Chargers’ three-game winning streak ends in loss to Seahawks
🏈 Seahawks 37, Chargers 23 — FINAL
The Chargers’ three-game winning streak sputtered to a halt in a 37-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The Seahawks opened a 17-0 lead after one quarter and maintained a double-digit edge the rest of the way.
J.C. Jackson was carted off with a knee injury in the second quarter and wide receiver Mike Williams needed to be helped off the field after sustaining an ankle injury.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen played in the first half, coming back from a hamstring injury, but did not appear in the second half.
The Chargers struggled to stop Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. His 74-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put the game away for Seattle. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith connected on 20 of 27 passes for 210 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert completed on 33 of 51 passes for 293 yards, with two touchdowns and an interception. The Chargers, however, struggled against the NFL’s 31st-ranked rushing defense, with Austin Ekeler held to 31 yards and nine carries. The Chargers were held to 53 total yards rushing.
The Chargers return to action Nov. 6 at Atlanta.
Austin Ekeler scores late touchdown for Chargers
🏈Seahawks 37, Chargers 23 — 3:22 left in the fourth quarter
The Chargers closed to within 37-23 on a one-yard touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Austin Ekeler.
The Chargers have lost cornerback J.C. Jackson (knee) and wide receiver Mike Williams (ankle) to injuries during this game.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen played in the first half, coming back from a hamstring injury, but has not appeared in the second half.
Kenneth Walker III scores 74-yard TD; Mike Williams injured
🏈 Seahawks 37, Chargers 16 — 6:56 left in the fourth quarter
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker scores on a 74-yard touchdown run to extend Seattle’s lead late in the fourth quarter.
The run came one play after Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams had to be helped off the field after sustaining an ankle injury. Williams was carted to the locker room after team trainers helped him to the sideline. He is listed as questionable to return.
Williams is the second high-profile Chargers player to suffer an injury, with cornerback J.C. Jackson being carted off with a knee injury in the second quarter.
Field goal increases Seahawks’ lead in the fourth quarter
🏈 Seahawks 30, Chargers 16 — 9:09 left in fourth quarter
Seattle went up 30-16 on a 50-yard field goal by Jason Myers with 9:09 to go.
The Chargers have been unable to come back as their offense has stalled, punting on its past five possessions.
Facing an early 17-0 deficit, the Chargers have been unable to establish any sort to threat to run the ball. They have 26 rushing yards against a Seahawks team that entered Sunday ranked 31st in run defense.
Troy Reeder and Sebastian Joseph-Day tackle Kenneth Walker III for safety
🏈 Seahawks 27, Chargers 16 — 14:15 left in fourth quarter
The Chargers scored their first points of the second half on a safety, when Sebastian Joseph-Day tackled Kenneth Walker III in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Troy Reeder also was in on the stop, which closed Seattle’s lead to 27-16.
Seahawks extend lead on field goal; is Keenan Allen out?
🏈 Seahawks 27, Chargers 14 — 1:06 left in third quarter
Seattle opened its lead to 27-14 on a 34-yard field goal by Jason Myers with 1:06 remaining in the third quarter.
The Seahawks converted a pair of third downs en route to moving 77 yards in 17 plays, consuming 10 minutes, 20 seconds.
Morgan Fox sacked Geno Smith for a 10-yard loss to stall the drive and force the field goal attempt.
With the drive, Seattle opened a more than nine-minute advantage in time of possession.
Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen did not participate in the team’s opening drive of the second half.
Playing for the first time since the season opener because of hamstring injury, Allen remaining on the sideline. He played extensively in the first half.
Marquise Goodwin scores TD for Seattle; J.C. Jackson carted off
🏈 Seahawks 24, Chargers 14 — 1:40 left in second quarter
The Chargers lost cornerback J.C. Jackson to what appeared to be a significant knee injury late in the first half.
Jackson was trying to defend Seattle wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on a play that resulted in a 23-yard touchdown pass.
