Ken Walker III, Unlikely Heroes Key Seahawks' Dominant 37-23 Road Win vs. Chargers
Racing out to an early 17-0 lead in the first quarter, the Seahawks fended off an early comeback attempt behind a breakout performance by running back Ken Walker III, putting away the Chargers for a commanding 37-23 road win.
Helping their team move into sole possession of first place in the NFC West with the victory, Geno Smith completed 74 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and Walker raced for a career-best 168 yards, including a 74-yard score to ice the game in the fourth quarter. Safety Ryan Neal intercepted Justin Herbert and Darrell Taylor recovered his own strip sack on the quarterback to lead a rejuvenated Seattle defense.
Securing their first winning streak of the 2022 season, here are five quick takeaways from the Seahawks' upset win in Los Angeles.
1. While he wasn't perfect, Geno Smith needs to be viewed as a legitimate NFL MVP candidate.
Playing his first game back in LA since he played for the Chargers, Smith’s afternoon didn’t start out favorably due to bad luck, as a throw intended for Tyler Lockett was tipped into the air by Asante Samuel Jr. and intercepted by Kenneth Murray on the game’s opening drive. But the Seahawks promptly got a fourth down stop, turning the ball back over to the veteran quarterback, who once again was masterful running Shane Waldron’s offense. After that unfortunate pick, Smith quickly went back to work, moving the pocket for a 22-yard completion to Marquise Goodwin and then hitting the speedy receiver in the back corner of the end zone for a 20-yard touchdown on 3rd and 14. Later in the half, Smith again found Goodwin for a 23-yard touchdown after cornerback J.C. Jackson injured his knee attempting to make a play on the ball, pushing the lead back to 24-14 after the Chargers cut an early 17-point deficit to three points.
While there certainly were a few throws that Smith was fortunate weren’t picked, including a fourth quarter third down out route to Goodwin that Samuel wasn’t quite able to corral, he remained in complete command making plays with his arm and legs. After his first pick, he completed north of 75 percent of his passes with two scores and finished the game nearly averaging eight yards per pass attempt. With another efficient effort to guide a surprisingly potent offense, he has put himself deserving of recognition as a stunning MVP candidate seven weeks in.
2. Two starts into his career, Ken Walker III already has made the superstar jump.
After Rashaad Penny went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5, the Seahawks found themselves in a fortunate situation after investing a second-round pick in Walker in April’s draft. As it turns out, calling it “fortunate” would appear to be one hell of an understatement. After nearly hitting 100 yards last week in a win over Arizona, the dynamic jump-cutting connoisseur ran through and around the Chargers defense, often creating invisible yards when he should have been stopped in the backfield and turning negative plays into positive ones. Aside from his theatrics making short runs exciting, must-see television, he also showcased his explosive tendencies for a third straight week. After scoring from 12 yards out in the first half running hard through the teeth of the defense and powering past the goal line, he put the dagger in a cooked Chargers defense when he took a pitch in the fourth quarter, put his foot on the pedal as he turned the corner behind blocks from tight ends Will Dissly and Noah Fant, and blew past the rest of the defense down the sideline for a 74-yard score to extend the Seahawks advantage to 37-16. Emerging as one of the most dangerous backs in the league anytime the ball is in his hands, a superstar is already in bloom.
3. Clutch situational stops rule the day for a surging Seattle defense.
Dialed in and building off a strong performance against Arizona, the Seahawks came through with several key stops in decisive scenarios to help build a comfortable lead on the road. Right after Smith’s interception, the front line held serve on back to back run plays on third and fourth down, stuffing Austin Ekeler to force a rare four-and-out and immediately make the prior interception moot. On the next two drives, Ryan Neal picked off Justin Herbert and Darrell Taylor recovered his own strip sack, leading to 10 points off turnovers for the visitors. Even after yielding two touchdowns in the second quarter to cut the lead to 17-14, including Herbert finding Mike Williams for a 13-yard touchdown after a fumble by Dee Eskridge deep in Seattle territory, the unit regrouped forcing two punts to close out the first half and getting a quick start on Los Angeles’ opening drive of the third quarter. In the second half, defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt’s group came through again, promptly forcing a three-and-out after Walker was brought down for a safety. At one point in the half, they forced five straight punts, looking nothing like the defense that got gashed for 45 and 39 points earlier in the year by the Lions and Saints.
4. Seattle’s run defense takes another positive step forward limiting Austin Ekeler and company to under 55 yards.
Spearheading the Seahawks’ defensive resurgence over the past two weeks, a suddenly stifling run defense has surfaced. One week after holding the Cardinals running backs to under 2.5 yards per carry, Ekeler couldn’t get much going against a physical, aggressive front seven. While Herbert took off for 22 yards on three garbage time carries when the game was already decided, Ekeler rushed for just 31 yards on nine carries and the Chargers other two backs failed to net any yardage on three carries. Limiting the effectiveness of the run game with the exception of a seven-yard touchdown run by Ekeler, the struggles often put the home team in second and third-and-long situations, allowing Seattle’s pass rushers to pin their ears back and tee off on the quarterback. As a result, the Chargers converted on just five out of 15 third down attempts and went one for three on fourth down, failing to sustain drives most of the afternoon in a dominant effort.
5. Major injuries bring down the mood after an otherwise impressive victory.
Moving into sole possession after a dominant effort on both sides of the football, the Seahawks don't have much to be upset about heading back to the Pacific Northwest. However, the health of star receiver DK Metcalf remains a huge issue moving forward. Exiting in the second quarter on a cart and immediately ruled out after landing on his knee on a second down incompletion, his x-rays came back negative. But while that's good news, he still needs an MRI to ensure he escaped serious injury and coach Pete Carroll couldn't provide a concrete update on his status after the game. Meanwhile, the Chargers lost star cornerback J.C. Jackson to an ugly knee injury and Seahawks linebacker Nick Bellore and guard Phil Haynes each exited in the second half with concussions. In a silver lining, defensive tackle Poona Ford and linebacker Uchenna Nwosu returned to action after leaving briefly with lower body injuries, but if Metcalf misses extended time, that's a huge blow for a team on the upswing.
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