Fourth quarter Achilles' heel for Hawks' "D"

Coach Mike Holmgren chose to focus on his team's response rather than the result.

He praised the way the Seahawks took the lead Sunday by scoring 10 consecutive points in the fourth quarter against San Diego, instead of focusing on the way they lost it by giving up a 37-yard touchdown pass with 29 seconds left.

"We battled back after putzing around like we had been doing lately," Holmgren said.

True, but the lead slipped away suddenly as another big play led to another fourth-quarter touchdown, a convergence of two continuing trends. The Seahawks have allowed 116 points in the fourth quarter this season, nearly double the total from last season.

San Diego had three plays of 30 or more yards, and those three plays occurred in three of the Chargers' four scoring drives. LaDainian Tomlinson's 62-yard run accounted for more than two-thirds of the yardage on the Chargers' only touchdown drive of the first half, and Antonio Gates' 38-yard reception was the biggest play in a third-quarter field-goal drive.

Finally, Philip Rivers' pass to Vincent Jackson was the winning score in a game where three long plays went a long way to dulling what could have been a shining moment for Seattle's defense.

"This is one of the better efforts we've had collectively as a defense," linebacker Lofa Tatupu said in the locker room afterward.

The Chargers entered the game as the highest-scoring team in the league, and the Seahawks held them nearly two touchdowns below their season average. The Seahawks run defense resembled a turnstile at times this season, but Seattle kept Tomlinson from scoring a touchdown Sunday for the first time in more than two months.

Tatupu matched his season high with 12 tackles, had his first solo sack, and played the kind of game that merited the Pro Bowl selection he received five days earlier. Just don't try to tell him Sunday's game against San Diego was his best of the season.

"I'm sure there's games where I've missed fewer assignments," Tatupu said.

Tatupu has 115 tackles, 11 more than his rookie season. A year ago, everyone praised the Seahawks' savvy in drafting a middle linebacker some thought was too small only to have him loom so large. He finished second in defensive rookie of the year balloting behind San Diego's Shawne Merriman.

Tatupu's Pro Bowl selection last week came as somewhat of a surprise to those outside the Seahawks locker room.

"I'm thankful of it," Tatupu said. "What means the most is that someone told me I didn't win the fan vote, but I won the vote of the peers and the coaches. That means a lot to me. They felt I was deserving."

"I don't know if I played my best football, but I certainly know this year has been a lot tougher than last year was."

The same is true for his team, and after Sunday's game Tatupu stood in front of his locker, wearing a T-shirt that proclaimed Seattle division champions. He just wasn't wearing a smile. No one was.

"We rode this offense to the Super Bowl last year," Tatupu said. "That's not anything anybody doesn't know. I would just love to return the favor. If we could just give them one game.

"I'm sure there's games where we helped. But there isn't one where we just had a dominant performance from start to finish."

Notes

• The Seahawks released DL Robert Pollard on Tuesday. They have an opening on their 53-man roster that is expected to be filled this week.

• NFL Network will show the Seattle-San Diego game at 7:30 p.m. today.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com