Seahawks Offer Brutal Truth On Sam Darnold Turnovers vs. 49ers

The Seattle Seahawks slumped to a 32-29 loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field as they dropped to 3-2 on the year.

In a game that had the feel of a proper playoff outing, the Seahawks and 49ers traded blows throughout four quarters, but there will be one storyline to follow and that is Sam Darnold and his turnovers.

Sam threw two backbreaking interceptions against the 49ers, bringing his tally to five in four games, a worrying trend for the offense.

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We know of Sam's turnover issues last season, as he threw 14 interceptions in the regular season, before that magical run in the playoffs where he had none in three games.

But to start 2026, it appears the turnover issue has reared its ugly head, and when speaking on Sam's turnovers against San Francisco, head coach Mike Macdonald made a point to stress that it isn't all on Darnold.

"We're not panicking or anything like that, we're just going through what we do every day," Macdonald said. "I think if we become more efficient and more effective as an offense, that's going to help our quarterback too. So I think it's everybody, not just Sam. Sam knows. It's not like he wants to turn it over. We just need to collectively be more efficient.

"When that happens, the ball doesn't become in jeopardy as much."

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So being more efficient on offense means getting the run game rolling, which had just 89 yards, and getting the offense into manageable down-and-distance situations. 

That didn't happen against the 49ers, and Darnold was regularly under pressure and needed to escape the pocket to keep the play alive.

Now, that is due to the 49ers' defense, which, like Seattle's, wreaked havoc all game, but Darnold is a veteran quarterback, and these turnovers have to be reeled in.

Macdonald stated that he isn't panicking over Darnold's turnovers, but he has to at least be a little concerned, right?

Five in four games is a small sample, but if we add in last year too, he's had 19 in 21 regular-season games. Yikes.

So yeah, there's no concern now, but sooner or later, this will need to be talked about with more urgency.