SEATTLE _ After having dipped their toes in the fire a few times but emerging unscathed the first two games of the season, the Seahawks apparently decided to up the difficulty ratio in Week 3 against the Saints and see what would happen if they just fully immolated themselves.
The result?
One of the more embarrassing home losses in recent Seahawks history, 33-27, against the a Saints team playing without future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees.
Seattle committed a penalty on the first play of the game, setting the stage for one of the most mistake-filled days in recent team history.
The Seahawks allowed a punt return for a touchdown, a fumble return for a touchdown, twice had to call time out because they had 12 men on the field, committed seven penalties that all seem to come at the wrong time, and in general just seemed a disorganized unit throughout in losing a home game in September for the first time under coach Pete Carroll. Seattle had been 15-0 at home in September before Sunday.
The Seahawks are now 2-1, failing in their attempt to become only the seventh team since the franchise began in 1976 to start out 3-0.
They'd won the first two games by a combined three points, each time surviving a few key turnovers and penalties to pull out wins.
But the hail of mistakes was too much this time.
Maybe most disturbing from a long-range standpoint was a lost fumble by running back Chris Carson that was returned 33 yards by Vonn Bell for a touchdown in the second quarter that put the Saints up 13-7.
It was the third lost fumble this year by Carson _ one in each game. He was part of another last week at Pittsburgh that was officially credited to quarterback Russell Wilson.
Seattle lost only four fumbles all of the 2018 season when it led the NFL with a plus-15 turnover margin but suddenly has a starting tailback having trouble hanging on to the ball.
After Carson's fumble, Seattle was stopped on a fourth down at the New Orleans 42 _ on a run by Carson, who the Seahawks again immediately went back to, just as they had after his fumble last week led to a Steelers score and required Seattle to have to mount a long drive to run out the clock and preserve the win.
The Saints had gained just 32 yards on three drives to that point behind backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, taking over for Brees.
From the Seattle 29, Bridgewater threw a short pass to Alvin Kamara, who evaded or broke through tackle attempts of Seattle defensive backs Shaquill Griffin, Bradley McDougald and Lano Hill to scamper down the sidelines for a touchdown to make it 20-7.
In a fitting ending to the half, the Seahawks then embarked on some questionable clock management over the final 33 seconds.
Seattle had two time outs and from its own 21 and decided to try to mount a drive. But after a 9-yard gain on first down, Seattle did not call time. There was 10 seconds left when the next play snapped and Wilson ran around and then hit DK Metcalf 54 yards down field. But before Seattle could call time out, the clock ran out.
Seattle outgained the Saints 245-116 in the first half but found itself trailing by 13 points.
The Saints then put together their best drive of the day to open the third quarter, a 12-play 75-yard march that culminated in a one-yard TD pass from Bridgewater to Michael Thomas on fourth down at the 1. That made it 27-7 with 7:44 to play in the third quarter.
Seattle caught a break later in the quarter when the Saints fumbled a punt.
But Seattle couldn't take advantage, in part because they were immediately knocked back 15 yards for getting a rather bizarre penalty for a nonuniformed personnel coming on the field to celebrate the recovery (identified on television as injured safety Tedric Thompson).
Seattle's largest comeback in its history is from 21 down to beat Tampa Bay in 2013.
Seattle trailed 27-7 entering the fourth quarter, and for a few minutes there was at least a murmur of hope the Seahawks could pull it off again when Wilson led a 10-play, 73-yard drive that he capped with a two-yard run with 11:51 to play in the game.
The Seahawks then forced a three-and-out and got the ball back at their own 19, and then went for it on fourth-and-one at the 28 with 9:41 left.
