The Seattle Seahawks turned three first-half takeaways into a 20–3 lead and held off a Los Angeles Chargers rally for a 30–23 win at Lumen Field on Sunday, October 4, sealing it when Uchenna Nwosu stripped Justin Herbert on the final drive.
Seattle moved to 3–1 a week after its 33–31 loss to Washington. The Chargers fell to 0–4, the first time they have lost their first four games under coach Jim Harbaugh, now in his third season.
Turnovers build the cushion
The game opened with an interception on each team’s first offensive snap: Drake Thomas picked off Herbert, and Tuli Tuipulotu answered with the first interception of his career against Sam Darnold. Los Angeles turned that into Cameron Dicker’s 40-yard field goal and a 3–0 lead, the only time it led.
A muffed punt by Derius Davis, recovered by Connor O’Toole at the Chargers 23, set Seattle up for a one-play drive, Darnold’s screen to Emanuel Wilson for a 23-yard score. Rashid Shaheed then went 28 yards on a toss sweep for his first offensive touchdown with Seattle, and after Ernest Jones IV intercepted Herbert and returned it 20 yards, Wilson ran in from 8 yards out with 43 seconds left before halftime. Herbert was 5 of 15 for 36 yards in the first half.
Wilson, filling in as the lead back one day after rookie Jadarian Price went to injured reserve, finished with 81 rushing yards on 21 carries plus three catches for 39 yards. Darnold completed 13 of 22 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, the second a 6-yard throw to Tory Horton that made it 27–6 early in the third quarter.
A late rally falls short
Herbert was far sharper after the break, completing 14 of 17 throws for 163 yards. He found Kimani Vidal for a 9-yard touchdown, Omarion Hampton scored from 2 yards with 7:48 to play, and a 44-yard completion to Quentin Johnston on fourth-and-7 led to Dicker’s 36-yard field goal with 2:14 left, cutting the gap to seven. Seattle helped the comeback with a club-record 150 penalty yards, including seven personal fouls.
“To have seven personal foul penalties is unacceptable on any level,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said after the game.
The Chargers got one more chance, but Nwosu beat the protection and knocked the ball loose from Herbert, and Derick Hall recovered to end it. Herbert’s final line read 189 yards on 19-of-31 passing, one touchdown, two interceptions and four sacks taken. Los Angeles produced more total yardage, 301 to 286, yet gave the ball away four times and drew 16 flags. Jason Myers also missed an extra point for Seattle, ending a run of 80 straight made.
Harbaugh bristled when asked whether Herbert was forcing plays, calling his quarterback “an amazing inspiration.”
Injuries
The Chargers’ offensive line took the biggest hits. Rashawn Slater, the left tackle, suffered a high sprain of his right ankle late in the game, and Harbaugh said Monday that he will miss time and could go on injured reserve; Ian Rapoport reported that Slater is expected to be out four to six weeks, which the team has not confirmed. Joe Alt, the right tackle, suffered a neck injury before halftime, did not come back, and remains under evaluation. Safety Derwin James, who was inactive, is week to week with a hamstring injury, while cornerback Donte Jackson and receiver Ladd McConkey are day to day. For Seattle, Macdonald said Leonard Williams’s ankle injury did not look serious. Follow updates on the NFL injury report.
What comes next
Seattle hosts the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, October 11, at 4:25 p.m. EDT. The Chargers host the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium that afternoon at 4:05 p.m. EDT and then visit Kansas City on October 18. History offers one hopeful precedent: the 1992 Chargers are still the lone club to recover from four opening losses and make the postseason. Box score and drive chart: Chargers at Seahawks Game Center. Team pages: Seahawks, Chargers.
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