Seattle Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll ‘Concerned’ About Turnovers
The Seattle Seahawks failed another test as they were soundly beaten by the Baltimore Ravens 37-3 at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, and third-down conversions again a big issue for Shane Waldron's offense.
It has been a problem all year for the Seahawks. While they have managed to win five games and get away with it at times, it was a recipe for disaster against the Ravens.
For head coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks simply have to be better on the most important down in football.
“We have to convert on third downs, which is everybody," Carroll said. "We got rushed pretty good. They rushed us and mixed their stuff really well. It was hard, like they’ve been on everybody. We just have to find out ways to make first downs. I think we were 1-for-12 on third down. You can’t play offense like that and expect anything. It’s as hard as it gets.”
While the inability to convert third-downs (1 of 12) was an issue, another one was Geno Smith's turnovers. Having been nearly faultless over the first month of football that saw just one offensive turnover, in the last four games, Seattle has had multiple turnovers in each.
Pete Carroll has lamented his team's inability to convert third downs against the Ravens.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
That includes six interceptions from Smith during that span. While it might be a blip on the radar, it certainly is a concerning trend for Carroll.
“I’m concerned about that," Carroll said. "The one, on the fumble, that’s a pass-rush deal. The interception, he threw it up, and the guy who’s been making all the interceptions made another one. But that’s not the direction for us to be going. Up until this game, it took us to first place, whatever the heck we’ve been doing. We didn’t play like a first-place team today. With those kind of turnovers, it’s really hard to win.”
The Seahawks will need to go back to the drawing board after such a brutal loss and will get a chance to rectify those turnover issues against the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
But if the issues can't be fixed, along with the offense's inability to convert third downs, then the Seahawks will continue to move backward and out of first place in the division.
