By OGNSC Staff
SEATTLE — The Los Angeles Chargers put up a season-high 23 points Sunday and still came home empty-handed.
The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks held off a late Chargers rally for a 30-23 win at Lumen Field, dropping Los Angeles to 0-4 for the first time since 2017. The Bolts have not won a game since Week 16 of last season.
The numbers tell a familiar story. The Chargers outgained Seattle 301 yards to 286 but turned the ball over four times, took 16 penalties for 130 yards and let Justin Herbert get sacked four more times. Seattle, which lost to Washington a week earlier, improved to 3-1.
Emanuel Wilson did most of the damage for the Seahawks, catching a 23-yard touchdown pass from Sam Darnold in the first quarter and walking in untouched on a touchdown run in the final minute of the first half. Darnold finished 13-of-22 for 168 yards and two scores.
Turnovers Dig the Hole
Herbert threw an interception on the Chargers’ very first play from scrimmage. Tuli Tuipulotu answered immediately by picking off Darnold on Seattle’s first snap, and Cameron Dicker turned that into a 40-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. It was the last time Los Angeles was in front.
Herbert’s second interception came late in the half when he tried to force a throw to Ladd McConkey and a Seattle defender dropped into the lane for an easy pick. The Seahawks needed only 20 yards to turn that one into points.
Rashid Shaheed added a 28-yard touchdown run, and Seattle led 20-6 at the break. Herbert was 5-of-14 for 36 yards in the first half with a passer rating of 4.8, and the Chargers managed just 92 yards of offense before intermission.
“I can’t do that and can’t turn the ball over like that,” Herbert said. “Just have to be more careful with it.”
Through four games Herbert has six interceptions and has been sacked 12 times. According to NFL.com, he is the first Chargers quarterback to open a season that way since Ryan Leaf in 2000.
Bolts Show Some Fight
Seattle opened the second half with an eight-play, 68-yard drive that Darnold capped with a six-yard touchdown pass to Tory Horton, pushing the lead to 27-6. From there, the Chargers finally found a rhythm.
Herbert hit Kimani Vidal on a nine-yard shovel pass for a touchdown to make it 27-13. After a Seattle field goal, Los Angeles put together a nine-minute drive that ended with Omarion Hampton’s two-yard scoring run. Dicker’s 36-yard field goal with 2:14 left pulled the Chargers within 30-23.
The defense got one more stop, and the Chargers had the ball back with 1:42 to play. But Herbert was sacked and fumbled, Seattle recovered, and that was the game.
Herbert finished 19-of-31 for 189 yards and a touchdown. Hampton led the ground game with 45 yards and a score on nine carries. Los Angeles outscored Seattle 17-10 after halftime.
“I think there were a lot of good things in the second half,” Herbert said.
Herbert took a beating along the way. In the fourth quarter Seattle’s Derick Hall landed on him after a throw and drew an unnecessary roughness flag. Herbert stayed down briefly, then waved off head coach Jim Harbaugh and the trainers who ran out to check on him.
Harbaugh Stands by His Quarterback
Harbaugh was asked afterward why Herbert still has to play “hero ball” two and a half years into the coach’s tenure. He pushed back hard.
“One of the real grittiest performances I’ve been associated with from a quarterback,” Harbaugh said. “I’ve never seen him flinch. I’ve never seen him rattled.”
The coach acknowledged the four sacks were a problem but put that on the rest of the roster.
“The quarterback taking the hits he did, there’s nobody I respect more,” Harbaugh said. “Protecting him is always at the front of the mind.”
Harbaugh also said offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s job is not in jeopardy, and insisted the fight he saw in the second half is what the team will build on.
“We’ll take this team and keep fighting, keep growing,” he said. “That’s what we’re going to do.”
Broncos Up Next
The Chargers return to SoFi Stadium on Sunday to face AFC West rival Denver (2-2). Kickoff is 1:05 p.m. on CBS. Kansas City sits atop the division at 4-0, with Las Vegas at 3-1.
At 0-4, the Bolts are running out of room. A home win over the Broncos would be a start.