LANDOVER, Md. (AP) – Russell Wilson ran for 96 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown, and threw a 15-yard scoring pass to Jermaine Kearse, and the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks overcame 10 penalties to lead the Washington Redskins 17-10 entering the fourth quarter Monday night.
Seattle receiver Percy Harvin, who had two apparent TDs erased by flags in the second quarter, hobbled off the field with 25 seconds left in the half because of what the team later said was cramps. He returned in the third quarter.
Wilson showed off his versatility late in the second, scrambling to avoid the rush before connecting with tight end Cooper Helfet for 36 yards to set up first-and-goal at the 9. On the next play, Wilson pulled off a perfect zone-read option keeper and scampered into the end zone to make it 17-0.
Washington, which punted on its first four possessions, finally got going on its fifth, with Kirk Cousins hitting DeSean Jackson for a 60-yard TD. Cousins threw a 57-yard pass to Jackson on the first play of the second half, and Washington’s drive was extended when Cliff Avril was whistled for illegal use of the hands on a third-down play.
But on third-and-1 at the 9, Cousins was stopped for no gain on a sneak. Some fans booed as first-year Redskins coach Jay Gruden decided not to go for it on fourth down; Kai Forbath’s 27-yard field goal made it 17-10.
Gruden then had Forbath try an onside kick, and Helfet recovered at the Seattle 44, but the Seahawks went three-and-out, part of a scoreless third quarter for the visitors.
The Seahawks started the game with a six-play, 65-yard drive for a 7-0 lead. Wilson ran twice for 45 yards, a 16-yard scramble and a 29-yard designed sweep, then capped the possession with his scoring toss to Kearse.
Running back Marshawn Lynch stood on the sideline, helmet on, during that first drive, but entered the second time Seattle had the ball.
The Seahawks made it 10-0 on Steven Hauschka’s 40-yard field goal with about 9 minutes left in the second quarter. That came after penalties on consecutive plays erased what would have been scores by Harvin.
First, Harvin’s 16-yard run to the end zone was wiped out because of a holding call on left guard James Carpenter. Then, Harvin’s 26-yard catch-and-run was wiped out by a flag for a false start on Harvin, a penalty that gum-chomping Seahawks coach Pete Carroll wandered onto the turf to argue.
Wilson was 14 of 20 for 143 yards passing and a TD through three quarters. His rushing total, on seven carries, left him just 6 yards shy of the career-high 102 he gained on the ground exactly a year ago, on Oct. 6, 2013, against the Colts.
Seattle had a 295-213 edge in total yards after the third quarter. But it also was penalized 65 yards to that point; the Redskins drew one flag for 10 yards.
The last time these teams played each other, in a playoff game at Washington in January 2013, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III tore up his right knee and Wilson led the Seahawks back from a two-touchdown deficit for a 24-14 win.
On Monday, Griffin was out with a dislocated left ankle, and Cousins was 13 for 23 for 190 yards with no turnovers heading into the fourth quarter.
The Seahawks entered with a 2-1 record, coming off their bye week and a victory in their last game, a Super Bowl rematch with the Denver Broncos.
The Redskins, meanwhile, were in danger of falling way behind in the NFC East.
Last in the only NFL division with a pair of 4-1 teams, the Cowboys and Eagles, Washington came into Monday’s game with a 1-3 record after a 31-point loss to the Giants on Thursday night in Week 4. Cousins had five turnovers, including four second-half interceptions, in that one.
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