RENTON, Wash. — Geno Smith’s second interception in the Seattle Seahawks’ loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week came on a throw over the middle to DK Metcalf, who had headed toward the post on what was supposed to be an entry shot. itinerary.

In typical fashion, Smith took the blame in his post-match press conference.

“We all saw it,” the quarterback said. “Bad play on my part.”

Metcalf called Smith over the weekend and took responsibility for the pick, then set the record straight with reporters on Wednesday.

“It was definitely my fault,” he said. “I was drifting upfield, saw an open space, was trying to do too much and let the DB undercut the route when I should have stayed flat.”

For all the problems the Seahawks face as they try to end the three-game losing streak that followed their 3-0 start, liability doesn’t appear to be one of them. But turnovers – on both sides of the ball – are at the top of the list.

After two interceptions and a lost fumble against the 49ers, the Seahawks gave the ball away 10 times in six games, compared to just four putbacks. Their minus-six rating is tied for third-worst in the NFL, and they’ve recorded minus-five turnovers during their three-game skid.

“That alone is probably the biggest thing hurting our football team,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “We need to take care of the ball better. We need to practice it better. You get what you emphasize and apparently we don’t emphasize it enough. Shoot, that’s my responsibility.”

Part of the problem was a simple matter of ball security.

Metcalf lost two fumbles while fighting for extra yards. Laviska Shenault Jr. coughed up a kickoff return and undrafted rookie Dee Williams muffed a punt. The Seahawks were fortunate to avoid two more turnovers against San Francisco when they recovered a Jaxon Smith-Njigba fumble and the officials missed a call that should have allowed the 49ers to gain possession after falling to another punt touched by Williams.

In other cases, Seattle’s poor turnover differential has been a glaring symptom of other problems.

Smith’s first interception last week came on a ball he tossed over the head of Tyler Lockett, who was unable to make the throw as Nick Bosa headed toward him. One of Smith’s first picks this year was also a result of pressure, as he rushed to throw Zach Charbonnet out of the end zone while desperately trying to avoid a safety. That throw bounced off the ball carrier’s hands, while another Smith interception in the same game was deflected at the line of scrimmage.

The Seahawks, with their overmatched offensive line, rank fifth in pass block win rate (51.6%). They’re middle of the pack in pressure allowed (18th at 31.2%), but that number has been bolstered by Smith getting the ball out at the 10th-fastest rate (2.69 seconds on average).

Defensively, the Seahawks forced seven fumbles — tied for third-most in the NFL — but recovered just two to go along with their two interceptions. One of those recovered fumbles was returned by Rayshawn Jenkins 102 yards for a touchdown and a 14-point swing in Week 5, but that was Seattle’s only takeaway from the season opener .

The Seahawks’ four takeaways put them on pace for fewer than 12. They finished with 19 last season (22nd) while the Baltimore Ravens forced an NFL-high 31 turnovers with Macdonald coordinating their defense.

“We need to attract more people to football on a consistent basis,” Macdonald said, “and I think we need to create more situations where we put more pressure on the quarterback, where the ball comes alive. More of shots on goal. You miss a hundred percent of the shots that you don’t take. So we have to make sure that we really take advantage of those opportunities.

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Against the 49ers and New York Giants over the past two games, the Seahawks have pressured Brock Purdy and Daniel Jones on 40 percent of their dropbacks, the eighth-highest rate in the NFL over that span. But all that pressure led to just nine combined QB hits.

“There have been games where we take a lot of shots and the ball doesn’t come out,” Macdonald said. “There were a few games where the ball came out and it wasn’t bouncing towards us. And then there were the last two games. We didn’t make as many shots as we needed to and that’s a function of our presence and understanding the situation when you can hit and when the ball comes alive.

On the season, the Seahawks are 19th in winning rate (41.6%), but have generated pressure at the fourth-highest rate (37.3%).

They will be without one of their best passers for the foreseeable future, with Uchenna Nwosu expected to remain on injured reserve until the end of the season. But the rest of their front is improving, with Boye Mafe returning last week and rookie Byron Murphy II — Seattle’s first-round pick — also returning this week. The Seahawks improved the depth of their D-line by acquiring Roy Robertson-Harris in a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this week.

On Sunday, they will face a quarterback, Kirk Cousins, who is much less mobile than Jones and Purdy, although the Atlanta Falcons have been one of the best pass-blocking teams in the NFL, allowing pressure to a league-low rate of 23.6% while ranking 10th. in PBWR (62.5%).

The Seahawks haven’t forced teams into enough pure passing situations, largely because Seattle fell behind early in some games and held a big lead in only one of them. The average distance it takes their opponents to convert on third down is 6.0 yards, second shortest in the NFL, which is also due to them not being strong enough on first downs.

“Everyone runs for the ball, everyone comes with bad intentions.” Linebacker Tyrel Dodson spoke about the key to forcing more turnovers. “Just run to the ball and win on first down. Because when you win on first down, you’re now a one-dimensional team on second down. … When you know what you’re getting before, now it’s third down – and -7, the big guys can go eat, the back can play with his eyes, me and (Jérôme Baker) can disguise ourselves a little more. It’s just playing team ball.