SEATTLE (AP) - Jahleel Addae saw Russell Wilson’s pass coming in his direction. He didn’t see David Moore running open behind him in the back of the end zone, and as the pass floated past, Addae reached out his right arm as far as he could.
“I got my last fingernail on it,” Addae said. “I barely snipped it.”
Another last-second challenge for the Los Angeles Chargers defense. Another victory for the surging Chargers, holding off Wilson’s late rally for a 25-17 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
The Chargers won their fifth straight, putting a capper on Philip Rivers’ 200th consecutive start with another clutch defensive stand. Rivers threw two touchdowns, Melvin Gordon ran for 113 yards, yet those two were standing on the sideline watching after a pass interference call against Michael Davis on the final play of regulation gave Seattle an untimed down and a chance to force overtime.
And just like they did in London when the Chargers denied Tennessee’s 2-point conversion attempt to preserve a 20-19 win, the defense came through again.
“It shouldn’t have come down to that but it did,” Rivers said. “We found a way to win. These kinds of wins are huge.”
Rivers threw touchdown passes of 12 yards to Tyrell Williams and 30 yards to Mike Williams, and let the Chargers defense stymie Wilson until the final minutes. Seattle had won four of five following a 0-2 start.
Desmond King provided the deciding points for Los Angeles (6-2) by stepping in front of Wilson’s pass for Moore and returning it 42 yards for a touchdown with 6:44 remaining to give the Chargers a 25-10 lead.
Wilson managed to make the final minutes nervous for Los Angeles.
“We had a chance to win a game that’s right there for us,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “It was going to be dramatic, but we’re OK about that.”
Wilson hit Nick Vannett on a 6-yard TD with 1:50 remaining to cut the Chargers’ lead to one score. Seattle got the ball back with 1:24 left at its own 22 and after two completions and a roughing the passer penalty on Melvin Ingram, the Seahawks were at the Chargers 44 with 50 seconds left. Wilson scrambled for 16 yards to the Chargers 28 and, after a spike, Seattle had 30 seconds left.
Seattle (4-4) got a break when Davis was called for pass interference in the end zone on the final play of regulation against Tyler Lockett, putting the ball at the 1 for an untimed down. Seattle’s J.R. Sweezy was called for false start backing the play up to the 6, and Wilson’s final attempt for Moore in the back of the end zone was partially tipped by Addae and fell incomplete.
“It’s like winning a playoff game,” Chargers defensive lineman Brandon Mebane said. “That was like a playoff game.”
Wilson was 26 of 39 for 235 yards, and threw a 10-yard TD pass to Jaron Brown on Seattle’s opening drive.
Rivers became the fourth quarterback in league history to start 200 straight games, joining Brett Favre, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning. Favre started an NFL-record 297 straight times in the regular season. This wasn’t like his 2010 performance in Seattle when Rivers threw for 455 yards, but he made key throws at important times, especially in the first half. The Chargers averaged 10 yards per play in the first half and scored touchdowns on three of their five possessions, the last one taking just 55 seconds to find the end zone on a 30-yard catch-and-run by Mike Williams.
Gordon averaged 7.1 yards per carry and ran through huge holes in the second half. His 34-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter gave him 34 TDs in his past 36 games after going scoreless in his first 14 games.
Seattle also didn’t have answers for Keenan Allen, who had 124 yards on six receptions.
“It’s great, any time we can go on the road, loudest place in the league and get a win the way we did,” Allen said. “I thought it was dominating, outside the points we missed, but pretty great.”
INJURIES
Carson didn’t play much after the first quarter, spending most of the time on the sideline with a wrap on his upper left leg due to a hip injury. Carson had 40 yards on eight carries before going to the bench. … Seattle played the second half without starting strong safety Bradley McDougald due to a knee injury. He had been questionable on the final injury report. … Guard D.J. Fluker injured a leg in the fourth quarter.
REMEMBERING PAUL
Seattle played a lengthy tribute video honoring owner Paul Allen who died on Oct. 15 due to complications from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. They also had a moment of silence for Allen and had the “12 Flag” that’s raised before every game lowered to half-staff.
Seattle also had logos added to the field reading “PGA” similar to the patches the team had added to its uniforms.
“We love the spirit that he stood for,” Carroll said. “He affected all of us… his wisdom and his charity and his love for this area.”
KICKING WOES
Chargers kicker Caleb Sturgis might be looking for a new job after missing two extra points and a 42-yard field goal attempt. Sturgis is the first kicker with a missed extra point and missed field goal in three straight games since Raiders kicker Jim Breech in 1979.
UP NEXT
Chargers: Travel to Oakland to face the Raiders.
Seahawks: At NFC West foe Los Angeles Rams.
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