Week 4: What To Watch For In Chargers Vs Seahawks

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Every week, things seem to get worse for the Los Angeles Chargers. And in this next game, they’re up against the 2025 Super Bowl Champion Seahawks. Below are some things to watch for in Sunday’s matchup: 

If The Chargers’ Offense Can Find Its Rhythm  

The Chargers’ offense seems to be holding back the team. Quarterback Justin Herbert has only one passing touchdown per game over the last three weeks, while there have only been two rushing touchdowns.

Offensive right tackle Joe Alt has six penalties.

Herbert has four interceptions in the last few weeks.

And there have been four drops by receivers across the games.

The lack of offensive progress was very evident during Sunday’s game against Buffalo. During the third quarter, the Chargers got a break after an interception on a first-and-goal, as the Bills’ defense was called for holding, giving them a new set of downs. But then there were two false starts, one by tight end Hayden Rucci on second-and-goal and another by offensive right guard Cole Strange on third-and-goal.

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And when receiver Tre Harris tried to regain the yardage on the replayed third-and-goal, he was stopped short, forcing the Chargers to settle for a field goal.

The offense just hasn’t found its groove. Some of the blame can be placed on the offensive line, some of it on Herbert, but they lost a winnable game against the Bills, and their schedule only gets harder. It remains to be seen if the offense can figure it out, especially against a tough Seahawks defense.

And things may get worse for the Chargers if wide receiver Ladd McConkey can’t play on Sunday, as he appeared on the injury report this week with a foot injury. 

Can The Chargers’ Defense Continue To Force Turnovers? 

Though the Chargers’ defense wasn’t perfect, they clamped down on the Bills quite a bit. The Chargers had three forced fumbles and two interceptions. Linebacker Daiyan Henley recovered two fumbles, one of which was caused by defensive lineman Justin Eboigbe on the Bills’ first drive.

Rookie safety Genesis Smith had the first two interceptions of his NFL career, both on passes meant for Bills wide receiver DJ Moore, including one on a go route where both he and Moore tumbled to the ground, and despite the entanglement, Smith came up with the ball.

Safety Tony Jefferson, who seems to get an interception or recover a fumble whenever he’s in the lineup, also recovered the ball when it was punched out of the hand of Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid by cornerback Tarheeb Still.

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was intercepted twice against the Commanders, so the Chargers’ defense needs to keep up these takeaways to give their struggling offense as many chances as possible. 

Will Seahawks Wide Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba Dominate The Chargers’ Secondary? 

Smith-Njigba just cannot be stopped. With the exception of Week 1, he’s had multiple receiving touchdowns per game, with over 120 receiving yards across three weeks. He also had a handful of contested catches and nine first downs last Sunday.

The Chargers let a few explosive plays get by them when they were in Buffalo, including some large gains from Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman (37 yards) and running back Ty Johnson (16 yards).

Smith-Njigba is way harder to stop than most players, so it will take another big performance from Smith, Still, Jefferson, and others to make sure the Seahawks don’t run away with this game.