Seahawks Win Despite Record Penalties

Too Many Flags

The Seattle Seahawks won their ninth straight home game on Sunday by defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23 at Lumen Field. The victory brought Seattle to a 3-1 record. However, the win was overshadowed by a massive number of infractions. Seattle committed 14 penalties for a franchise record of 150 yards. The timing proved especially frustrating for the coaching staff, as seven of those calls were 15 yard infractions, with four helping Los Angeles score points.

Coach Mike Macdonald did not hide his frustration after the game. He stated that having seven personal foul penalties is unacceptable on any level and does not represent how the team plays football. Linebacker Ernest Jones IV added that the players were all collectively pissed about extending drives for opposing offenses.

Defensive Mistakes

Six of Seattle penalties came on the defensive side, and five of those were 15 yard infractions. Right before halftime, a penalty for unnecessary roughness stopped the clock and allowed the Chargers to kick a field goal. In the second half, additional penalties for unnecessary roughness, a facemask, and roughing the passer repeatedly negated third down stops and allowed Los Angeles to score touchdowns. Macdonald pointed out that the team was off the field multiple times but kept giving the opponent new life through mistakes.