SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - OCTOBER 11: George Holani #36 of the Seattle Seahawks loses control of the ball during the second quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)
RENTON, Wash. - Both losses by the Seattle Seahawks this season – to the Washington Commanders in Week 3 and to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday – have been plagued by turnovers on offense.
Jadarian Price lost a fumble, and Sam Darnold threw two interceptions in a 33-31 loss to the Commanders, and Darnold was picked off twice with running backs Emanuel Wilson and George Holani each losing a fumble in a 32-29 loss to the 49ers.
The turnovers directly led to 21 points by the 49ers on Sunday, with Holani's fumble late in the second quarter recovered in the end zone to put the Seahawks in a 21-13 hole at the break. Holani also dropped the ball and recovered his own fumble on a reception in the second quarter.
You can't eliminate every turnover in football, but the lost fumbles seemed to be particularly bothersome for head coach Mike Macdonald on Monday.
"The ball shouldn't be in jeopardy when we're carrying the football. Period," Macdonald said on his weekly radio show on Seattle Sports 710 AM on Monday. "It shouldn't. We work it every day. We stress it every day. We attack the ball every day. We do carrying the ball fundamentals every day. It's like tackling. It's like block destruction. That's our core. The life of the ball is our lifeline, so we cannot do anything to put anything of that in jeopardy. We have to be absolutely airtight, rock solid with our fundamentals when we carry the football. Period."
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Wilson's fumble directly led to a one-play touchdown drive for San Francisco on a Christian McCaffrey touchdown run. Holani's was recovered by defensive lineman Gracen Halton with 13 seconds left in the half that turned a 14-13 deficit into an eight-point gap.
"We have to stay out of our own way at the end of the day," wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. :We spotted them 21 points. Like I said, defense played incredible and it’s on us to protect the ball and move the ball forward. We have to focus on that. I think that coming into that game I think the first quarter and the beginning of the game I think it’s very important to protect, move the ball forward, and stay out of our own way. I think, oh I know, that we’ll get better at that and continue to grow."
Darnold's first interception also led to points. A forced throw to Smith-Njigba was intercepted by Renardo Green on his first pass attempt of the game. It was an unforced error as a punt would not have hurt the Seahawks in the slightest after the 49ers also went three-and-out on their opening drive. Mike Evans caught a 2-yard touchdown to give San Francisco the early lead.
Much like after last year's 21-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams where Darnold was intercepted four times, linebacker Ernest Jones IV wouldn't let the offense shoulder all the blame for the loss, even if those thoughts aren't unwarranted in some ways.
"I think for us, you understand in this league, wins and losses come," Jones said. "It’s just how you respond. How can we take a loss like this, figure out the reasons and why we lost it? How can it help us later on down the line? It’s nobody’s fault. We could have executed better in the red zone. We’ve been saying that, but we have to get stops. If you turn those touchdowns to three points, you may be looking at a different game."
On the plus side, the Seahawks can commit three turnovers against Washington and lose the turnover battle 3-0, and have four turnovers against the 49ers and still be within a field goal in both the losses.
"We’re scoring points, but we’re not as efficient, and we’ve turned the ball over at a similar click that we did early last year," Macdonald said. "(Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury)’s doing a good job. We have to continue, as an offensive staff, and Brian’s leading our offensive staff, of generating and clear plans we can execute as an offense, executing at a higher level. It drives me crazy when coaches say, ‘Hey, we just have to execute better.’ It’s like, yeah, no kidding, that’s our job. It’s our job as a football team to carry out our responsibilities better and take care of the football."
Injury Updates
Head coach Mike Macdonald said that the current plan for the team is to not have running back Zach Charbonnet play against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, though admitted that plans are subject to change.
"As of right now, (the) answer is no. Subject to change. I try not to be boxed in there. Some wiggle room," Macdonald said.
"We have to have consensus from all parties that he’s ready to go, he’s the most confident and ready to go, that he’s had enough exposure to go play an NFL game. Those are the variables at play here and one area of that equation."
Charbonnet has five practices under his belt since being designated to return from the physically unable to perform list. He's eight months removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL.
With a quick turnaround to Thursday night's game in Denver, the Seahawks won't have a regular practice week for Charbonnet to continue to increase his workload. It makes it far more likely that the best chance for his return to action will be against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 25.
Unsurprisingly, the team did not practice the day after their game with the 49ers, leaving the required participation reports ahead of Thursday's game purely estimated.
Leonard Williams and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were both listed as limited with ankle injuries. Williams played through an ankle injury sustained in the fourth quarter of Seattle's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, while Smith-Njigba was a bit shaken up on the final drive of the game vs. the 49ers.
Linebackers Drake Thomas (ankle) and Chazz Surratt (calf) were the only two players listed as not participating. Surratt missed Sunday's game while Thomas was briefly sidelined before finishing the game against the 49ers.
Charbonnet (knee), Williams (ankle), Smith-Njigba (ankle), guard Beau Stephens (shoulder) and quarterback Drew Lock (right forearm) were listed as limited on Monday.
Injury Report:
The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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