Geno Smith, starters watch Seahawks’ position battle, Titans win preseason game last play

Geno Smith has no competition for the Seahawks starting-quarterback job.

For the first time since they acquired him, they are finding a consistently effective number two in Sam Howell.

With Smith again watching and resting, Howell had his best day as a Seahawk, practice or preseason game. The starter for the Commanders Seattle acquired in a spring trade completed 11 of 14 passes for 153 yards in the first half against the Tennessee Titans.

Howell threw a well-placed pass onto Easop Winston Jr.’s late hands for a touchdown in the first quarter. He then deftly ran a 2-minute drill to end the half in Seattle’s 16-15 preseason loss Saturday night at largely empty Nissan Stadium.

Smith is likely to get his only game snaps of the preseason in his new offense next weekend when the Seahawks host Cleveland in the final exhibition game. The season begins Sept. 8 against Denver.

Neither team played their starters on offense or defense. The lone exception: The Seahawks tried to clarify the right-guard competition by starting both competitors for that job, Anthony Bradford and rookie Christian Haynes, at right and left guard.

Former Seahawks $110 million safeties Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, cut by the team this spring before each signed with Tennessee, did not play for the Titans. Adams and Diggs were trash talking throughout these teams’ two joint practices in Nashville this week.

New coach Mike Macdonald’s defense allowed its only touchdown in two preseason games, late in the first half. Then it allowed two field goals, while new coordinator Ryan Grubb’s offense of backups including third-string quarterback P.J. Walker failed to score after halftime.

As he was last weekend in his first game as a head coach, at the Los Angeles Chargers, Macdonald was stoic and often quiet throughout the game.

But in the time out between the third and fourth quarters with his defense teetering to hold a 12-7 lead, Macdonald steamed. He barked at linebackers Knight, Patrick O’Connell and Jamie Sheriff to get to the other end of the field and defend.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, James and Nehemiah Pritchett, a fellow rookie cornerback from Auburn, combined to stop Tennessee’s Bryce Oliver for no gain short of the goal line after a catch on third and goal from the 3. The Titans settled for a field goal. Seattle still had its lead, at 12-10.

Macdonald came onto the field, clapped and slapped the hands of his defensive players after that stand.

On the following defensive series lineman Mike Morris continued his fine night with a sack on third down. But Tennessee rookie backup kicker Brayden Narverson kicked a 59-yard field goal to put Seattle behind for the first time this preseason, 13-12.

Reserve safety Ty Okada, an enemy of the Titans during the joint practices for heavy hits late in plays, intercepted a pass from Malik Willis off David Martin-Robinson’s hand with 3:29 left near midfield.

Walker waited nicely then completed a 13-yard pass to Russell to get the Seahawks into Titans territory.

Jason Myers kicked a 50-yard field goal down the middle with 1:55 left to put Seattle ahead 15-13.

But the Titans responded against third-stringers on the Seahawks’ defense. Narveson made a 46-yard field goal on the game’s final play to give Tennessee the win.

As Uchenna Nwosu and other resting Seahawks gestured angrily, Macdonald had no reaction. He simply jogged from the middle of the field to shake hands with fellow first-year coach Brian Callahan from Tennessee.

Geno Smith rests, Seahawks starters

For the second consecutive Seahawks Saturday, Smith warmed up full go throwing passes to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett — then all three did not play in the preseason game.

Smith’s only snaps of the preseason in new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s system is likely to be at the start of Seattle’s final preseason game, next Saturday in Lumen Field against Cleveland.

The starting offensive line Saturday created essentially a head-to-head competition between second-year guard Anthony Bradford and rookie Christian Haynes, the third-round draft choice from Connecticut. Haynes started at left guard and Bradford at right guard against Tennessee. Coaches wanted to get looks at both at the same time as Bradford and Haynes compete for the starting job at right guard to begin the season Sept. 8 against Denver.

The starting offense Saturday was Howell at quarterback, left tackle Stone Forsythe, Haynes at left guard, center Olu Oluwatimi, Bradford at right guard, right tackle McClendon Curtis, running back Kenny McIntosh and wide receivers Laviska Shenault, Dareke Young and Jake Bobo.

Bradford and Haynes had mixed results, but ended their nights impressively.

