Four turnovers and 21 points given up directly off those giveaways killed the Seattle Seahawks' chances of beating the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
The Seahawks lost to their bitter rivals at home 32-29, falling short on a last-gasp drive that ended with Cooper Kupp trying to extend a fourth-down catch beyond the first-down marker. But it never would have been that close without the giveaways.
“We have to stay out of our own way at the end of the day,” Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said postgame. “We spotted them 21 points. Like I said, the defense played incredible; it’s on us to protect the ball and move the ball forward. We have to focus on that.”
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw two bad interceptions. Running backs George Holani and Emanuel Wilson fumbled a total of three times, losing two of them.
“We need to grow quickly, in terms of complementary football, definitely taking care of the football,” head coach Mike Macdonald added. “Way too many giveaways at this point in the season, and we’ll look at those and see how we can get it fixed moving forward.”
The first Darnold pick came on the Seahawks' first drive, giving the 49ers the ball on Seattle's 18-yard line. That led to San Francisco taking a 7-0 lead. Wilson then fumbled on his own 9-yard line in the second quarter with the Seahawks leading 10-7, and the 49ers retook a 14-10 advantage.
Holani fumbled once in the second quarter, but he got back on it. Then, with the Seahawks attempting an outside run just before halftime, Holani fumbled in Seattle's own end zone. San Francisco recovered, taking a 21-13 lead into the break.
The 49ers needed touchdown drives of just 18 and 11 yards to score 21 points.
“We should be able to execute run plays,” Macdonald said. “We want to stay aggressive … But we’ve got to be able to execute our run game and hold onto the football. Straight up.”
When asked about how the team approached deciding whether to go back to Holani, who did have more touches in the game, Macdonald was blunt.
“We’re short on [running] backs. I can’t go out there and carry the ball, so. Nor do we want to.”
Macdonald said they aren't expecting Zach Charbonnet to return on a short week for their Week 6 Thursday night game against the Denver Broncos. That means, barring a free-agent signing, Wilson and Holani will likely be set for a larger workload once again.
Darnold now has five interceptions in his last three games and will have to improve drastically to keep the Seahawks from losing games they should win. The team now has 12 total giveaways in five games.
“I think we’ve got a tough team; I think we’re a connected team,” Macdonald said. “But in terms of playing complementary football, the way that we want to play here as Seahawks and become the team that we want to become, we’re not there yet.”
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