CLEVELAND — Leon Washington didn't have the chance to be elated. He saw the flag before he reached the end zone on his 81-yard punt return in the third quarter Sunday.

"I looked back about the 15-yard line and saw the flag," he said.

Kennard Cox was penalized for a block to the back of the Browns' Kevin Dockery. Replays showed it was questionable how much contact there was on the play. Instead of a touchdown, Seattle had the ball at its 45.

As Washington left the locker room after the game, he said he was waiting to take another look at the play.

"I haven't seen the TV copy yet," Washington said. "I'll be interested to see it. See what actually happened on the play."

It was one of several questionable calls in the game. Safety Kam Chancellor was penalized 15 yards for unnecessary roughness for leading with his helmet on a play where he did not appear to hit quarterback Colt McCoy with his helmet first.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was asked about the officiating afterward.

"In this game, those calls were magnified," he said. "I kind of hope they were right. I hope they made the right choices on those things, because it's pretty hard to live with otherwise."

Did the officiating potentially cost Seattle the game?

"I don't look at it that way," Carroll said. "In this game there are factors ... we didn't take care of business."

Marshawn couldn't march on

Marshawn Lynch warmed up on the field before the game, and was in uniform on the sideline at the start of both halves. He never made it onto the field, though, because of back spasms.

"He couldn't get loose," Carroll said. "He has had an ongoing something-or-other with his back since he arrived with us. But today it just came up right before game time, and he just couldn't get loose, couldn't get going."

It is the first game Lynch missed since coming to Seattle. Washington started in his place and led Seattle with 39 yards rushing. Justin Forsett gained 23 yards on eight carries.

Thurmond out

Cornerback Walter Thurmond suffered a fractured left fibula in the second quarter and is out for the year. Thurmond started in place of Marcus Trufant, whose season ended Monday when he was placed on injured reserve

Rookie Richard Sherman replaced Thurmond at cornerback for the second half, and Cox came on in the nickel defense. Seattle can activate cornerback Roy Lewis from the physically unable to perform list this week if it chooses. He is recovering from knee surgery.

Rice to the occasion

Receiver Sidney Rice's 38-yard reception was the longest offensive play in Sunday's game. But it was 9 yards shorter than it could have been if Rice's momentum hadn't taken him out of bounds after catching the pass from Charlie Whitehurst.

"When I caught it and turned, I was right there on the sidelines," Rice said. "I tried to scoot up a couple of more yards, as much as I could get."

Rolling Brown out

The Seahawks' 6-3 loss at Cleveland set a franchise record for fewest total points in any game involving Seattle. The previous low-water mark was set in Seattle's 14-0 victory against Washington in 1980.

Two of the five lowest-scoring games in Seattle's history have come in Cleveland; the Seahawks beat the Browns 9-6 in Cleveland in 2001.

As for Sunday's game?

"The defense did a real good job of holding them to six points," Rice said. "We had a couple huge plays by Leon putting us in good field position. There shouldn't be any excuse for putting three points on the board. We have to do better than that."

Notes

• Peyton Hillis, Cleveland's leading rusher, was inactive for the game because of a sore hamstring.

• Seattle TE Cameron Morrah played in his first game of the season after being activated Saturday. He caught two passes.

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