Seattle took care of the winless Chargers by intercepting Justin Herbert twice, recovering a muffed punt and a fumble on LA's final drive.
Justin Herbert threw his fifth and sixth interceptions of the season as the Seattle Seahawks turned four total takeaways into a 30-23 win over the LA Chargers Sunday in the Pacific Northwest.
Midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning defense had held Herbert to just 36 passing yards and a quarterback rating less than 10.
Both quarterbacks, in fact, were slow out of the gates. After Herbert's first interception came on the opening play from scrimmage, Seahawks starter Sam Darnold matched it with an interception of his own on Seattle's first play.
Darnold would eventually complete 13 of 22 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Herbert was 19 for 31 passing for 189 yards and a touchdown. Driving late in the fourth quarter looking to tie or take the lead, Herbert fumbled and the Seahawks recovered to send the Chargers to a 0-4 start to the season.
Seattle improves to 3-1 and hosts NFC West rival San Francisco next week.
First Quarter - Both teams trade interceptions, but Chargers' second miscue is more costly
Herbert was intercepted on the Chargers' first play of the opening drive as he targeted Orondre Gadson over the middle. Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas got the pick and the early possession for Seattle.
Then the champs gave the ball right back. Darnold was intercepted on Seattle's first play, a pass left to running back Emmanuel Wilson that went straight to Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu.
LA used the second chance to kick a field goal, then Seattle took advantage of the Chargers' next miscue. Returner Derius Davis muffed Michael Dickson's punt after a 3-and-out, and the Seahawks recovered the live ball. Seattle's next play was a 23-yard touchdown pass from Darnold to Wilson, giving the Seahawks a 7-3 lead.
Second Quarter - Shaheed speeds to touchdown run as Herbert's percentage plummets
Both teams traded punts in the second quarter before Seattle upped its advantage on a 28-yard end-around touchdown by receiver Rasheed Shaheed. Jason Myers' extra point was no good, making the score 13-3.
The Seahawks were tasked with getting creative running the football as first-round rookie Jadarian Price was placed on injured reserve this week with a chest injury. Wilson led the Seahawks in rushing with 81 yards on 21 carries.
Seattle used a 28-yard connection earlier in the drive from Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. It was the All-Pro wide receiver's third catch of the day. He ended with five grabs for 76 yards.
After the field goal early in the first quarter, the Chargers' offense tumbled to 3-and-outs on four of their next five drives - all of which ended in punts.
Linebacker Ernest Jones and the Seattle defense intercepted Herbert for a second time in the first half and, set to receive the second-half kickoff, got back to work with 1:20 left in the period.
Two plays later, Wilson rushed for an 8-yard touchdown and built Seattle's lead to 20-3.
Wary of his inefficiencies with the arm, Herbert used his legs on a 26-yard run to get the Chargers in position to score before halftime. Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori's unnecessary roughness penalty moved the Chargers 15 yards closer and into range for a 38-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker.
Seattle led 20-6 at the break.
Herbert was just 5 of 14 through the air with two interceptions in the first half. He had 36 passing yards (2.6 per attempt) and was sacked twice for a first-half quarterback rating of 4.8.
Third Quarter - Herbert finds the end zone, but Seahawks tack on to the lead
Darnold took the first drive of the second half 68 yards on eight plays, ending in a short touchdown pass to Tory Horton.
Herbert answered by leading LA on an 11-play march capped by a touchdown pass to Kimani Vidal.
Seattle added a field goal to keep its lead at 30-13. Despite playing quite a bit without Darnold, the Seahawks have surpassed 30 points in each of the four games this season.
Fourth Quarter - Chargers' comeback runs out of time
The Chargers pieced together another long drive, but they were working against the clock as the first possession of the fourth quarter milked more than half the final period. Omarion Hampton rushed for a short touchdown at the end of a 16-play possession spanning over 8 and a half minutes.
LA forced a Seahawks punt and added a field goal to make it a one-score game with 10 unanswered points in the quarter.
The Chargers sacked Darnold on second down in the following series, but an unnecessary roughness call gave the Seahawks a fresh set of downs after the 15-yard penalty.
Darnold was sacked again on third down, forcing LA to burn its final timeout with 1:49 remaining in the game.
The Seahawks sealed the win with their fourth takeaway of the game. Herbert was hit and fumbled in the backfield, and Seattle recovered.
