Washington leads Seahawks on victorious crossing of Chargers

This is why the Seahawks pursued Leon Washington. The fifth-round pick that it took to acquire Washington from the Jets last April looked more cheap after he returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns in Sunday’s 27-20 win over the Chargers, putting Seattle (yes, Virginia, Seattle) into a share of the NFC West lead with a 2-1 mark. Washington’s historic performance overshadowed the fact that San Diego QB Phillip Rivers raked them to the tune of a franchise record 455 yards, but rookie S Earl Thomas earned his keep by intercepting Rivers’ 53rd — and final — pass of the afternoon with six seconds left. The pick was the second of the day for Thomas and the fifth turnover forced by the Seahawks. Washington opened the second half with a 101-yard return that gave Seattle a 17-0 lead, which they promptly squandered as Rivers threw a pair of touchdowns (3 yards to Malcolm Floyd and 12 to Antonio Gates) to go along with a safety and a Nate Kaeding 29-yard field ...