Turnover margin, final score finally align in Seahawks’ win over Steelers

On Sunday against Pittsburgh, a positive turnover differential and a Seahawks victory finally aligned for the first time this season.

BY BRADY HENDERSON

Nov 30, 2015, 1:59 PM Updated: 2:13 pm

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Strong safety Kam Chancellor had the fourth and final interception for the Seahawks in Sunday&#8217...

Strong safety Kam Chancellor had the fourth and final interception for the Seahawks in Sunday's win. (AP)

(AP)

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.”