Brutal Sam Darnold statistic could be Seahawks’ undoing

The latest edition of Power Rankings via ESPN’s NFL Nation has the 10-3 Los Angeles Rams at the top spot, and the NFC East leading New England Patriots and their 11-2 mark at No. 2. Up one spot from the previous week are the Seattle Seahawks, who like the Rams own a 10-3 record.

This week’s analysis for each of the 32 teams covers “most shocking statistical ranking.” It may or may not be a surprise to many that only the Minnesota Vikings (26) have turned over the ball more times than Mike Macdonald’s team.

“The Seahawks turned the ball over 24 times last season,” explained Seahawks’ writer Brady Henderson, “but that made sense with a pass-heavy offense that wasn't all that prolific. This season, they rank sixth in scoring (26.5 points per game) despite 23 turnovers. Two of them actually came on defense via fumbles on interception returns, but it has been a problem for an otherwise strong offense.”

While quarterback Sam Darnold has been an upgrade over Geno Smith in virtually every way,” added Henderson, “Darnold leads the NFL with 16 turnovers despite operating the NFL's most run-heavy offense.”

There have been 11 interceptions, while the eight-year veteran has lost five of his seven fumbles. This has been a career problem for the third overall pick by the New York Jets in the 2018 NFL draft. Darnold has a total of 102 turnovers (97 picks, 23 lost fumbles) with five different teams in 96 career regular-season games.

This season, the veteran signal-caller has thrown for 3,162 yards, and twice as many scores (22) as interceptions (11). He has also committed at least one turnover in nine of his 13 appearances. And keep in mind that Darnold has been sacked just 17 times this season. It’s safe to say that the Seahawks and their starting quarterback are going to need to be a lot better down the stretch in terms of ball security.

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