The Seahawks’ turnover problem is no longer a one-game blip. Seattle gave the ball away four times in a 32-29 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 11, and three of those turnovers turned directly into 49ers touchdowns. The pattern now stretches across multiple weeks, with a quarterback throwing interceptions near the goal line and a running back room that keeps fumbling in the most costly spots.
Quarterback Sam Darnold completed 18 of 29 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown against San Francisco, but he also threw two interceptions and was sacked five times, according to USA Today. Across three full games this season, he has thrown seven touchdowns against five interceptions. The Seahawks have little time to fix the issue before a Thursday night matchup against the Denver Broncos, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Turnovers Piling Up Near The Goal Line
The most alarming number from Week 5 is not the four turnovers themselves but where they happened. Seattle had two interceptions and two lost fumbles inside the San Francisco 11-yard line, the kind of field position that should produce points, not possessions for the other side.
Darnold’s first interception came on Seattle’s opening drive, when cornerback Renardo Green picked off a pass intended for Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the Seattle 18 and returned it to the 11. Four plays later, Brock Purdy found Mike Evans for a 2-yard touchdown. That sequence set the tone for a game in which Seattle repeatedly moved the ball into scoring range only to hand San Francisco short fields or extra possessions.
A Running Back Room That Can’t Hold The Ball
The passing game is not the only source of giveaways. Running back Emanuel Wilson lost a fumble at the Seattle 11 midway through the second quarter, and Fred Warner recovered it for San Francisco. Christian McCaffrey scored on an 11-yard run on the very next play, turning a Seattle fumble into six points in a single snap.
That was not an isolated incident for Seattle’s backfield. Rookie running back Jadarian Price was benched partway through the Seahawks’ Week 3 game against Washington after losing his second fumble in two games. The Houston Chronicle noted that Seattle’s running back room has been beaten up and has continued to struggle with ball security, a combination that leaves the position thin on both health and trust.
Smith-Njigba’s Drop Compounded The Damage
Not every costly play went in the turnover column, but one nearly did. With Seattle trailing by three points and facing third-and-10 at midfield with a minute left, Smith-Njigba dropped a deep pass from Darnold that would have moved the chains. Instead, the Seahawks faced fourth down. The drop came after Smith-Njigba had caught five passes for 102 yards and a touchdown earlier in the game, a reminder that even a strong individual performance can be overshadowed by one play at the wrong moment.
The Counterpoint: Darnold’s Overall Numbers Still Hold Up
It is worth separating the turnover problem from Darnold’s overall body of work. Seven touchdowns against five interceptions through three full games is not an efficiency crisis on its own, and his 195 passing yards against San Francisco came despite five sacks that disrupted the offense’s rhythm. The issue is less about raw volume of mistakes and more about timing. Four turnovers in one game, with three leading directly to opponent points, is a concentration of bad outcomes rather than a season-long trend visible in the counting stats alone.
What To Watch Against Denver
Seattle will have a short week to show whether the turnover issues from the 49ers loss were a product of San Francisco’s defense or a deeper problem that follows the Seahawks into their Thursday night game against the Broncos. The health and ball security of the running back room figures to be a focal point, given Price’s benching in Week 3 and Wilson’s fumble in Week 5. How Darnold and his receivers handle high-value possessions, particularly inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, will also be a clear marker of whether Seattle has corrected the pattern that cost it in Week 5.
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