3 storylines to watch as Seahawks look to bounce back

Coming off their first loss in more than 10 months, the Seattle Seahawks host the winless Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field.

Roster Moves: Seahawks place RB Jadarian Price on IR

Here are three storylines to watch as the reigning Super Bowl champions look to bounce back and return to their winning ways.

The all-important turnover battle

It’s incredibly difficult to win an NFL game while finishing minus-three in the turnover margin. The Seahawks found that out the hard way last week, as they committed three costly turnovers that directly led to 20 points in a 33-31 loss to the Washington Commanders.

“Obviously, I can’t turn the ball over the way that I did,” Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold said after throwing two interceptions in the loss, including a fourth-quarter pick-six. “We can’t turn the ball over as an offense and be inefficient and expect to win games.”

Protecting the football figures to be paramount again on Sunday, as Darnold & Co. face a Los Angeles defense that has six takeaways through three games, which is tied for fourth-most in the NFL.

And on the flip side, turnover opportunities could be ripe for Seattle’s defense. The Chargers have already turned the ball over six times, with four interceptions by Justin Herbert and two lost fumbles by running back Omarion Hampton.

Can Hawks get run game going without Price?

The Seahawks are looking to get their run game untracked after mustering just 44 yards on 18 carries last week, which was their lowest rushing total since Week 8 of 2024. And they’ll have to do so without starting running back Jadarian Price, who will miss at least the next four games after being placed on injured reserve Saturday.

Even with fumbles in back-to-back games, Price has been Seattle’s most effective runner this season. The rookie first-round draft pick has rushed for a team-high 119 yards and 4.2 yards per carry, while accounting for five of the six longest runs by Seahawks running backs.

With Price out, Seattle’s backfield will be spearheaded by Emanuel Wilson and George Holani on Sunday. Wilson has rushed for 109 yards and 3.4 yards per carry this season, while George Holani has chipped in 52 yards and 3.5 yards per carry.

The Chargers’ run defense has been stout, ranking seventh in the NFL with just 3.6 yards allowed per carry.

“It’s unfortunate with JD,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said Friday. “Hopefully this gives him an opportunity to get healthy. But we’ve got guys that are ready to go behind him that are preparing their tails off and are good players. So we feel like we have a good plan.”

Who will step up to complement JSN?

Star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba is off to another torrid start. The reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year already has 405 receiving yards and six touchdown catches, which makes him just the second player in NFL history to reach both of those marks through the first three weeks of a season.

But outside of Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks are waiting for another pass catcher to emerge as the bona fide No. 2 receiving threat. Cooper Kupp is the team’s next-leading receiver at eight catches for 101 yards and a TD, followed by tight end AJ Barner at eight catches for 90 yards.

Rashid Shaheed, a 2025 trade deadline addition and All-Pro return specialist, was expected to take a step forward as a receiver after inking a three-year, $51 million deal in March. But he’s off to a slow start, logging just six catches on 12 targets for 53 yards.

One encouraging sign was second-year wideout Tory Horton’s performance last week. Despite playing just 15 offensive snaps, Horton hauled in three catches on three targets for 48 yards in his second game back from a pair of injuries that had sidelined him since Week 9 of last season.

“There’s a lot of plays in the plan that are designed to go to other people (aside from Smith-Njigba), and in certain situations, obviously, we lean toward Jax because of what he brings to the table,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury said. “But the defense is responsible for where the ball goes.

“In all honesty, if they take away the first part of the progression, then it goes to two or three, and we’ve got talented players in all those situations. It just hasn’t found its way all the way back to the backside of the progression yet very often.”

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