SEATTLE -- Fourteen penalties for a franchise-record 150 yards had the Seattle Seahawks using words such as "pissed" and "unacceptable" after their 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at Lumen Field.
The issue wasn't just the volume but also the timing and severity. Seven of them were 15-yard infractions, with four of those coming on Chargers scoring drives.
It cast a pall on a victory -- Seattle's ninth straight at home -- that got the Seahawks to 3-1 on the heels of their first loss since last November.
"To have seven personal foul penalties is unacceptable on any level, however you slice it," coach Mike Macdonald said. "That's not us and that's not going to be how we play football around here."
The Seahawks' 14 penalties were actually two fewer than the Chargers (0-4) committed, with 16 for 130 yards. Seattle's 150 penalty yards topped the previous single-game club record of 148, which was set in a 2018 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers. According to ESPN Research, that was also the last time the Seahawks had at least 14 penalties in a game.
The franchise record remains 17.
"Pissed," said linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who had an interception, a sack and a game-high 12 tackles. "I think we're all collectively kind of pissed. In this league, you can't extend drives for offenses, and we did that a hell of a lot today. We'll address it as a defense tomorrow. We'll get it fixed going into next week."
Six of Seattle's penalties came on defense, and five of those were 15-yard infractions.
The Seahawks were about to take a 20-3 lead into halftime when safety Nick Emmanwori head-butted a Chargers player after a first-down stop as time was winding down, drawing a penalty for unnecessary roughness. That stopped the clock and moved Los Angeles into range for 39-yard field goal that made it 20-6.
On the Chargers' first touchdown drive of the second half, cornerback Devon Witherspoon was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a tackle out of bounds. A face mask penalty on Emmanwori extended that same drive, negating a third-down stop.
Roughing the passer penalties on outside linebackers DeMarcus Lawrence and Derick Hall negated third-down stops on the following Chargers drive, which also ended with a touchdown.
The Seahawks led by as many as 21 points in the second half. They had the Chargers on the ropes -- having forced quarterback Justin Herbert into dropback mode in a loud stadium, with No. 1 receiver Ladd McConkey (foot) and right tackle Joe Alt (neck) on the sideline. Los Angeles would lose two more starting offensive linemen in the second half.
But after Herbert led three straight scoring drives, the game wasn't over until Hall recovered outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu's strip sack with just under a minute left.
"We were off the field multiple times and we got penalties, so it's cut-and-dry," Macdonald said of why it took so long to put the game away. "That's not how we're going to do business. That's not how we're going to play. It's unacceptable."
The Seahawks' 21 accepted penalties over the first three games were tied for 12th fewest in the NFL. The 30 combined penalties on Sunday tied for the second most in a game in Seahawks history.
Jones felt some of them were a function of how officials were calling the game.
"Anything they seen, they were just on it," he said. "Then a couple of those penalties -- if you slow everything down, every play has a penalty in it, but in the moments you're on the field it doesn't always feel like a guy's out of bounds. Or with roughing the passer, I think you get two steps, and it doesn't always feel like you took your two steps or you didn't take your two steps. It's part of the game. We'll fix it, though."
Five of Seattle's penalties came on offense, including an unnecessary roughness on fullback Brady Russell.
"A lot to improve on today," said wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who caught five passes for 76 yards. "Happy we got the win, but we ... want to be cleaner. We want to stay in front of the sticks, not get behind the sticks. I have to watch the film, but there's a lot to clean up from today."
The Seahawks host the 49ers (4-0) next Sunday at Lumen Field. Before they turn their focus to their division rivals, Macdonald said they'll have some frank conversations.
"This is going to be a through-not-around type of next 24 to 48 hours on how we address the penalties," Macdonald said. "I look forward to moving forward. We've got a big week ahead of us. Guys are excited. They played extremely hard, played together and they did enough to win the game, so we're thankful for that."