The Seattle Seahawks have started the exhibition season with a defensive 16-3 lead. It may not have been reflected on the scoreboard, or the offensive stat sheet, but the Seahawks absolutely dominated the Los Angeles Chargers, who hardly posed a threat without Justin Herbert against Seattle.

With that in mind, here are the biggest takeaways from the Seahawks’ first win of the 2024 NFL (pre)season.

The Seattle Seahawks may only lead the Los Angeles Chargers by 10 points, but they are dominating outright. Seattle’s defense already looks far improved and has completely stiffled a Chargers offense lacking quarterback Justin Herbert. Primary backup Easton Stick has had no answers, as the Chargers have been held to only three points, three first downs and only 44 total yards.

Seattle struck first on the evening when quarterback Sam Howell found tight end Brady Russell for a 13-yard touchdown. Facing third-and-four, Russell blasted through several Chargers defenders en route to paydirt

The Chargers came up short on Saturday in their first preseason action of the season, losing 16-3 to the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.

The defense produced most of the standout plays, while the offense struggled to gain much momentum until third-string quarterback Luis Perez entered the game with less than five minutes remaining. Jim Harbaugh’s squad will regroup before their second preseason contest next week against the Rams