What an ugly game. I seriously considered sneaking 30 errors – grammatical, factual, what have you – into this story to represent the 30 combined penalties committed by Seattle and Los Angeles in the Seahawks’ 30-23 win on Sunday. But I didn’t think my editor would approve. I doubt Mike Macdonald would either.
Seattle won, which is the important thing. They improved to 3-1 and now can focus on their early-season showdown with NFC West-leading San Francisco next week. With the possible exception of Leonard Williams, it doesn’t appear that the Hawks suffered any significant injuries, which is perhaps more important than the win. We will have to wait to see how serious Williams’ ankle is.
Apart from that, this was not a game for the time capsule. There were some good things, to be sure. And some bad things. We’ll run through several key takeaways quickly and then begin looking forward. No game should be ignored or written off as meaningless. But some games...well, let’s just say it is best not to dwell on some games.
5 takeaways from the Seattle Seahawks ugly win over the Los Angeles Chargers
Seattle’s defensive versatility was on full display
Mike Macdonald made it clear from the moment he arrived that he values athletic versatility. We saw it all over the place on Sunday. Nick Emmanwori, the poster child for this particular trait, was just as likely to line up as a traditional defensive lineman, in a three-point stance, as he was to be at his original position of safety.
Byron Murphy’s sack came when he was lined up at defensive end as well, and not as a B-gap tackle, where he typically plays.
Corners blitzed. Linebackers dropped into deep coverage. It befuddled the Chargers and Justin Herbert for three quarters until they mounted a valiant comeback.
Rashid Shaheed in the backfield
And there was offensive versatility as well. We have been speculating on whether Brian Fleury would begin running Rashid Shaheed out of the backfield since before the season began. Shaheed only carried the ball twice against the Chargers, but this did signal a new type of usage for the receiver.
Of course, he scored a touchdown on his first run, demonstrating the burst and open-field ability that make him such a dangerous kick returner. But his second touch may have been even more interesting, at least projecting ahead.
The long touchdown was a pitch sweep. The second run was a very traditional handoff … the kind of play Jadarian Price or Emanuel Wilson might run. This suggests that Shaheed could really see more snaps as a traditional running back, at least as long as Price remains out.
There was something amiss with Seattle’s defensive interior
Byron Murphy, Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Rylie Mills combined for exactly one tackle. That is almost impossible. That actually may be the most unlikely stat to come out of the game. More unlikely than the 280 yards in combined penalties.
It wasn’t as if they were bad. For most of the game, the interior clogged the middle and generated solid pass pressure. But unlike most games, they seemed to wilt late. Usually, it is the exact opposite. They wear out opponents and grow more dominant as the game goes on.
In the first half, the Chargers ran the ball 15 times for 71 yards. That’s neither good nor bad. In the second half, they ran it 17 times for 76 yards...almost identical numbers. Seattle prides itself on getting better as the game goes on. That did not happen on Sunday.
The running attack is fairly average right now
I won’t harp on what Kenneth Walker did for the Chiefs on Sunday. (OK – I’ll harp for a moment. Walker outran the entire Seahawks team by almost 40 yards.) I understand why John Schneider felt he could not pay Walker what he was worth on the open market.
But with Price out, Seattle’s running attack lacks the explosiveness it needs to make this a truly dangerous offense. I know …they scored 30 points. But that was partly due to insanely bad penalties committed by the Chargers' defense and multiple turnovers.
Emanuel Wilson ran hard. When he returns, Zach Charbonnet will run hard. But until they get Price back, they will lack the danger that Walker provided. His presence changed the way defenses played against Seattle last year.
I would love to see the club settle on either Christian Haynes or Beau Stephens at right guard. I would like even more to see Anthony Bradford return, though I sometimes think I am the only one who feels that way. This team runs better when Bradford is on the field.
A word on penalties…
Not about Seattle committing penalties. Not about the Chargers committing penalties. I’m not going to give either team a pass because I do think everything that was called was defensible. But there’s an old saying that goes, “holding could be called on every single play in the NFL.” Good officials know when to use restraint.
Scott Novak’s crew on Sunday did not exercise that restraint. They seemed eager to show off how well they knew the rules. Even if every flag was the result of a defensible infraction, they did not all have to be called. And it marred the quality of the game in a very real way.
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