Seahawks 30, Chargers 23: Four Takeaways, Too Many Flags

October 4, 2026 - Seattle - Cameron Dicker had just made 40. The Chargers led 3-0. Then Derius Davis muffed a punt, Connor O'Toole fell on it, and Sam Darnold flipped a screen 23 yards to Emanuel Wilson. Eight seconds of offense. Lead they never gave back.

The Seattle Seahawks beat the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 at Lumen Field. Seattle is 3-1. Los Angeles is 0-4. Wilson ran 21 times for 81 and a score and caught three for 39 and another. The Dark Side took the ball four times. The flags nearly gave it back.

20-6, then the penalty tax

Wilson's 23-yard catch made it 7-3. In the second quarter Rashid Shaheed, now in Seattle, ran 28 yards. Jason Myers missed the extra point wide right. 13-3. Drake Thomas intercepted Justin Herbert. Two plays, 20 yards, Wilson from 8. 20-3. Dicker hit 39 as the half expired. 20-6.

The Seahawks' site says Jones added the second pick in that stretch. ESPN's scoring list matches the touchdowns: Shaheed 28-yard run, Wilson 8-yard run. A Chargers wrap listed Wilson's second score as 88 yards. nflverse and ESPN both have 8 yards on 21 carries for 81. We are using the box.

Darnold found Tory Horton from 6 to open the third. 27-6. Herbert answered 81 yards later, Kimani Vidal from 9. 27-13. Myers from 35. 30-13. Then the 15-yarders piled up. Seattle was flagged 14 times for 150 yards, a franchise high in penalty yards, per the club. Los Angeles was flagged 16 times for 130. Combined: 30 flags, 280 yards.

Omarion Hampton scored from 2 after 16 plays and 85 yards. 30-20. Dicker from 36 with 2:14 left. 30-23. A personal foul helped Seattle move a first down on the next series. Herbert still got the ball back. Uchenna Nwosu stripped him. Derick Hall recovered. Game.

Herbert's night and the death zone

Herbert went 19 of 31 for 189 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, four sacks. Darnold was 13 of 22 for 168, two scores, one pick, three sacks. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught five for 76. Rashid Shaheed had the 28-yard run, two carries for 33, and one catch for 20. Tre Harris led the Chargers with three catches for 60.

Ernest Jones finished with a sack, an interception, six solo tackles, and six assists. Nick Emmanwori added a sack and eight solos. Byron Murphy II had a sack. Khalil Mack had a sack and four solos for Los Angeles. Nwosu called the last stop the death zone. Mike Macdonald called the personal fouls unacceptable.

Tory Horton's 6-yard catch was his only reception. Cameron Dicker went 3-for-3 on field goals (40, 39, 36) and 2-for-2 on extra points. Myers missed the PAT after Shaheed and later made 35. Omarion Hampton ran nine times for 45 and the 2-yard score. Keaton Mitchell had 10 for 39 and five catches for 24. Kimani Vidal added five rushes for 25 and the 9-yard catch. Quentin Johnston's one catch went 44 yards. The Chargers had 301 yards. Seattle had 286. Takeaways decided it, not the yardage.

Seattle scored 30 for a third straight game, the first time it had done that since 2020, per the club's numbers wrap. Wilson finished with 120 scrimmage yards and two scores. Before Sunday, Smith-Njigba had accounted for six of Seattle's nine touchdowns. Four different players scored this time.

The Chargers outscored Seattle 17-10 after halftime and 10-0 in the fourth. They still left 0-4 because two of Seattle's touchdown drives covered 25 yards or less after takeaways. Herbert was sacked by four different players. Macdonald called the 3-1 start something to be grateful for and the personal fouls something to clean in 24 to 48 hours. San Francisco visits Lumen next. Denver visits the Chargers.

AthX Engine on a four-takeaway card

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 4 lines in. Jones' sack and pick land at 54.00, the top total in this game. Wilson is 43.50. Tuli Tuipulotu is 39.00. Emmanwori is 36.50. Seattle's team line is 74.25.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Seahawks defense that can sack and intercept in the same game, and for a Chargers club that has not won. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Jones, Darnold, Smith-Njigba, Herbert, and both clubs on the marketplace. The 49ers visit Seattle on Oct. 11. Denver visits the Chargers that afternoon.

*Sources: ESPN game page, Seahawks rapid recap, Seahawks numbers wrap, Chargers club wrap. Chargers recap listed Wilson's second touchdown as 88 yards and the last Dicker kick as 35; ESPN and nflverse list an 8-yard Wilson run and a 36-yard field goal. AthX Engine Week 4 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*