The Seattle Seahawks entered Sunday's game against the San Diego Chargers brimming with confidence, having won their opening game against the Green Bay Packers in dominant fashion, 36-16. They exited scratching their heads, searching for answers.

In front of a boisterous crowd of 67,919, the San Diego Chargers showed they were not intimidated by Seattle's much-ballyhood 'Legion of Boom' secondary. Quarterback Philip Rivers led an efficient passing attack en route to a 28 of 37, 284-yard effort that included touchdown passes of 8, 8, and 21 yards to Antonio Gates.

"That's a great job by Philip Rivers and their offense today," said Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. "Antonio Gates was phenomenal."

Early Controversy Leads to Seattle's First Touchdown

After Nick Novak kicked a 50-yard field goal for the early San Diego lead, Seattle's lightning-in-a-bottle wide receiver Percy Harvin demonstrated that when healthy, he's one of the most electric players in the league.

Harvin flashed down the sidelines after taking the toss from quarterback Russell Wilson, but appeared to step out of bounds at the 21-yard line. The NFL's war room coordinated with the on-field refs on the replay, but despite the apparent evidence, ruled that the play stood.

San Diego Assumes Control in the Second Quarter

In the second quarter, the Chargers seized firm control of the momentum, and thus the game.

Antonio Gates caught the first of his three touchdown passes at the 12:05 mark, moving San Diego on top 10-7. Later in the quarter, Novak kicked a 43-yard field goal and with just 1:04 left in the half, Rivers and Gates connected again on an 8-yard strike for the 20-7 advantage.​

Despite being outgained and badly losing the time of advantage battle, Seattle managed to close the deficit to within one score just twelve seconds before halftime, as Russell Wilson tossed a three-yard touchdown to running back Robert Turbin. At the half, the margin was 20-14 in favor of San Diego.

"They were more efficient than we were," said Carroll. "That was the story of the game."

The Chargers and Seahawks Trade Scores in the Third Quarter

Adjustments were made by both sides at halftime, with the net result being a more defensive slant in the third quarter. Nevertheless, Rivers directed a 12-play drive that resulted in a spectacular, one-handed grab by Gates for his third touchdown of the game with 3:01 left, expanding the Charger lead to 27-14.

Much like the second quarter, however, the Seahawks struck in the waning seconds. Marshawn Lynch took a screen pass from Russell Wilson and found nothing but green grass in front of him, en route to a 14-yard touchdown. After three quarters Seattle was still in game, down by just six points.

San Diego's Defense Clamps Down

That was as close as it would get, however, as the Chargers turned the tables on Seattle, playing lockdown defense and holding the Seahawks scoreless in the final quarter. A meaningless (except perhaps to fantasy owners) third field goal by Novak less than two minutes to go made the final score 30-21. The nine-point margin was noteworthy in that it represented the first time since 2011 that Seattle had lost a game by more than a touchdown.

The key stat of the game: San Diego led in time of possession by an astounding 42:15 to 17:45 margin, the fifth-worst showing in Seahawks' franchise history.

"That's a good formula for winning," said Carrol in the post-game press conference. "No turnovers, controlling (the ball), and winning like that on third down. It's a good job by them."

The Chargers now travel to Buffalo to face the upstart 2-0 Bills. The Seahawks head back home for a Super Bowl rematch against the Denver Broncos (2-0) next Sunday.