After remaining down for several minutes, Jackson was carted off the field.
The Seahawks moved ahead 24-14 on the touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Goodwin.
Justin Herbert connects on 13-yard TD pass to Mike Williams
🏈 Seahawks 17, Chargers 14 — 9:37 left in second quarter
Justin Herbert passed 13 yards to Mike Williams for a touchdown, the Chargers moving to within 17-14 of Seattle with 9:57 remaining in the first half.
The score came on third-and-three and after Herbert hit Williams to convert third-and-seven moments earlier.
The series was set up when Khalil Mack recovered a Seahawks fumble. Wide receiver Dee Eskridge failed to secure a pitch when he was lined up in the backfield.
Austin Ekeler touchdown gets Chargers up on the scoreboard
🏈 Seahawks 17, Chargers 7 — 12:44 left in second quarter
A strong second effort carried Austin Ekeler into the end zone as the Chargers pulled to within 17-7 at the 12:44 mark of the second quarter.
They went 75 yards in eight plays after falling behind by 17 points.
Justin Herbert hit Keenan Allen for 10 yards to convert third-and-six on the play right before Ekeler scored. Ekeler’s touchdown came from seven yards out.
Another Chargers turnover helps Seattle pad its lead
Seahawks 17, Chargers 0 — 1:08 left in the first quarter
Seattle took advantage of a second consecutive turnover by Justin Herbert, moving ahead 17-0 on a 46-yard field goal by Jason Myers.
Herbert had the ball knocked out of his right hand by Seahawks’ linebacker Darrell Taylor for a fumble that Taylor then recovered and returned to the Chargers’ 19-yard line.
After yielding touchdowns on consecutive possessions, the Chargers defense tightened up to force the field goal. Austin Johnson had the biggest play, sacking Geno Smith for a 10-yard loss.
Justin Herbert interception leads to another Seahawks TD
🏈 Seahawks 14, Chargers 0 — 4:17 left in the first quarter
Seattle took advantage of a Justin Herbert interception to score again and go up 14-0 on the Chargers with 4:17 left in the opening quarter.
Herbert was picked off by safety Ryan Neal when he tried to squeeze the ball in over the middle to DeAndre Carter.
After taking over at the Chargers’ 43-yard line, the Seahawks needed only four plays to reach the end zone, Kenneth Walker III scoring on an 12-yard run.
Chargers defensive lineman Jerry Tillery was called for a roughing-the-passer penalty to aid Seattle’s effort.
Geno Smith TD pass gives Seahawks the early lead
🏈 Seahawks 7, Chargers 0 — 7:29 left in the first quarter
Seattle scored the game’s first points on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Geno Smith to Marquise Goodwin.
Goodwin beat cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. to the back corner of the end zone.
The score came on third-and-14 and was one of three third-down conversions during the drive.
Seattle took over after the Chargers failed on fourth-and-one from the Seahawks’ 32-yard line on their opening possession.
For Chargers’ Drue Tranquill, prosperity has been a slow process
He never has been more obvious during his four seasons with the Chargers.
A blur of powder blue and gold, Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill split Denver’s offensive front untouched Monday night and devoured a helpless Russell Wilson.
The blitzing sack ended the Broncos’ final chance in regulation and was the latest glaring highlight for Tranquill in a season during which he has stood out like never before.
At times away from the field — in his most private moments — Tranquill acknowledged that his best, most productive NFL stretch has him feeling more than a little blessed.
Brandon Staley says Chargers are still in J.C. Jackson’s corner as their starter
The tumultuous start to J.C. Jackson’s time with the Chargers will press on Sunday when he returns to the field against Seattle.
Coach Brandon Staley said Wednesday the team plans to keep the struggling cornerback in the starting lineup after Jackson was pulled after the second quarter Monday in a 19-16 overtime victory over Denver.
“There’s a reason why we went and got this guy, because we believe in him,” Staley said. “Just because it hasn’t started, you know, in a Hollywood fashion doesn’t mean it’s not going to end that way.”