The Seahawks went three and out on their first possession, following a 43-yard return of the new opening kickoff by rookie Dee Williams behind a flattening block by co-deep returner Laviska Shenault. The block and return had Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon, out of pads and not playing, leading a roaring celebration along the Seahawks’ sideline.

The second possession wasn’t a good one for the offensive line. Haynes committed a false-start penalty. On second and 14, Forsythe got run over, Mack-truck style, by Tennessee outside linebacker Jaylen Harrell. Harrell got a free hit on Howell, sacked him and forced a fumble Forsythe recovered.

That’s why Charles Cross is the normal starting left tackle.

Two great decisions by Howell on the third possession led to the game’s first score. He saw a free blitzer unaccounted for off his left edge. He and Shenault read that, and completed a short hitch-route throw from where the blitzer came for a first down.

Then an edge rusher beat Curtis off the edge for the second time in the opening quarter, on third and 2. Howell calmly sidestepped the pressure and threw underneath to AJ Barner. The rookie tight end had room to run 18 yards.

In between, Grubb called variations of zone running plays. Kenny McIntosh had seven rushes for 46 yards in the opening half, among Seattle’s 203 total yards through two quarters.

Late in the first quarter from the Titans 23-yard line, Howell threw a well-placed ball over man coverage of wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. running a go route to the end zone. Winston expertly kept his hands and head down acting like the ball wasn’t coming until the instant it hit his hands. Titans cornerback Tre Avery never knew the pass was arriving until Winston had the touchdown pass and Seattle had a 6-0 lead.

Kicker Jason Myers missed the extra point. Then he missed the ensuing kickoff’s target zone. It went onto the end zone for a touchback. By new NFL kickoff rules, Tennessee’s drive start was the 30-yard line.

Howell led the Seahawks on a six-play drive in just 38 seconds using 2-minute drill principles late in the half. Bradford had three consecutive plays of solid pass protection and Haynes had two. That allowed Howell the time to connect with Winston for 15 yards into Tennessee territory, and 9 yards to Russell. The tight end’s brilliant reach for the ball while keeping his cleats inside the sideline boundary got Myers the final yards for his 48-yard field goal as time expired for halftime.

Seattle led 12-7.

Defense, with new callers

Defensive coordinator Aden Durde called the defense in the first half. Secondary coach Karl Scott called the plays in the second half.

Macdonald will call the defensive plays in the regular season. He was giving his assistants a try Saturday night.

The starters on defense were rookie first-round pick Byron Murphy and Myles Adams on the line, Jon Rhattigan off two days injured and rookie fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight at inside linebacker, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall as outside linebackers. Tre Brown was the left cornerback, with Michael Jackson at right corner. Coby Bryant and K’Von Wallace started as safeties.

Last weekend, Macdonald played his starters for two series at the Chargers, and the Seahawks throttled Los Angeles all game. The NFL’s youngest head coach lauded his defense for its tackling in L.A.

He won’t for its tackling in Nashville.

Macdonald wasn’t happy when rookie cornerback D.J. James and Bryant missed tackles on Julius Chestnut’s 22-yard run late in the second quarter. That got Tennessee to midfield for the first time on Seattle’s defense in the game. The head coach had his arms crossed under his chest and his play card under his arm in reaction to the Titans’ longest play of the game.

Macdonald wasn’t any happier when James, the sixth-round pick from Auburn, missed another tackle following a catch by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine on a slant pattern in the red zone. Westbrook-Ikhine ran past James for a touchdown late in the first half, the first TD Seattle allowed in six quarters this preseason.

That cut the Seahawks’ lead to 9-7.

Cody White, again

Each day, in practices and preseason games, wide receiver Cody White makes plays that are increasing his chances to make the team when the roster cuts from 90 plays to 53 are due Aug. 27.

The wide receiver with five years in the NFL but only 16 career games, with Pittsburgh, and mostly on special teams, ran down the seam late in the first half. He deftly caught Howell’s pass away from his body and the defender for a 33-yard gain.

That set up Myers’ field goal to end the half for a 12-7 lead.

Rough night for rookie

Seahawks rookie cornerback D.J. James, the sixth-round pick from Auburn, missed two tackles on one drive to help Tennessee to its first points.

Then on one Titans drive in the third quarter James got called for a defensive holding penalty to gift Tennessee a first down. Then he committed a face-mask penalty while tackling a receiver after a 17-yard catch. That resulted in a first and goal.