SEATTLE (AP) -- Mike Holmgren's game plan for San Diego this week included scathing criticism of his defensive line.

Unhappy with the way his line performed in a loss at Oakland that trimmed the Seattle Seahawks' once-comfortable division lead to one game, Holmgren said: "They're getting paid a lot of money to play and they were stealing."

Without any breathing room left in the AFC West after successive losses, the Seahawks (8-4) play the Chargers (5-7) Sunday in the Kingdome. They lost in San Diego in Week 5.

Holmgren hasn't had a team lose three in a row since his third season in Green Bay in 1994.

If Seattle loses and second-place Kansas City wins Sunday night against Minnesota, the division race the Seahawks appeared to pretty much have wrapped up three weeks ago after a win in Kansas City will be tied.

Holmgren's temper showed after the Raiders beat the Seahawks 30-21, when his defense gave up its most points and most yards (415). The Seahawks failed to sack an ailing Rich Gannon. And they failed to make Oakland's Leo Araguz punt, a statistic Holmgren said amazed him.

He unleashed a barrage intended for defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy and defensive ends Phillip Daniels and Michael Sinclair. He said he wasn't talking about Riddick Parker, an undrafted free agent filling in at defensive tackle for the injured Sam Adams. Kennedy and Sinclair are Pro Bowlers.

Daniels and Kennedy said they didn't take Holmgren's attack personally.

"Holmgren does that to motivate the guys," Daniels said. "We understood what he said to us and I think we're going to respond to it. I don't like it and I don't say I agree, because I think it should stay in a team meeting, but I can't fault him, because we didn't play a good game. It's a game we want to throw away, too, and get it out of our heads."

Said Kennedy, a 10-year Seahawks veteran who has been chosen for seven Pro Bowls, but who has never been to the playoffs: "He's the coach. If he sees something going wrong, that's his job. I take full responsibility. We've got a lot of guys banged up, but that's no excuse."

Seattle's defenders have had to live with a mistake-ridden offense the past two weeks in a 16-3 loss to Tampa Bay and the Oakland defeat. Quarterback Jon Kitna has eight turnovers in his last two games, including seven interceptions. And usually reliable Ricky Watters coughed up two fumbles, his first of the season, last week.

Suddenly, the Seahawks look like the old, underachieving team of the past, one that didn't have a winning season in four years under Dennis Erickson. Erickson never criticized his players in public, as Holmgren did this week, but Erickson was let go by team president Bob Whitsitt after last season.

It's not that the Seahawks have quit trying, Merton Hanks said.

"We definitely wanted to win those last two games, let's not kid ourselves," said Hanks, expected to start at cornerback because of a foot injury suffered by Willie Williams and Chris Canty's concussion.

Holmgren complained this week that the Seahawks lacked leadership.

Said Hanks: "This is basically the same team that was here last year and the year before and the year before that didn't quite do what it wanted to do. So you're remaking attitudes and perceptions."

Despite Araguz's lack of punts last week, San Diego is expected to bring punter Darren Bennett to Seattle.

The Chargers ended a six-game losing streak that began after their 13-10 victory against Seattle by beating Cleveland 23-10 last week. Defensive end Raylee Johnson sparked a defense that was missing All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau and strong safety Rodney Harrison by sacking Tim Couch three times.

Although Harrison still is out, Seau expects to play after missing one game with a strained stomach muscle. He's not sure if the Chargers' timing is right.

"The Seahawks are definitely hurting in terms of the won-loss record," Seau said. "Obviously Mike's not used to it and he's going to lay into his players, we know that. And the Seahawks are going to try to blame the Chargers for those two losses."

Said Johnson: "We know they've been turning the ball over, but I know they're going to try to correct those things. They feel like we shouldn't have beat them last time."

SAN DIEGO Season schedule and results

SEATTLE Season schedule and results

September 19 @Cincinnati W 34-7 September 26 Indianapolis L 19-27 October 3 Kansas City W 21-14 October 10 @Detroit W 20-10 October 17 Seattle W 13-10 October 24 Green Bay L 3-31 October 31 @Kansas City L 0-34 November 7 Denver L 17-33 November 14 @Oakland L 9-28 November 21 Chicago L 20-23 November 28 @Minnesota L 27-35 December 5 Cleveland W 23-10 December 12 @Seattle 4:05pm ET December 19 @Miami 1:00pm ET December 26 Oakland 4:05pm ET January 2 @Denver 4:15pm ET

September 12 Detroit L 20-28 September 19 @Chicago W 14-13 September 26 @Pittsburgh W 29-10 October 3 Oakland W 22-21 October 17 @San Diego L 10-13 October 24 Buffalo W 26-16 November 1 @Green Bay W 27-7 November 7 Cincinnati W 37-20 November 14 Denver W 20-17 November 21 @Kansas City W 31-19 November 28 Tampa Bay L 3-16 December 5 @Oakland L 21-30 December 12 San Diego 4:05pm ET December 19 @Denver 4:15pm ET December 26 Kansas City 4:05pm ET January 2 @NY Jets 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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