Seahawks Throw the Chargers for a Loss, 33-7 : Largent, Joiner Each Set NFL Records in Kingdome’s ‘Night of the Receiver’

It was the night of the wide receiver.

At the Kingdome Monday night, the game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers was stopped when Seattle’s Steve Largent set an NFL record by catching a pass in his 128th straight game.

And it was stopped again when San Diego’s Charlie Joiner surpassed the NFL record of 11,834 receiving yards.

But the most dramatic slowdown of all came when San Diego had the ball. The Chargers, whose offense had been idling for the past three games, again were shut down.

The resulting 33-7 loss left the Chargers with a 1-4 record and dropped them into last place in the AFC West.

A 14-point blitz in a 13-second span of the third quarter by the Seahawks, along with five second-half turnovers by the Chargers, was all it took.

Seattle, meanwhile, is 4-1 and in second place in the AFC West, a game behind the Denver Broncos.

Two fumbles by running back Lionel (Little Train) James contributed to the Chargers’ undoing. The Seahawks followed up by twice picking on San Diego cornerback Wayne Davis for touchdowns.

Seattle quarterback Dave Krieg threw scoring passes of 46 yards to Byron Franklin and 15 yards to Largent as the Seahawks opened a 23-7 lead in the third quarter.

The Charger offense, which Miami Dolphin Coach Don Shula last month called called the most sophisticated he had ever seen, slumped to new depths by failing to score in four tries from the Seattle four in the same quarter.

Quarterback Dan Fouts, playing with a broken nose, remained in what is perhaps the worst slump of his 14-year career. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 231 yards, but hewas intercepted three times, and was unable to generate any consistency in the San Diego offense.

The record book took a beating from Largent and Joiner.

Largent shattered Harold Carmichael’s record for consecutive games with a reception. He had tied the record last week against the Washington Redskins and surpassed it by running a 14-yard slant in the second period.

Joiner, who has more catches than any receiver in history but fears being overtaken by Largent in 1987, became the career receiving yardage leader on a 20-yard catch in the third quarter. The record had been held by Don Maynard.

Largent, for one, was glad to get the record out of the way.

“It feels like a big relief,” he said.

“We tried to get it over in the first quarter, but they had some coverages we hadn’t seen so we didn’t connect early.”

The Chargers, working with a slightly simplified game plan light on the usual shifting, took a 7-0 first quarter lead on a one-yard run by Buford McGee. That was to be the extent of their offense.

After the Seahawks drove 68 yards, their kicker, Norm Johnson, made a 29-yard field goal from almost precisely the same spot Rolf Benirschke missed, and it was 7-3 early in the second quarter. It was the first of four field goals for Johnson, who tied a team record.

Largent’s record-breaking catch, a 14-yard gain with Davis covering, came with 10:42 remaining in the half. The crowd gave him a standing ovation, and Carmichael went on the field to shake his hand.

As the Seahawks moved into position for a 30-yard Johnson field goal late in the half, Largent also moved past former Charger receiver Lance Alworth and took over fourth place on the all-time yardage list.

Johnson tied the club record when he kicked a 54-yard field goal that gave Seattle a 9-7 lead in the third quarter.

The wave was rolling through the Kingdome when Joiner made a 20-yard catch with 9:49 left in the quarter to break Maynard’s record.

Moments after the crowd settled down, James fumbled at midfield and Eugene Robinson recovered for Seattle.

Krieg then lofted a 46-yard throw to Franklin, who grabbed the ball out of the grasp of Davis as the players ran full speed into the end zone. The Seahawks now enjoyed a 16-7 lead.

The next 13 seconds buried the Chargers.

James fumbled Johnson’s kickoff and Eric Lane recovered at the 15.

The Seahawks again picked on Davis, with Largent beating the Charger corner this time for a 23-7 lead.