learn to handle his emotions," offensive line coach Tom Cable said in an Aug. 10 interview with the Times.

Read more here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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