Tyler Lockett, Tre Brown rescue Seahawks in OT win over Lions

National Football League

Published Sep. 17, 2023 10:13 p.m. ET

Tyler Lockett has made so many big plays during his nine years with the Seattle Seahawks, it’s become old hat for head coach Pete Carroll.

But even Carroll had to shake his head after the 30-year-old veteran receiver came through in the critical moments to lead Seattle to a come-from-behind 37-31 win in overtime against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.

“Tyler Lockett had a phenomenal day as always,” Carroll said. “I hope he can continue to play forever because he just continues to make those spectacular plays.”

The Kansas State product helped turn Seattle’s season around with two touchdowns, including the game winner in extra time.

Lockett finished with eight catches for 59 yards and the two scores on a game-high 10 targets. He gave Seattle a 24-21 lead with 10:38 remaining in regulation on a three-yard crossing route for a score, dragging his toes in the back of the end zone for the catch.

Then, after the Seahawks won the coin toss with a “tails” call by backup quarterback Drew Lock, the veteran receiver put the game away with a six-yard reception for a score on an out route.

“It was tough knowing that we were going into overtime,” Lockett told reporters. “But like Pete says, if you can’t win in the first four quarters, sometimes you have to be able to continue to follow through. So I think for us, we won the toss, which is always big. And even though we didn’t have a good drive on the drive before, we let it go behind us. And we went out there and played at a high level.”

After a nose-pinching performance by Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith in a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams, in which he finished with just 12 passing yards in the second half, the veteran signal-caller was much better in Week 2 against the Lions.

Smith completed 32-of-41 (78%) passes for 328 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, posting a 116.3 passer rating. According to Next Gen Stats, he finished 19-of-22 for 189 yards and two touchdowns when targeting receivers outside the numbers. Smith targeted receivers outside the numbers on 57.5% of his passes, his highest rate in a game as a Seahawk.

“When the ball is in my hands and the game is on the line, I look forward to it,” Smith told reporters. “I know I’m out there with 10 other great guys who are going to get their jobs done. And we showed that. Everyone played together, and we found a way to win.”

Geno Smith to Tyler Locket TD caps off Seahawks’ win over Lions

Carroll and Smith gave credit to two replacement offensive tackles up front for protecting the QB. With starting left tackle Charles Cross (toe) and right tackle Abe Lucas (knee) nursing injuries, Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan replaced them in the starting lineup. Those two combined with the rest of the offensive line to keep Smith upright, allowing just one sack for the game.

While the offense ignited the Seahawks in the second half, Seattle’s defense also finally showed up. The Seahawks also overcame two missed field goals by usually reliable kicker Jason Myers, from 45 and 56 yards.

The Seahawks went the first six quarters of the regular season without a sack or a turnover. But on the first play of the second half, edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu drilled Detroit running back David Montgomery, knocking the ball loose with defensive tackle Jarran Reed recovering. Two plays later, Lockett found the end zone.

One the ensuing drive, cornerback Tre Brown made back-to-back impact plays to give the Seahawks the momentum they needed. First, he made Seattle’s first sack of the season, taking down Jared Goff on a corner blitz. Then on the next play, Brown jumped an angle route intended for running back Jahmyr Gibbs, taking it back 40 yards for the score. The play broke Goff’s streak of 384 passes without an interception, third in NFL history.

“A lot of people call me ‘Big Play Tre,'” Brown said. “I take a lot of motivation from that name. I knew that we were in a situation, and I wanted to make a play. And I did that for those guys.”

Defensive end Dre’Mont Jones , Seattle’s high-dollar free agent acquisition, finally notched a sack and the Seahawks forced three turnovers on the day, scoring 14 points off those turnovers.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft, made his NFL debut, but his play was uneven. The Illinois product finished with five combined tackles and a big deflection on fourth down to get the defense off the field. However, Witherspoon also was called for pass interference and was beat on a flea-flicker for a 36-yard touchdown by Kalif Raymond on successive plays.

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With his team at 1-1 on the season and hosting No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, Carroll believes the win over the Lions can serve as a catalyst for the rest of the season.

“We needed this badly,” Carroll told reporters. “We know what happened last week. We stunk it up in the second half. And we were ready to show that we can play anybody, anywhere at any time. I’m so thrilled that we can say we got a win here.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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