Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald didn’t mince words when it was his turn to speak after the team’s 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

Macdonald was furious about the penalties, which totaled a franchise-record 150 penalty yards on 14 fouls. The coach was still upset even after getting the result they wanted at home.

The previous record of 148 yards happened in an overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers in 2018.

The Seahawks’ penalty problems were thankfully overshadowed, to an extent, by their opponent. The Chargers had 16 penalties for 130 yards, and even though their total was lower than the Seahawks’, those penalties came in bigger moments and ultimately helped Seattle get away with their disciplinary issues.

The Seahawks franchise record for most penalties in a game is still 17.

Macdonald stressed that the entire team was pissed, citing how multiple drives were done and finished before penalties kept the Chargers alive. “We were off the field many times,” the coach said.

Multiple players cited their frustration after the game. Players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Ernest Jones IV made it clear they would address it and fix it for next week. The locker room took responsibility after the game.

“This is going to be a through-not-around type of next 24 to 48 hours on how we address the penalties,” said Macdonald.

The team is looking to fix its mistakes and said in interviews that it’s glad it did enough to get the win, so it can fix it without costing it on its record.

The Seahawks play their division rival, the 49ers, next week. The 49ers were the team that held the previous franchise record, as noted above.

Seattle Seahawks running back Ken Walker III missed practice again on Thursday with a calf injury. He is considered “day-to-day” and could miss his second straight week of action.

Head coach Mike MacDonald provided an update on Walker’s condition on Wednesday, saying that tests did not reveal a serious injury. 

“It got more kind of complicated as the week went on, so that’s why we had to do some more tests and stuff, but right now there’s positive signs,” MacDonald said. “So we’ll just say day-to-day … but it’s not long term.”

MacDonald also said that Walker would not necessarily require practice to participate in the team’s game on Sunday. In reality, it would likely be encouraging for the team to see him log some sort of work before giving him his usual workload this week.

An encouraging situation behind Walker may also allow the Seahawks to give their starter an extra week to recover. In Walker’s absence last week, backup running back Zach Charbonnet torched the Arizona Cardinals for 134 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught seven passes for 59 yards in Seattle’s 30-18 victory. 

If Walker can’t go again in Week 15 against the Packers, Charbonnet will again assume the role of a workhorse rusher. There’s still a chance that Walker can handle limited snaps, however, which could lead to a shared backfield. In this situation, it is also unclear if Walker would reassume his usual role at the goal line or if the team would rely on the healthier backup in short-yardage situations.

In three games this year without Walker, Charbonnet has rushed for 263 yards and five touchdowns. With one of the best backups in the league, it may become easier to let Walker sit out, even in the midst of a playoff push.

Several Seahawks players contributed to a fight-fueled team practice Wednesday, leading new head coach Mike MacDonald to temporarily stop practice. Though MacDonald had to take time to talk sense into his players, he still expressed optimism about the team later in the day.

“We’ve been getting after it,” MacDonald said. “I’m proud of how we responded today. We came out and we were ready to practice. I don’t know what the numbers are, but we’ve been out here, I don’t know, 14 of the past 16 days … I think we’re tired of going against one another, but the guys are spirited.”

The first hints of a larger altercation began when an interaction between wide receiver Jake Bobo and cornerback Tre Brown went to blows, with Brown eventually giving Bobo a bloody nose.

Later on, possibly in a moment of attempted retribution, wide receiver DK Metcalf approached Brown in the end zone and removed the defender’s helmet. Metcalf then swung the helmet, hitting safety K’Von Wallace. Macdonald said that the star wide receiver eventually calmed down after practice stopped, and even delivered a uniting message.

“Definitely don’t want people fighting out here and stuff, especially against our own teammates,” Macdonald said. “DK gave a great message at the end of practice, just kind of putting everything into perspective. The guys finished out the right way. Proud of our guys.”

The Seahawks are coming off a frustrating season in which they played well enough to earn a 9-8 record but missed the playoffs. The team has benefitted from high-caliber quarterback play from Geno Smith, and Metcalf and running back Ken Walker are also efficient offensive contributors. Seattle’s defense suffered costly lapses, however, leading to inconsistent results. The team is expected to be a contender again in 2024, but the areas of improvement are clear.