Seahawks starters stand out despite loss to Chargers

SAN DIEGO — The Seahawks began Monday night's exhibition game against the San Diego Chargers the same way they started last year's exhibition game against the same team in the same stadium.

They hit on a big play, a deep touchdown pass on the game's opening drive. Last year, it was Matt Hasselbeck to Deion Branch for 31 yards. This time, it was Charlie Frye — starting in place of the injured Hasselbeck — to Nate Burleson for 68 yards.

On the play, Burleson took a hit near the San Diego 40-yard line where he caught the ball but kept going. As good as that start was, however, the ever-so-close ending found the Seahawks on the losing end, 18-17.

It came down to two plays. One was a 51-yard pass-interference penalty against Seattle cornerback Kevin Hobbs, which put the ball on the Seahawks' 1-yard line with 3:20 to play and set up a touchdown for the Chargers. The second was the winning two-point conversion, a jump-ball situation pitting 6-foot-5 wide receiver Malcolm Floyd of the Chargers against 6-1 cornerback Omare Lowe. Floyd won the midair battle for the catch, and Seneca Wallace threw an interception on a tipped pass on the Seahawks' final possession.

"Holy Toledo," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said after the game. "I thought Kevin Hobbs made a great play. I couldn't ask him to do it any better. I didn't agree with it [the pass-interference call]. It's too bad."

Hobbs, a third-year player competing for a roster spot, also thought he played the ball well.

"I didn't even try to get an explanation. I was so frustrated at the time," he said. "I wouldn't have done anything different."

The two plays cost the Seahawks a chance to go to 3-0 in exhibition play for the first time since 1988. Of more importance, though, was another good performance from the starters and improvement shown from the reserves and youngsters who are trying to make the final roster.

The Seahawks didn't come away from the game unscathed. Linebacker Lofa Tatupu sustained what was termed a right knee bruise in the second quarter and left the game. Frye also hurt a knee and left early in the fourth quarter after leading a touchdown drive that gave the Seahawks a 17-10 lead with 11 minutes to play. Frye was replaced by Wallace, who had been hobbled by a sore groin last week in practice. Holmgren said he didn't want to use fourth quarterback Dalton Bell.

"He played a good football game tonight. Handled things very, very well, threw some nice balls; we know he's tough," Holmgren said of Frye, who completed 19 of 29 passes for 219 yards and no interceptions, and helped his cause with a couple of good scrambles. "I was hoping to see what I saw."

Tatupu's injury happened after the Seahawks' starting defense had been scored upon twice. It might have been three times if not for a bad snap on a shotgun formation from San Diego center Jeremy Newberry. Defensive tackle Rocky Bernard pounced on the loose ball at the Seahawks' 7-yard line with the Chargers poised to tie the score on their first drive after the Frye-to-Burleson play.

Burleson got a good block from teammate Courtney Taylor and stopped to pose in the end zone, holding one arm up high and cocking the other like an archer.

"A little Usain Bolt from the Olympics. Just a tribute to him," Burleson said with a grin.

Darren Sproles, starting at running back for LaDainian Tomlinson, gained 102 yards against the Seahawks' No. 1 defense in the first half and one series in the second. He had 24 yards on one carry.

San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers also carved up the Seahawks, mainly in the second quarter. His 59-yard completion to Vincent Jackson — on which safety Deon Grant appeared to turn the wrong way in coverage, leaving a huge space in the middle of the field for Jackson — set up a Sproles touchdown run.

The Chargers led 10-7 at halftime, but the Seahawks tied the score with a 24-yard field goal from Olindo Mare with 2:46 left in the third quarter. Then came a TD pass to Jordan Kent that gave the Seahawks a 17-10 lead.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com