Seahawks vs. Chargers game thread
Published 5:18 pm Sunday, September 26, 2010
Leon Washington. Wow.
So, apparently that broken leg of Leon Washington’s is just fine. He returned a kickoff for a 99-yard score to give the lead back to Seattle after San Diego had tied it. That’s his second kickoff return for a touchdown this afternoon.
And after giving up some huge chunks of yards, the Seahawks defense stopped the Chargers with an assist to some Chargers’ penalties. Now it will be up to the offense to run some time off the clock.
Seahawks settle for a FG, now lead 20-12
An Earl Thomas interception gave the Seahawks another chance to add to the lead, but all the Seahawks could manage was a field goal, making it 20-12. That’s five trips inside the 10-yard line with only 13 offensive points to show for it. Or, to put it another way, the Seahawks have forced four turnovers, and only have 13 offensive points to show for it. Not a good job by the offense to take advantage of its chances today.
Chargers chipping away at the lead
Seattle still has the lead, but it’s now 17-12 after three quarters. Matt Hasselbeck was sacked in the end zone for a safety to make it 17-9, then the Chargers used the ensuing possession to get a field goal. The defense has been pretty solid so far, but the offense needs to get a drive going here to give them a break.
Wild start to the second half
It’s 17-7 after the Seahawks and Chargers traded quick touchdowns to open the second half. Leon Washington, whose 2009 season ended with a broken leg, returned a kickoff 101 yards, the longest return in team history, to start off the half, then the Chargers answered with a four-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.
Seahawks lead 10-0 at half, but it could be more
The Seahawks have a 10-0 lead after one half, but have to feel like they should be up by quite a bit more thanks to a fumble and some bad clock management.
Following a San Diego turnover, The Seahawks appeared to have a 42-yard touchdown, but Deion Branch fumbled on his way into the end zone, and since the ball went through the back of the end zone, it was a touchback.
Seattle got the ball back and scored on a 9-yard pass to John Carlson, then got a fumble on the ensuing kickoff. After a pass to the 2-yard-line, Seattle tried to run the ball, then get the field goal unit on before the end of the half (the Seahawks were out of timeouts) but time ran out. Even worse, the one-yard run gained a first down, so the offense could have stayed on the field and spiked the ball.
Certainly a 10-point halftime lead is a good thing for the Seahawks, but if they don’t win, they’ll regret those points left on the field late in the first half.
Big hit by Hawthorne
David Hawthorne is known as “Heater” for his big hits, and he lived up to the nickname in a big way on San Diego’s last drive, popping Mike Tolbert to cause a fumble, which Red Bryant recovered (his second of the game). Seattle now has the ball and is driving late in the second quarter. It would be huge for the Seahawks if they can turn this into points following what appeared to be a good scoring chance for the Chargers.
Seahawks take a 3-0 lead
After a scoreless first quarter, the Seahawks came out with a pair of big plays to start the second quarter. First, Justin Forsett broke into the San Diego secondary for a 28-yard run, and on the next play Matt Hasselbeck connected with John Carlson for 37 yards to give Seattle first-and-goal from the 10-yard line. Seattle couldn’t punch it in, however, and had to settle for a 23-yard Olindo Mare field goal.
Seahawks can’t capitalize on early turnover
After focusing on winning the turnover battle all week, Seattle got a takeaway on the first possession of the game. The bad news for the Seahawks, however, was that they went three-and-out following the fumble. To make matters worse, the punt coverage team managed to knock the ball into the end zone for a touchback when it should have been downed inside the five.
The Seahawks and Chargers will kick things off in an hour, and so far the rain is staying away from Qwest Field. That may be good news for fans in the stadium, but some nasty weather might favor Seattle today.
As expected, Chargers starting RB Ryan Matthews is out with an ankle injury. Two starting linebackers, Stephen Cooper and Larry English, are also out with injuries. Seattle won’t have RB/FB Quinton Ganther (knee). That should mean more playing time for Michael Robinson.
Also, all five receivers are active, which doesn’t come as a surprise after Golden Tate’s impressive debut in Denver last week.
Here are today’s inactives
Seahawks: CB Nate Ness, RB Quinton Ganther, LB Leroy Hill, G Evan Dietrich-Smith, T/G Chester Pitts, T Russell Okung, TE Anthony McCoy, DE E.J. Wilson.
Chargers: RB Ryan Mathews, OLB Larry English, ILB Stephen Cooper, DT Cam Thomas, T Adam Terry, DE/DT Vaughn Martin, OLB Jyles Tucker. J.T. O’Sullivan will serve as the No. 3 QB.
