Seahawks QB Sam Darnold: Turnovers ‘not fair’ to defense

Sam Darnold’s recent slew of turnovers is far from the only issue plaguing the Seattle Seahawks’ sputtering offense.

But it’s certainly the most glaring.

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Darnold threw two more interceptions in Seattle’s 17-14 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, including a costly pick that set up Wil Lutz’s game-winning 53-yard field goal.

Afterward, the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback took responsibility for the loss, which dropped the defending Super Bowl champions to 3-3.

“I just think it’s B.S. for me to keep turning the ball over,” Darnold said. “It’s not fair to our defense, not fair to our special teams group, not fair really to the entire team. So I’ve got to be better that way.”

The Seahawks have committed 10 turnovers in their three losses, which have come by a combined eight points. Opponents have converted those 10 turnovers into 44 points.

Darnold’s interceptions have accounted for six of the 10 giveaways in Seattle’s defeats. The other four came on lost fumbles by wide receiver Rashid Shaheed and running backs Jadarian Price, Emanuel Wilson and George Holani. Shaheed’s fumble on Thursday night thwarted a potential scoring chance late in the first half.

In total, Darnold has thrown seven interceptions in four games since returning from a glute injury.

“It’s not acceptable for me to keep turning the ball over,” Darnold said.

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Darnold was under heavy pressure all night from Denver’s pass rush. He took five sacks and 17 quarterback hits, while being pressured on 46.6% of his dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

The frequent pressure was a factor on Darnold’s first interception. It also was a major reason why Seattle’s offense was lifeless for most of the night, mustering just three points and 189 yards through the game’s first 50 minutes.

“We are not doing a good enough job offensively to allow (Sam) to play in rhythm,” veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp said. “We’re not doing a good enough job allowing him to get into a flow, turning small plays into big plays. We’re not doing a good enough job in the run game. We’re not doing a good enough job protecting him.

“There’s a lot of things that need to improve, and Sam’s gonna wear all that, because that’s who he is. But it’s not really fair for him to shoulder all of it when we all definitely have a role in what’s gone on.”

Trailing by double digits in the fourth quarter, Darnold led the Seahawks on an 11-play, 67-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 2-point conversion that cut Denver’s lead to 14-11 with 5:41 to play.

But on Seattle’s ensuing series, Darnold backpedaled under pressure and threw an interception on third-and-1 from the Denver 39-yard line.

Seattle’s defense then forced a three-and-out, which gave the ball right back to Darnold. He proceeded to drive the Seahawks 38 yards for an overtime-forcing field goal from Jason Myers in the closing seconds of regulation.

However, Darnold’s blunder on the opening series of the extra period essentially sealed his team’s fate.

Facing third-and-7 from his own 28-yard line, Darnold tried to split two defenders on a pass down the sideline toward Shaheed, but cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian ranged over to snag the interception on the Seattle 43. Denver then ran for 8 yards on three plays to set up Lutz’s game-winner.

Darnold said he “got greedy” in trying to hit Shaheed and lamented not throwing underneath to Kupp.

“I should have just gotten it down to Coop,” Darnold said. “Coop ran a really good route right under the sticks, and I feel like he would have caught it and got the first down. So just got to continue to go through my progressions and trust it.”

Seattle’s offensive woes spoiled a dominant performance from its “Dark Side” defense, which held Denver to just 168 total yards and 2.9 yards per play. The Seahawks surrendered back-to-back TD drives of 74 and 79 yards in the second quarter, but limited the Broncos to just 43 yards on 29 plays over the rest of the game.

For the season, Seattle’s defense has allowed just 3.96 yards per play. That’s the best mark for any NFL defense through the first six games of a season since 2008, according to Stathead.

“When you have a defense and a special teams group that’s playing the way they are for us, I’ve just got to protect the football,” Darnold said.

Three-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who was a college teammate of Darnold’s at USC, said the 29-year-old quarterback took ownership of his turnovers while addressing the team in the locker room after the game.

“We all trust him, and I feel like he trusts himself, and I feel like he’ll get out of it,” Williams said.

With 10 days between the Seahawks’ loss to Denver and their upcoming showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25, head coach Mike Macdonald said the coaching staff will use the extra time this weekend to focus on the offensive issues.

“We’ve got some work ahead of us and we’ll figure it out,” Macdonald said. “We’ve got the right people in the building. We’ve got the right people to do the job. We’ve just gotta go to work, so that’s where our focus will go.”

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