Notes from the Nest: Seahawks dominate in Week 7, take NFC West lead

The Seahawks got their signature win of the season so far, and the vibes are high! Heading on the road (lol) to play the Los Angeles Chargers was a big challenge. Yes, the Chargers haven’t looked like the potential Super Bowl threat most predicted of them, but they are still a playoff threat, and this was an important game to identify where this Seahawks team currently is, and where they’re going.

The answer? A resounding and dominant 37-23 victory that shows this team may be a legitimate threat to win the NFC West. Which, of course, would shock the world.

This was an absolutely wild game, full of big plays, scoring runs by each team, and some scary injuries. Above all, the most important note from this game that I take is the fact that this Seahawks defense may be legit, like top ten overall defense legit.

Nest notes for Week 7:  The Seahawks are sealing the rush defense leak

The score is misleading. Yes, the Chargers scored 23 points, but one touchdown came from an offensive turnover that gave LA the ball at Seattle’s 33-yard line. The Charger’s third touchdown of the game came with just over three minutes left after the Seahawks were up 37-16 and had put the game away. The Seahawks, in LA against Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler, held them to one legitimate touchdown drive.

The defense set the tone for the game early. After Geno threw an interception 90 seconds into the game, the defense held firm and stuffed the Chargers, forcing a turnover on downs. They didn’t give up a first down, and laid the wood on back-to-back short yardage runs on 3rd and 4th down. Not only did this flip the momentum back to Seattle, who’d score a touchdown 4 minutes later, but it scared the Chargers from running the football.

The Chargers ran for only 53 yards on 15 carries. This is a huge improvement from what we have seen against Denver, Detroit, and New Orleans when the Seahawks run defense couldn’t stop anyone from running over them.