Jackson was lifted in favor of Michael Davis after two glaring misplays and a pass interference penalty.
Short-handed Chargers dealing with mystery behind Joshua Palmer’s delayed concussion
When Chargers head coach Brandon Staley met with reporters just before noon Wednesday, he offered injury updates on five players.
Keenan Allen, Corey Linsley, Donald Parham Jr., Joshua Kelley and Dustin Hopkins all were mentioned as Staley consulted a list he carried into his regularly scheduled news conference.
About three hours later, the team’s injury report included Joshua Palmer, who, the Chargers announced, did not practice because of a concussion.
So, what happened during the time gap that — seemingly out of nowhere — sidelined Palmer with something so significant?
Keenan Allen active for Chargers vs. Seahawks
Wide receiver Keenan Allen is active today for the Chargers against Seattle.
The five-time Pro Bowler was questionable because of a hamstring injury that had kept him out since the second quarter of the season opener.
On Friday, coach Brandon Staley indicated that, if Allen was active, he would be on a playing-time restriction given how long he has been out.
The Chargers’ inactives for Sunday: Wide receiver Joshua Palmer (concussion), tight end Donald Parham Jr. (concussion), kicker Dustin Hopkins (hamstring), quarterback Easton Stick, safety JT Woods and defensive lineman Christian Covington.
Chargers eager to fix their red-zone woes vs. Seahawks
The Chargers did something Monday they had never done since Justin Herbert became their starting quarterback in Week 2 of the 2020 season.
They won a game when their offense was limited to fewer than 300 yards.
The Chargers had been 0-4 on such occasions, losing by an aggregate score of 135-47.
Against Denver this week, they survived for a 19-16 overtime victory on a night offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi characterized as “a slog.” The Chargers totaled only 297 yards despite running 83 plays and converting 11 third downs.
“I wish we would have scored more points,” Lombardi said Thursday. “…I think it’s rare that you get that many plays, when you don’t feel like you’re moving the ball.”
Chargers vs. Seahawks: Matchups, how to watch and score prediction
Breaking down how the Chargers (4-2) and the Seattle Seahawks (3-3) match up heading into their game at 1:25 p.m. PDT game on Sunday at SoFi Stadium. The game will be shown on Fox and streamed on NFL+.
When the Chargers have the ball
The running game continues to be an issue for the Chargers, who have failed to top 81 yards in five of their six games. Against Cleveland, they broke out for 238 yards rushing but have been the NFL’s worst running team otherwise. Now Joshua Kelley, who had emerged as the primary backup to Austin Ekeler, is on injured reserve because of a knee ligament sprain.
As for finding encouragement, Seattle’s rush defense has not been good, ranking 31st in the NFL, ahead of only one-win Detroit. Improvement on the ground would figure to help quarterback Justin Herbert’s play-action potential and also boost the offense in the red zone, where the Chargers are scoring touchdowns on only 48% of their trips.
Chargers vs. Seahawks: Betting odds, lines and picks against the spread
The bye week is more important to some teams than others. Given where the Rams currently sit — and maybe more importantly, with how things have looked — a lot of soul-searching and problem solving is taking place during Week 7. The Chargers have won three in a row, however, and they are happy to keep right on playing.
If things go right, the Chargers will head into their Week 8 bye having extended that streak of victories and possibly in first place in the AFC West. They’ll need to beat the Seahawks and get some help from the 49ers, but with the Chargers favored by five points and the Chiefs favored by just 2.5, it could happen.
Seattle Seahawks at Chargers (-5, 50.5)
Is a win truly a win? Is the bottom line all that matters? If so, the Chargers came out of “Monday Night Football” with all that mattered. Those who watched the game, however, had to come away concerned. The running game that found a spark against the Browns looked like a lighter out of butane and Justin Herbert failed to throw a touchdown pass out of 57 attempts.