The Seahawks didn’t exactly put on a spotless show against the Chargers, but they did leave with a win and a handful of moments that stood out for all the right reasons. Mixed in with the penalties and the early interceptions were plays Seattle simply hasn’t been making much in recent years.
One of the cleanest surprises came on Seattle’s first touchdown, a screen pass to Emanuel Wilson that turned into a 23-yard score. It was Wilson’s first Seahawks touchdown and the second receiving touchdown of his NFL career.
For a team whose screen game has long been a punchline, especially when it comes to throwing to the backs, the play felt almost unreal. The last Seahawks screen pass touchdown to a running back came during the 2020 pandemic season, when Chris Carson caught one from Russell Wilson against the Atlanta Falcons.
The defense also delivered a pair of old-school impact plays from Ernest Jones IV. He picked up his first sack of the season on a blitz that the Chargers, despite having seven in protection, never came close to sorting out.
On the very next possession, Jones grabbed his first interception of the year when Justin Herbert put the ball right in his path. With that, Jones became the first Seahawks linebacker since Bobby Wagner to log a sack and an interception in the same game.
Wagner did it in 2018 against the San Francisco 49ers, and he also had a sack and a pick against the Minnesota Vikings in 2013.
Seattle’s offense has also quietly strung together something it hadn’t done since 2020: three straight games with at least 30 points. The Seahawks have scored 31, 31, and 30 over the last three weeks, giving them 92 points in that span. That kind of output brings back memories of the 2020 “Let Russ Cook” stretch, when the team opened with 38, 35, 38, and 31 points in a 4-0 start.
Rashid Shaheed added another unusual note to the night by becoming the first Seahawks receiver to score a rushing touchdown since Jake Bobo in 2023. Shaheed finished with a 28-yard touchdown run, the longest rush of Seattle’s season, and also totaled 33 yards on a couple of carries. Before Bobo’s goal-line score against the Cleveland Browns, the last Seahawks rushing touchdown by a receiver had been Tyler Lockett’s 75-yard jet sweep against the Carolina Panthers in 2016.
There was even a fast start on defense before all of that. Drake Thomas intercepted Herbert on the Chargers’ first play from scrimmage, giving Seattle its first first-play takeaway since Quandre Diggs picked off Derek Carr in 2022 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Seahawks couldn’t capitalize cleanly after that, but the takeaway itself set an early tone after a week without forcing a turnover.
So even with the messiness that came with the win, Seattle still walked away with several rare achievements and a few flashes worth remembering. The Seahawks are 3-1, and this wasn’t the kind of game anyone in that locker room will want to hide behind the old “a win is a win” line.
In Other News...
Seahawks Have A Real Chance To Add Another Defensive Game Changer
Khalil Macks name is already starting to surface as the kind of midseason trade chip that can shake up the market, and Seattle makes plenty of sense as a possible landing spot. The Chargers 0-4 start has only added to the speculation, while the Seahawks have built enough of a pass rush to at least imagine how another proven edge presence could fit into the mix.
For Seattle, the appeal is easy to see: a contender looking to keep pressure on opposing quarterbacks could use another defensive difference-maker, especially if the price comes in the form of draft picks. The question now is less about whether the Seahawks would have interest than whether the Chargers decide to listen, and how much it would take to pull a player like Mack out of Los Angeles. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Fan Crossed A Line With Justin Herbert Heckle
The Chargers 0-4 start has already put Justin Herbert under the microscope, with the quarterback fighting through an uneven opening month under Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel. Herberts early numbers have reflected the turbulence, and when Los Angeles came to Lumen Field in Week 4, the frustration around the offense spilled beyond the field and into the stands.
One Seahawks fan was caught on video directing a food-related insult at Herbert during the game, an example of how thin the line can get when a star quarterback is struggling and a road crowd senses it. It was the kind of heckle that can travel fast because of who it was aimed at, and it added another odd footnote to a Chargers season that has already been short on comfort and long on scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Have A Tough Elijah Arroyo Question
Elijah Arroyo entered the season with the kind of draft pedigree and internal praise that usually signals a real role, but the Seahawks have barely had him involved through four games. The tight end has only one catch on one target, and his snap count has been limited enough to make him more of a background note than a featured piece of the passing game.
For a Seattle offense still sorting out its weekly identity, Arroyos quiet start raises a practical question as much as a developmental one. John Schneiders public confidence in him suggested the organization saw a bigger future ahead, yet the current usage says the staff is still deciding how, or even whether, to fold him into the game plan in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]