The Seattle Seahawks often do a high-wire act. The team is capable of greatness in all three phases of the game, of course, but it is the offense that is a bit more mercurial. The biggest problem is the number of turnovers quarterback Sam Darnold and his offense have.
While Seattle has 28 total turnovers, the offense accounts for 26 of those. Darnold, specifically, leads the NFL with 20 (14 interceptions and six lost fumbles). One would assume that one of the few things keeping Seattle from a Super Bowl run is the offense coughing up the ball.
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak certainly understands that. He was the OC that head coach Mike Macdonald needed in his first season, but instead got Ryan Grubb. If Kubiak had been the offensive coordinator, perhaps Seattle would have gotten the elusive 11th win and made the postseason.
Seattle Seahawks need to stop turning the ball over
To begin this season, Kubiak's offense started the game well, often scoring in the first quarter, but then kind of dried up in the second half. Defenses have adjusted, but the Seahawks have become a better second half offense recently. Except, of course, when turnovers happen.
In speaking with the media ahead of the Seattle Seahawks' massively important Week 18 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Kubiak acknowledged the offense has to do a better job of holding onto the ball.
"It’s not a number that we’re proud of at all, something that we’re always preaching, things that we’ve got to improve on,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, we want to maximize our possessions, and we’re giving away points when we give the ball away. So, whether it’s decision making, throwing the ball, holding onto it, then protecting our quarterback so that we’re not getting sack fumbles...something’s got to get better if we want to be a championship team."
Avoiding turnovers completely, or at least only having one, will be a key to beating the 49ers. San Francisco doesn't have a dominant pass-rush, so Seattle giving them freebies could crush all hopes of the Seahawks winning. That would give San Francisco the NFC West title, the top seed in the NFC, and Seattle would begin the playoffs as a road team in the Wild Card round.
Of course, Sam Darnold himself has something extra to play for as well. Many pundits and fans expect the quarterback to have a bad game (or, at least, turn the ball over quite a bit) because that has been the knock on the QB throughout his career. If he can lead his team to a road victory in Santa Clara, Darnold will quiet many of his critics.