The Los Angeles Chargers lose to the Seattle Seahawks 37-23. Geno Smith completed 20 of 27 passes for 210 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Kenneth Walker had 23 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns. Smith came in the game leading the league in NFL completion percentage at 73.4% and continued his stellar play. On the other hand, Justin Herbert could not get a rhythm and the Chargers offense did not have the juice they needed to win.
Chargers First Half
Seahawks started the game with the ball. Kenneth Murray intercepts Geno Smith on the first drive of the game. This would be the first INT of Kenneth Murray’s career. Asante Samuel also had great coverage on the play. Charges were unable to capitalize on the turnover getting stopped on fourth and one.
The Seahawks move the ball down the field on the next drive. Geno Smith would find Marquise Goodwin the back of the endzone for a 20 yard touchdown to give the Seahawks a 7-0 lead
Justin Herbert throws an interception on an attempted pass to DeAndre Carter in the middle of the field. Seattle was able to capitalize on the interception. Rookie running back Kenneth Walker the scores a touchdown to give Seahawks and 14-0 first quarter lead.
The Seahawks kicked another field goal to take a 17-0 lead after a fumble by Justin Herbert. The Chargers would answer on the next offensive drive with Austin Ekeler finishing the drive with the touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-7
Chargers defense steps up on the next drive. Seahawks WR Dee Eskridge fumbles a pitch and Khalil Mack comes up with the recovery. Los Angeles was able to convert this turnover into points. Herbert threw a short pass to Mike Williams and he did the rest to get in the endzone. It was now a one score game at 17-14.
Chargers defense forces a punt on the next drive. Unfortunately, the offense is unable to move the ball. Geno Smith gets the ball to the red zone right before the two minute warning. He then finds Marquise Goodwin for this second TD of the day.
JC Jackson was also injured on the play, holding his right knee when he went down. He would have to get carted off the field. Chargers would go into halftime down 24-14
Chargers Second Half
The third quarter was stagnant for the Los Angeles offense. Furthermore, Seattle dominated the time of possession. They were able to sustain a drive for over eight minutes and kick another FG to extend their lead to 27–14.
Special teams and defense stepped up big in the fourth quarter. A good punt and great punt coverage put Seattle at their own 2 yard line. On the very next play Sebastian Joseph-Day stuffs Kenneth Walker in the backfield which results in a safety. It is now an 11 point game at 27-16
Safety for the @Chargers! 🙏
— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
📺: #SEAvsLAC on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/HyjkGpXIek pic.twitter.com/bacxFLiPXK
Seattle gets a field goal in the next drive to extend the lead to 30-16. Charges make a drive to around midfield until they came up a yard short on fourth down on a pass to Mike Williams. It looked like Mike Williams was injured on the play as he had to be helped to the sideline
Rookie Kenneth walker would add to his great performance by essentially putting the game away on a 74 yard touchdown run. This gave Seattle a 21 point lead and now the score is 37 -16. Chargers run defense is still having issues as seen in the video below
KENNETH. WALKER. TO. THE. HOUSE. 🏠
— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
📺: #SEAvsLAC on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/HyjkGpXIek pic.twitter.com/znsicu868r
The Chargers would generate another drive late in the game. Justin Herbert finds Austin Ekeler on fourth and goal for a touchdown with three minutes and 22 seconds left. Austin Ekeler had 12 catches for 97 yards and two scrimmage touchdowns
The Seahawks would ice the game on the next drive converting third down on a tough run by Deejay Dallas. This allowed them to run the clock out. The final score score of the game was 37-23
Much needed BYE
The Chargers will go into the bye at 4-3 on the season and currently second place in the AFC West. JC Jackson has a dislocated kneecap and is expected to be sidelined for six-eight weeks. Mike Williams suffered a ankle injury and did not finish the game. Adjustments will need to be made to couther the losses of key contributors. Los Angeles will need to use this time to get as healthy as possible to make a run in the second half of the season.