The Seahawks didn’t exactly cruise past the Chargers. They survived them.
Seattle moved to 3-1 with a 30-23 win over Los Angeles in a game packed with flags, turnovers, field position swings and enough mistakes to keep both sides uneasy all afternoon. The Seahawks built a huge lead, watched the Chargers claw back into it, then slammed the door late when Uchenna Nwosu forced a fumble on Justin Herbert and Derick Hall recovered it.
It started with a jolt. Herbert’s first throw of the day became the game’s first play, and Drake Thomas jumped it for an interception.
“It popped up out of nowhere. He (Justin Herbert) probably didn’t see me because I couldn’t see him,’ said Thomas.
He’s behind the line; those guys are big. It popped up, came right to me.
I tried to make a play on it and ended up coming down with it.”
Seattle’s defense had the crowd buzzing right away, but the Chargers answered by taking advantage of some Seahawks mistakes. Sam Darnold’s first pass was picked off by Tuli Tuipulotu, and the game quickly turned into a penalty-riddled grind.
Los Angeles got on the board first after Uchenna Nwosu was flagged for defensive offside. Two plays later, Josh Jobe drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and Tre’ Harris was also flagged, with the penalties offsetting and extending the drive just enough for Cameron Dicker to hit a 40-yard field goal.
The Seahawks didn’t help themselves on offense either. They were flagged for holding on first down and intentional grounding on third down, forcing a punt.
But special teams handed them a break when Derius Davis muffed a Chargers punt return, giving Seattle the ball at the 23. Darnold then hit Emanuel Wilson for 23 yards and a 7-3 lead.
The flags kept coming. Seattle’s next possession was slowed by a defensive offside and defensive holding against the Chargers, then Brady Russell was flagged for unnecessary roughness, pushing the Seahawks into second-and-22. George Holani’s back-to-back carries ended with a fourth-and-19, and the penalties never really let either side settle in.
Seattle’s defense kept making plays anyway. Byron Murphy sacked Herbert on third-and-4 from the Chargers’ 27, and the Chargers were forced to punt again. The Seahawks were flagged once more on the punt return, this time for illegal use of the hands on Julian Neal.
Then came the play that gave Seattle some breathing room. After a mix of Wilson runs and a third-and-16 conversion from Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks reached the Chargers’ 28. Brian Fleury put Shaheed in the backfield, and the speedy wide receiver took it 28 yards down the left side for a touchdown - the first of his season.
Jason Myers pushed the extra point wide right, but Seattle still led 13-3. Later in the half, Ernest Jones intercepted a Herbert pass intended for Ladd McConkey, and Wilson’s eight-yard run made it 20-3 with 37 seconds left before halftime. The Chargers trimmed that edge with a 39-yard field goal after a Nick Emmanwori penalty following a Kimani Vida seven-yard run.
Seattle opened the second half with another punch. Darnold found Tory Horton for a six-yard touchdown to make it 27-3, and after the Chargers answered with an 11-play, 81-yard drive capped by a Vidal nine-yard run, Myers drilled a 53-yard field goal to stretch the lead to 30-9.
But Herbert wasn’t done. He led a 16-play, 85-yard drive that took 8:21 off the clock and ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Omarion Hampton.
The Chargers also benefited from drive-extending penalties on Derick Hall and DeMarcus Lawrence. After Seattle stalled again, Los Angeles got a 36-yard field goal from Decker to pull within one possession.
The Seahawks couldn’t put it away on offense, giving the ball back with 1:42 left. That set up the final defensive stop: Nwosu sacked Herbert, forced a fumble, and Hall recovered to finish it off.
Afterward, Mike Macdonald pointed to the win, but didn’t pretend it was clean.
“ I would say we’re very grateful for a win. To be 3-1 is a tribute to our guys and our mentality throughout the week.
I thought our guys were great throughout the week in terms of our approach, and to win in the NFL is dang hard. With humility, we’re really grateful for where we’re at right now and excited to move forward, but we also understand that we definitely have a lot of room for improvement with our operation and how we take care of the football,” said Macdonald.
“Obviously penalties are something we need to address.
This is going to be a through-and-through for the next 24 to 48 hours on how we address the penalties. Got to look forward, move forward.
Got a big week ahead of us, and guys are excited. They played extremely hard, stayed together, and did enough to win the game, so we’re thankful for that.”
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Seahawks Win Came With One Ugly Problem Fans Wont Ignore
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Still, the victory came with an ugly number that was hard to miss: a franchise-record 150 penalty yards. Even with the lead never truly slipping away, the constant flags kept the Chargers around longer than Seattle would have preferred, leaving the Seahawks with a win that looked convincing on the scoreboard and messy everywhere else. [Read more 🡒]
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Macdonalds early read offered at least some relief, saying the injury does not appear serious, but the next few days will still matter. Williams availability for the Seahawks upcoming matchup with the 49ers will hinge on how he looks in practice, and until those reports come in, Seattle is left trying to gauge whether it dodged a major problem or just bought itself a short wait. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Loss Exposed A Problem Fans Wont Want To Ignore
Seattles 30-23 win over the Chargers came with plenty to like, from Emanuel Wilsons impact as a runner and receiver to Jones all-around effort on defense. The Seahawks got the kind of complementary performance that can carry a team through a tight game, with the offense finding answers and the defense producing takeaways and pressure at key moments.
But the victory also came with a concern the Seahawks cant just brush aside. Leonard Williams left early with an injury and is set to undergo further evaluation, a reminder that even a good Sunday can carry a cost if one of the defensive fronts most important players is sidelined for any length of time. [Read more 🡒]