Turnover margin, final score finally align in Seahawks’ win over Steelers
Nov 30, 2015, 1:59 PM | Updated: 2:13 pm
Strong safety Kam Chancellor had the fourth and final interception for the Seahawks in Sunday's win. (AP)
(AP)
BY
Former Seattle Sports Lead Editor
Pete Carroll had been at a loss all year to explain how the Seahawks could continue to lose games in which they won the turnover battle, a trend that defied general NFL logic and even more so his history as a coach dating back to USC.
Sunday against Pittsburgh, a positive turnover differential and a Seahawks victory aligned for the first time this season.
“Heck yeah. It finally did,” Carroll said after Seattle’s 39-30 win. “Finally. Isn’t that something?”
| Seahawks’ takeaway/turnover stats: 2015 | ||||||
| Team | TAKE | TURN | Diff. | Result | ||
| STL | 3 | 1 | +2 | L, 34-31 | ||
| GB | 1 | 2 | -1 | L, 27-17 | ||
| CHI | 0 | 0 | Even | W, 26-0 | ||
| DET | 1 | 3 | -2 | W, 13-10 | ||
| CIN | 2 | 1 | +1 | L, 27-24 | ||
| CAR | 2 | 0 | +2 | L, 27-23 | ||
| SF | 0 | 2 | -2 | W, 29-13 | ||
| DAL | 0 | 1 | -1 | W, 13-12 | ||
| ARI | 3 | 1 | +2 | L, 39-32 | ||
| SF | 0 | 0 | Even | W, 29-13 | ||
| PIT | 4 | 0 | +4 | W, 39-30 | ||
In any other season it wouldn’t be all that notable, especially for Carroll’s Seahawks. From 2010 to 2014, they were 33-6 in games in which they took the ball away from their opponent more times than they turned it over. But before Sunday, the Seahawks were 0-4 in such games this season. What’s more, three of their five wins had come despite a negative turnover differential while the Seahawks were even in their other two.
The chart shows the game-by-game breakdown.
The Seahawks intercepted four Pittsburgh passes on Sunday and didn’t turn the ball over on offense, finishing with a season-best plus-four margin and – finally – a victory to go with it.
“That’s more like it,” defensive end Cliff Avril said. “That feels like ’13 and ’14. … You expect to win if you get a lot of turnovers.”
