By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Seahawks improve to 3-1 after a penalty-filled 30-23 win over a stubborn Los Angeles Chargers team.

On paper, it looked about as easy as it could be when the 2-1 Seattle Seahawks were set to host the 0-3 Los Angeles Chargers.  But the Seahawks weren’t taking the Chargers lightly. On any given Sunday, any  NFL team can beat another.  Chargers quarterback  Justin Herbert’s first throw of the day and first play of the game was intercepted by Seahawks Lineback Drake Thomas.  

“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.”

 The interception brought the 12s to their feet, and the Seahawks defense checked both boxes: create turnovers and bring the crowd to life. What happened was unexpected and a pure crowd buzzkill. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold returned the favor when the Chargers’ linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu intercepted his first pass of the game.

DEFENSIVE BATTLE  AIDED BY PENALTIES

With some self-inflicted wounds by the Seahawks, the Chargers scored first on a 40-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker. Seahawks edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu was flagged for defensive offside. Two plays later, Seahawks Josh Jobe was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, as was the Chargers tackle Tre’ Harris. The penalties offset and kept the Chargers’ drive alive for one more play before Dicker’s field goal. The Seahawks’ self-inflicted wound carried over to the offense. On its offensive series, the Seahawks were flagged for holding on first down and intentional grounding on third down, which forced a punt.

OPPORTUNISTIC   SPECIAL TEAMS

A muffed punt return by the Chargers’ Derius Davis gave the Seahawks offense the ball back at the 23-yard line. Darnold’s 23-yard pass to Emanuel Wilson gave the Seahawks a 7-3 lead.  A Chargers three-and-out gave the ball back to Darnold and the offense.

PENALTIES STIFLE DRIVE

On the ensuing drive, the Seahawks and the Chargers were both flagged for penalties. The Chargers were flagged for defensive offside and defensive holding two plays later.   Brady Russell received an unnecessary roughness penalty, which put the Seahawks offense in a second-and-22. Back-to-back carries by George Holani resulted in a fourth-and-19.

After Dickson’s 45-yard punt, the Seahawks were flagged for unnecessary roughness.  Back-to-back punts gave the Chargers the ball back.  Byron Murphy sacked Herbert on third and four from the Chargers’ 27, forcing another punt and another Seattle penalty.  Julian Neal was called for illegal use of the hands on the punt. The Seahawks defense forced a three-and-out, giving the ball back to the offense.

SHAHEED SCORES FIRST TD OF THE SEASON

A mix of Wilson runs and a 3rd-and-16 conversion from Darnold to Smith-Njigba set up first and down at the Chargers’ 28-yard line. Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury put Shaheed in the backfield, and the speedy wide receiver rambled 28 yards on the left side for a Seahawks touchdown.

Jason Myers’ extra point was wide right, but the Seahawks still led 13-3. The Seahawks defense held on the next possession despite another penalty for a short landing infraction on Myers’ kickoff. A three-and-out gave the ball back to the Seahawks offense, but a false start by center Jalen Sundell turned a 3rd and 11 into a 3rd and 16, which resulted in another stalled drive due to a penalty.

“First of all, you’ve just got to continue to play football, right? It’s one of those things, you don’t want penalties. There were a lot of penalties called on both sides today, but you obviously don’t want penalties, but as we continue to play these games and continue to get the season going,” said Darnold.” I feel like our guys on both sides of the ball, special teams too, will continue to get better with technique and using our hands and our feet the right way the way that we’re supposed to.”

Linebacker Ernest Jones intercepted a Herbert pass intended for Ladd McConkey.  Wilson’s eight-yard run gave the Seahawks what looked like a commanding 20-3 lead with 37 seconds left in the first half.  A Nick Emmanwori penalty after a Kimani Vida seven-yard run moved the ball from the Seahawks’ 42-yard line to the 21-yard line. The Chargers booted a 39-yard field goal to end the half and gain some hope and confidence.

FAST AND FURY SECOND  HALF


Both offenses came to life, with the Seahawks taking the second-half kickoff and extending the lead to 27-3 after a Darnold-to-Tory Horton six-yard touchdown pass. The Chargers answered the score with an 11-play, 81-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Vidal nine-yard run. The Chargers committed two defensive penalties on the drive: Devin Witherspoon unnecessary roughness and an Emmanwori facemask. A Myers 53-yard field goal extended the Seahawks’ lead to 30-9 with 1:19 left in the third quarter.

CHARGERS MAKE A COMEBACK

Herbert brought hope and l belief to a team seeking it’s first win with a masterful 16-play, 85-yard drive that took up 8:21 of game clock. The drive ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Omarion Hampton.  The Seahawks’ Derick Hall and DeMarcus Lawrence had drive-extending penalties.  A stalled Seahawks drive gave the ball back to the Chargers, who hushed the crowd on a Decker 36-yard field goal that made it a one-possession game.

DEFENSE CLOSES OUT THE GAME


With the ball in hand and 2:14 left in the game, the Seahawks offense couldn’t close it out and gave the ball back to the Chargers offense with 1:42 left in the contest. On the third play of the drive, Nwosu sacked Herbert and forced a fumble, which Derick Hall recovered to seal the win. Despite the lack of execution, penalties, and sloppy play, head coach Mike Macdonald was grateful for the win and embraced the process of his team improving its overall play.

“ 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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