Minneapolis – It took less than 10 seconds for rookie Earl Thomas to show why the Seattle Seahawks made him the No. 14 overall pick in this year’s draft.
It was 9.8 seconds, to be exact.
With 12:57 left in the first half Saturday night, Thomas gathered in a Brett Favre pass deflected by teammate Josh Wilson and raced 86 yards for the first score of Seattle’s 24-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome.
“I knew I had a chance right when I caught it,” Thomas said. “I caught it in stride, so I knew I had a chance to get into the end zone.”
The University of Texas product had been caught out of position at times in the first two preseason games, so the play was a redemptive moment that showed his playmaking ability.
“Sometimes you need a little failure to understand you have to go back to doing the things right, and that’s what this week was for him,” said veteran safety Lawyer Milloy, Thomas’ mentor on the field. “And I like the way he responded today. You keep it simple. You don’t have to go out there and make every play.”
After so-so performances against Tennessee and Green Bay, the Seahawks finally showed a glimpse of how they want to perform after the regular season begins, with the first defense holding one of the best offenses in the league to 10 points through three quarters.
The Seahawks (1-2) forced three turnovers, including the big interception return by Thomas, had a goal-line stand, held Minnesota (2-1) to 251 yards through three quarters and finished with two sacks.
Thomas’ play was the highlight of the improved defensive play by Seattle. He also had ball-jarring hit on receiver Percy Harvin.
“We were effective,” said linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who got his first game action since October, finishing with five tackles and a pass deflection. “We got after the ball and got some turnovers. They got yards on us. But when you get turnovers, things happen for you.”
While the defense played well, the offense struggled moving the ball against Minnesota’s talented defense. Offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates went with a more conservative game plan to protect quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, with inexperienced linemen starting at left tackle and Mike Gibson starting at left guard.
Hasselbeck finished 9 of 17 for 126 yards and was sacked twice.
The Seahawks were 2 of 15 on third down conversions and rushed for 44 yards.
After the Seahawks opened the scoring, the Vikings responded with a touchdown of their own after a 73 yard kickoff return by Minnesota’s Darius Reynaud. Adrian Peterson rumbled 24 yards two plays later to tie the game at 7
The teams traded field goals and headed into halftime tied at 10.
Seattle added another Olindo Mare 34-yard field goal early in the third quarter for a 13-10 lead.
But as in the team’s previous outing against Green Bay, Seattle’s reserves failed to hold the team’s slim advantage.
The Vikings took the lead with a little more than seven minutes remaining.
On fourth-and-4 from Seattle’s 25-yard line, Minnesota’s Javon Walker out-muscled rookie cornerback Walter Thurmond for a touchdown pass from Sage Rosenfels in the back of the end zone, giving the Vikings a 17-13 lead.
Minnesota sealed the win after Charlie Whitehurst threw his fourth interception of the preseason, with Marcus Sherels returning the interception to Seattle’s 20-yard line.
Minnesota scored seven plays later on quarterback Joe Webb’s 7-yard toss to fullback Ryan D’Imperio for the final score of the game.
“We played really solid for three quarters, and again like last week, our guys that were in at the end can’t hold a lead,” Carroll said. “So that’s unfortunate. But I saw a lot of good things.
“I’m pleased to see the defense continue to take the football off of our opponents. That such a big deal to us.”
Eric D. Williams: 253-597-8437 Eric.williams@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/seahawks
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