The Seattle Seahawks escaped with the result they wanted Sunday. The way they got there left head coach Mike Macdonald with a lot to address.
Seattle defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 at Lumen Field to improve to 3-1, but a game that once appeared headed toward a comfortable Seahawks victory became unnecessarily tense.
Penalties were the primary culprit.
Seattle was flagged 14 times for 150 yards, the latter setting a franchise record, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Seven of those infractions were personal fouls, prompting Macdonald to make his frustration clear afterward.
“To have seven personal foul penalties is unacceptable on any level, however you slice it,” Macdonald said, per Fox 13’s Curtis Crabtree.
Macdonald added that the performance didn’t represent how Seattle intends to play football.
The Seahawks led 27-6 early in the third quarter, the penalty total helped turn a potential runaway into a one-score finish.
Seahawks’ Penalties Nearly Undo Dominant Stretch
The Seahawks spent significant stretches looking like the much better team.
Seattle’s defense created turnovers, the running game produced 138 yards and the Seahawks conjured up a three-touchdown advantage after a touchdown reception by Tory Horton early in the third quarter.
Then the flags kept coming.
The Seahawks’ official postgame recap noted that Seattle committed four 15-yard penalties across the Chargers’ two touchdown drives. Los Angeles eventually trimmed the deficit to seven and regained possession with a chance to tie the game.
Seattle finally slammed the door when Uchenna Nwosu sacked Justin Herbert and forced a fumble that Derick Hall recovered.
That finish prevented Seattle’s lack of discipline from becoming the defining story of a stunning collapse.
The issues started much earlier. Seattle accumulated five penalties for 55 yards in the first quarter alone, according to Seahawks.com.
Nick Emmanwori was among the defenders involved in the costly mistakes, receiving a personal foul late in the first half before being flagged for a facemask on Los Angeles’ opening drive of the third quarter.
Emmanwori finished with nine tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one pass defensed and two quarterback hits in his biggest workload of the season.
Macdonald Has Clear Issue to Fix Before 49ers Matchup
The Seahawks can take away tidbits to think about from this triumph.
Emanuel Wilson rushed for 81 yards and scored twice, including once as a receiver. Rashid Shaheed delivered a 28-yard touchdown run, while Seattle’s defense repeatedly pressured Herbert and generated multiple takeaways.
Still, Macdonald’s postgame comments showed where his attention was headed once the celebration ended.
Seattle conceded 150 yards without the Chargers having to earn them offensively. That type of afternoon is certainly dangerous against stronger opponents, and the Seahawks’ upcoming schedule gives Macdonald grounds to demand improvement.
Seattle’s next divisional test comes against the San Francisco 49ers, a matchup with slim room for self-inflicted damage.
The Seahawks were good enough to overcome it Sunday.
Macdonald clearly doesn’t intend to find out whether they can do it again.
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