The Los Angeles Chargers battled but ultimately fell to 0-4 on Sunday afternoon as they lost to the Seattle Seahawks 30-23.
The Los Angeles Chargers took on the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday afternoon, with the Chargers hoping to come out on top and earn their first victory this season. In this game, the Chargers fought, and the result ended with the Seahawks being able to secure the victory by a score of 30-23.
On that note, let's take a look at what unfolded in this game and what helped the Seahawks to come out with a win over the Chargers.
On the first possession of the game, the Chargers did not start off well, as on the first play, quarterback Justin Herbert was intercepted by Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas.
Immediately following the interception, Seattle gave the ball right back as quarterback Sam Darnold threw an interception to Chargers edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu.
After that, the Chargers were able to put together a good drive that ended with kicker Cameron Dicker hitting a 30-yard field goal to put Los Angeles up 3-0.
Then the Seahawks were forced to punt, however, Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis ended up muffing the punt, and it was recovered by Seattle linebacker Connor O'Toole to give the Seahawks the ball right back.
Following the punt, Seattle was able to take advantage as on the first play of the drive Darnold completed a short pass to running back Emmanuel Wilson that went 23 yards and into the end zone to give the Seahawks a 7-3 lead.
After the Seattle touchdown, both offenses stalled as the Chargers punted on their next four possessions and the Seahawks punted on their next three possessions.
Then, following the seven straight punts, the Seahawks were able to get going as Darnold marched Seattle down the field with the drive ending in a 28-yard rushing touchdown for wide receiver Rasheed Shaeed, which allowed the Seahawks to take a 13-3 lead as kicker Jason Meyers missed the extra point.
On the next drive, the Chargers punted again which was then followed by a Seahawks punt.
The Chargers then tried to make something happen offensively at the end of the half, but Herbert was intercepted by Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV, and as a result, Seattle was set up with great field position.
After the interception, the Seahawks were able to capitalize as Wilson ran it in from eight yards out for his second touchdown of the day to extend the Seattle lead to 20-3.
Then, on the final drive of the first half, the Chargers were able to move the ball effectively and benefited from a Seahawks' personal foul as Los Angeles had a solid drive that ended in Dicker hitting a 39-yard field goal to cut the lead to 20-6.
Following halftime, the Seahawks started with the ball and drove right down the field and to finish the drive, quarterback Sam Darnold threw a six yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tory Horton to extend the lead to 27-6 in favor of Seattle.
After the Seattle score, the Chargers put together a solid drive to move the ball down the field which ended in a score as Herbert threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to running back Kimani Vidal to trim the lead to 27-13.
The Seahawks were then able to respond as they drove down the field and initially settled for a 53-yard field goal which Meyers missed, but due to a personal foul the drive was extended, however, Seattle was unable to get in the end zone so they sent Meyers out again and he hit a 35-yard field goal to go up 30-13.
With Seattle now up 17, the Chargers needed a response, and they got it as they marched down the field with a balanced attack, and when they got in close, running back Omarion Hampton had a two-yard rushing touchdown to cut the Seahawks' advantage to 30-20.
Following that, the Seahawks chewed some clock and then punted, which pinned the Chargers deep in their own territory.
After being pinned deep, the Chargers were able to put together a great drive highlighted by a very impressive 44-yard throw from Herbert to wide receiver Quentin Johnston on fourth and seven which extended the drive. Los Angeles was unable to score a touchdown on the drive, however the drive did end in points as Dicker hit a 36-yard field goal to trim the deficit to 30-23.
Then Los Angeles kicked the ball deep and was able to get a stop against Seattle, but there was a personal foul on defensive tackle Justin Eboigbe. However, the Chargers were able to get the stop and forced a punt, but Los Angeles had to use all of their timeouts.
With the ball, the Chargers needed to go down and score and they were moving the ball, but on the third play of the drive Herbert was strip-sacked by Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and edge rusher Derrick Hall recovered the fumble which essentially ended the game as the Chargers had already used all three timeouts.
Following the fumble, Darnold kneeled the ball down twice for the Seahawks and Seattle was able to finish off a 30-23 victory over Los Angeles.
As a result of the loss, the Chargers now fall to 0-4 while the Seahawks improve to 3-1 on the season.
Heading into next week, Los Angeles has to find a way to get a win, because if they don't, this season really could be in jeopardy, and the Chargers may be at risk of not only missing the playoffs but also having one of the worst records in the entire league.
