Turnovers keep piling up for the Seahawks, who are looking to rebound after losing 2 straight games

The Seattle Seahawks have yet to solve their turnover trouble but now they have a bit of extra time to work on it.

Quarterback Sam Darnold threw a pair of interceptions Thursday night against the Denver Broncos, including a pick in overtime that led to Wil Lutz’s field goal that handed Seattle a 17-14 loss. The defending Super Bowl champions also lost a fumble in the second quarter.

Last weekend, the Seahawks (3-3) had four turnovers in a 32-29 loss to the 49ers. Darnold threw two interceptions and the Seahawks lost two fumbles, including one in the end zone. In Week 3, Darnold threw a pick-6 in a 33-31 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Darnold already has seven interceptions, tied for most in the NFL with Drake Make and Justin Herbert, and he was sidelined for nearly two entire games because of an injury. Six of Darnold's picks have come in the losses.

Against the Broncos, Darnold finished 27 of 51 for 278 yards. The lone Seahawks touchdown was on George Holani's one-yard run in the fourth quarter. Darnold was also sacked five times.

For his part, Darnold owned it, and told his teammates as much in the locker room following the game.

“I just think it’s B.S. for me to keep turning the ball over,” he said. “It’s not fair to our defense, it’s not fair to our special teams group, it’s not fair really to the entire team, so I’ve got to be better that way.”

So far this season, the Seahawks have 12 total turnovers, just one less than the league-leading Chargers. Seattle has had at least three turnovers in each of their three losses this season.

The Seahawks have this weekend off before hosting the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25. Coach Mike Macdonald believes all this is fixable.

“There’s things that we need to get better at quickly, and we know those things. They’re within our control, and that’s what we do. We find solutions, and we get things figured out. We move forward, and we evolve," Macdonald said. "The best teams in this league, they do that, and that’s what we want to be. We want to be one of the best teams in the league, as we know. We believe we can be.”

Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 12 passes for 134 yards on Thursday night. The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year currently leads the NFL with 717 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, and is on pace to potentially reach 2,000 yards.

He, too, is hopeful the Seahawks will turn things around.

"Honestly, there are going to be ups and downs during the season. It’s just our job to come in and stick to the process. That’s what we preach, so we have to stand on that and come back and figure it out — practice hard and execute it in the game,” he said.

In addition to the five sacks, Darnold was also hit 17 times, indicating there's some work to do when it comes to pass protection. It was the second straight game Darnold has been sacked five times. Seattle's offensive woes also were glaring on third down, with Seattle converting just three times in 14 tries against Denver.

Despite a slow first half, the Seahawks' “Dark Side” defense held the Broncos to just 168 yards overall, an average of just 2.9 yards per play. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix managed just 107 yards passing and top receiver RJ Harvey had just 31 yards. Denver finished with 74 yards rushing. Inside linebacker Ernest Jones IV had nine tackles and a sack, his third in as many games.

Seattle's tight ends haven't found a groove when it comes to the passing game. AJ Barner led with three catches for 16 yards and Elijah Arroyo was injured. Barner, who leads the group, has 15 catches for 138 yards and no touchdowns through six games.

Arroyo left the game in the first half with a shoulder injury and did not return. There was no update on his condition following the game.

14 — Total points for the Seahawks, breaking a streak of four games with at least 29 points.

Seattle has an extended break before facing the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 25. The Chiefs host the winless Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Denver Broncos defensive end Zach Allen (99) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold with Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba runs the ball against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold responds to reporters' questions during a news conference after an NFL football game Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws against the Denver Broncos during overtime in an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Geneva Heffernan)

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A fast-moving fire fueled by high winds burned at least six homes in Southern California on Friday, engulfing expensive coastal properties and prompting thousands to evacuate.

Black smoke — visible from miles away — billowed over tennis courts and swimming pools while firefighters doused blazing homes in San Juan Capistrano in Orange County. Some homeowners sprayed water on their properties before heeding evacuation orders.

Two firefighters were taken to the hospital with heat-related injuries, officials said. Authorities have not said how the blaze, which was less than a square mile as of Friday evening, started.

“Had these winds been a little bit stronger, a little bit different direction, this could have been a whole lot worse," said San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler.

Howard Hart, a councilmember for San Juan Capistrano, said he and his wife doused their roof with water and moved propane tanks away from their home before they evacuated Friday with a to-go bag.

Laura Hart hasn’t had to evacuate due to fire in the more than five decades she’s lived in the community, she said.

“This doesn’t usually happen to us, we usually see it on the news,” she said. “We always pray to God it’s not us, but yeah, it was today.”

The Norte fire started in the coastal city of San Clemente, and wind drove it into San Juan Capistrano. An evacuation shelter has opened in each city. By Friday night, about 16,000 residents had been ordered to evacuate, said Fire Chief TJ McGovern, of the Orange County Fire Authority.

It was one of several fires in the region hit by dry, warm gusts known as Santa Anas, which blow from the interior and toward the coast. The strongest winds were expected through Friday afternoon, but conditions that increase the fire risk were expected to last through Saturday night, with a heat advisory in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday on the Orange County and San Diego County coast, the National Weather Service said.

Tens of thousands of people in the state are without power after their electricity was turned off. A separate fire by the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton shut down for hours a section of Interstate 5 that is a major artery connecting Orange County to San Diego. That added hours to commutes throughout Southern California.

The coastal cities are surrounded by hillsides. San Juan Capistrano, a city of 35,000, is known for horse trails and the historic Mission San Juan Capistrano. San Clemente, which is home to 62,000 people, is known as a “Spanish village by the sea” and popular with beachgoers and surfers.

“The fire is right up on the city,” said Victor Cabral, a San Clemente Council member. “It’s on the perimeter of our homes on the north end.”

Nine schools were also closed Friday in San Juan Capistrano, the Capistrano Unified School District said.

Nearby residents were also on edge as smoke darkened the sky.

Wyoming resident Shannon Needham was visiting her mother at her assisted living facility in Dana Point just north of San Clemente when she learned about the fire.

The facility director told her that two buses would be on standby in case they needed to evacuate, Needham said.

“You could hear the fire trucks, you could hear the helicopters and everything above. And it was so smoky, it was just dark smoke," Needham said.

Some of California’s worst wildfires have been sparked by power equipment, and utilities in recent years have begun proactively shutting off power in dry winds. More than 200,000 customers in California were without electricity as of Friday, according to poweroutage.com.

The weather service also issued a red flag warning for parts of central and Northern California through Friday morning, saying any fires would spread rapidly.

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writer Jaimie Ding contributed from Los Angeles.

Resident Ephraim Taylor, grabs a garden hose in an effort to help with a wildfire spreading in his neighborhood, during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A firefighters works to douse a fire on the roof of a house engulfed in flames during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Firefighters work to douse a fire on house in flames during the Norte Fire on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The sun is obscured by smoke as firefighters work to save structures on Via La Mirada during the Norte fire in San Clemente, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

Firefighters work to save structures on Via La Mirada during the Norte fire in San Clemente, Calif., on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (Paul Bersebach/The Orange County Register via AP)

The Bryson Fire illuminates a ridge top on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Crews make a stand in front of the Bryson Fire on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Crews make a stand in front of the Bryson Fire on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Malibu, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

A tanker drops retardant on the Peak Fire Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, in Azusa, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Hot spots glow across a hillside during the Bryson Fire in Malibu, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)