The Seattle Seahawks are riding high heading into their bye week, stringing together back-to-back wins after taking down the Houston Texans 27–19. On paper, it looks pretty solid. But anyone who watched the game knows quarterback Sam Darnold and the offense still have some kinks to iron out before they face the Washington Commanders.

Seattle coughed up the ball four times against Houston yet somehow came away with a win. “What a weird game. I can’t be turning over the ball like that. But our defense and special team stepping up tonight, that was huge. Continue to learn from our mistakes and play better,” Darnold said.

He wasn’t sugarcoating it, either. Sam Darnold knows exactly what needs to change. “At the end of the day… I got to get the ball out of my hand. If nothing is open? I got to throw at my feet,” the quarterback added.

Sure, a ball at your feet beats one in the defender’s hands any day. Fortunately for Seattle, Houston’s offense couldn’t make them pay. The Texans even reached the Seahawks’ 1-yard line at one point but completely collapsed, getting stuffed twice before failing on fourth down. They finally broke through for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, but by then, it was too little, too late.

Teams almost never survive four-turnover nights, so Darnold should count his blessings. Because when they face Jayden Daniels and the Commanders next, those mistakes will get punished. To make it worse, there was even a fifth fumble that got wiped out by a penalty.

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This was Seattle’s first four-turnover game since a Week 9 loss to Buffalo in 2020, and their first win with that many since beating the 49ers back in 2019. If they want a real shot at the playoffs, they’ll have to stop making things harder than they need to be. As far as the Texans game goes, Darnold owes his defense dinner for this one.

Seahawks’ secondary seals the deal

Houston couldn’t really capitalize on those turnovers because Seattle’s pass rush stepped up big time. QB CJ Stroud was under pressure the entire night. They sacked him three times, forced a pick, and allowed him a passing rate under 50%. He went 23 for 49.

Even after being without Julian Love and Devon Witherspoon, the defense was well-oiled.  The Seahawks’ front line was as. good as they could’ve possibly been, smothering the Texans’ run game and forcing them into uncomfortable situations time and again.

With the game still within reach at 20–12, Seattle’s run defense came in clutch, stuffing two straight runs on third and fourth down to get the ball back at Houston’s 41. A few plays later, the offense did its job to make it 27–12 and kept the game away from a bottle job.

You could rewatch that defensive performance a hundred times and still struggle to find a weak spot. But one player stood out.

Ernest Jones IV was simply exceptional. He finished with 11 tackles, a tackle for loss, and, most importantly, his third interception of the season, which led to a pivotal Seahawks field goal. He helped set the tone the entire night and anchored a defense that once again bailed out an offense still finding its footing. But, well, the defense can’t be expected to play superhero every week.