Seahawks vs. Chargers: 3 Studs and 2 Duds from 37-23 win

The Seattle Seahawks are above .500 for the first time since Week 1 following their dominant 37-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but the good news doesn’t end there. Don’t look now, but the Seahawks are in first place in the NFC West through seven weeks of play, thanks to a Rams bye and the San Francisco 49ers being blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Seattle scorched their way to an early 17-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Chargers managed to crawl back to cut the lead to 17-14 in the second. Fortunately, the Seahawks went into the half with a 24-14 lead and never looked back. Los Angeles did not threaten from there on out.

It’s fair to say the Seahawks are one of the bigger surprises of the NFL season thus far, having shown themselves to be much more than the bottom feeder many predicted they would be. Given their current standing and state of their immediate rivals, the Seahawks are in the driver’s seat for a division crown.

Here are our studs and duds from Sunday afternoon.

No. 1 Stud – Kenneth Walker III

A star is being molded right before our eyes in the Pacific Northwest. Pressed into service in the wake of Rashaad Penny’s heartbreaking injury, Kenneth Walker impressed in his debut last week.

This week, he was even better.

Walker was nothing short of a force of nature against the Chargers, bulldozing his way to 168 rushing yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. Sunday wasn’t just a good performance for the Michigan State Spartan, it was historic.

Walker joins Seahawks legend Curt Warner as the only two Seattle rookies to have 150+ rushing yards and 2+ touchdowns in a game. For those keeping score at home, Curt Warner is currently a member of Seattle’s Ring of Honor.

No. 2 Stud – Ryan Neal

The Seahawks suffered a stroke of bad luck in Week 1 when Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams was lost for the year. In his place has been Ryan Neal, who has typically played admirably in relief of others. On Sunday, he made the case he should be a long term starter.

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Ryan Neal became a one-man wrecking crew for Justin Herbert and the Chargers passing attack. Neal recorded four pass defenses, seven total tackles, and an interception. He joins rookie Tariq Woolen as the only defenders to pick off an opposing quarterback in the 2022 season.

Neal had two pass defenses in the fourth quarter alone, forcing the Chargers to take more time to score their final touchdown and leaving not enough time on the clock.

No. 1 Dud – Dee Eskridge

In a game like this, it’s hard to find a Dud, but Dee Eskridge did not have the best showing.

Eskridge saw an increased role following DK Metcalf being carted off with a knee injury. Unfortunately, Eskridge’s insertion into the game almost single handily gave all momentum to the Chargers.

Eskridge had a bad fumble out of the backfield which was immediately recovered by Khalil Mack. Six plays later the Chargers scored a touchdown to make it a 17-14 game.

Overall, Eskridge finished the game with one rush for four yards and no receptions on only one target.

No. 2 Dud – Uniform Superstitions

As I have written before on this article series, I am superstitious by nature. When I saw the Seahawks were wearing the uniform combination of white jerseys and gray pants, I got nervous. Going into this game the Seahawks were 2-8 all time with this combination.

Well, what do I know? The Seahawks recorded their third victory in this combination, and have won all three games in convincing fashion, including the last two straight. Their previous victories were a 38-7 win over the Vikings in 2015 and last year’s 33-13 win over Houston.

Although the Seahawks may be on a bit of a roll with this combination, I still think I’d prefer to see them wear other options on the road.

No. 3 Stud – The Defense

The Studs and Duds list is nothing if not fair, and when I’m wrong I own up to my error. I predicted for this game the Chargers would be able to exploit Seattle’s defense and not to expect another performance like they had against Arizona.

Well, the Seahawks didn’t hold an opponent to only three points while logging six sacks and two turnovers again… but I doubt anyone will nitpick holding a vastly superior Chargers offense to only 21 points while recording two more turnovers, three sacks and eight total quarterback hits.

Honestly, the 21 points is a little misleading, as the Chargers only scored their third touchdown with under four minutes to go in the game trailing 37-16. The game was wrapped up and Seattle understandably took their foot off the pedal a little bit. For the majority of this game, the defense suffocated Los Angeles.

Perhaps the Seahawks defense really has turned a corner moving forward.

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Story originally appeared on Seahawks Wire