For the second time in three weeks, the Seahawks lost a close game in large part due to multiple turnovers.

In Seattle's Week 3 loss to the Commanders, the offense turned the ball over three times, leading to 21 Washington points in an eventual two-point loss. On Sunday against the 49ers, there were four turnovers, three of them leading to San Francisco touchdowns, in an eventual three-point Seahawks loss.

But as frustrated as those results are for the Seahawks, and for the offense in particular, what won't happen is any division between offense and defense, even if the defense has been put in some really tough spots due to those turnovers.

And if you needed any concrete evidence of that, look no further than the sideline scrum that took place after Sam Darnold was hit out of bounds by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. At that point in the second quarter, the Seahawks were down, 14-10, thanks to a Darnold interception and an Emanuel Wilson fumble, with the 49ers punting on their other four possessions, going three-and-out three times when they didn't get a short field after a turnover. At that point, one might think Seattle's defense might be a little frustrated with the offense, but as Darnold slid to the ground on Seattle's sideline, the first player to confront Greenlaw was linebacker Ernest Jones IV.

Jones, the same player who emphatically, and with some R-rated language, stood up for Darnold last season after a four-interception performance in a loss to the Rams, wanted Greenlaw, and everyone else to know, that he and the Seahawks defense have their quarterback and their team's backs. Greenlaw, who was flagged for the hit, was subsequently ejected for head-butting Jones, who wasn't wearing a helmet, and Jones showed tremendous restraint for not retaliating.

"For us, you understand in this league wins and losses come, it's just how you respond," Jones said when asked why there won't be division between offense and defense despite the turnovers. "How can we take a loss like this, figure out the reasons and why we lost it? How can it help us later on down the line? It's nobody's fault. We could have executed better in the red zone. We've been saying that, but we've got to get stops. If you turn those touchdowns to three points, you may be looking at a different game."

Offensive players, including All-Pro receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wouldn't blame the defense if there was some finger-pointing after a loss like that, coming on the heels of the Washington loss, but he is seeing none of it.

"We never feel that from them, and honestly it's a surprise, because I know how much they love to win and care, and how vocal they are," Smith-Njigba said. "But at the end of the day, they always have our backs, and they let that be known, and time and time again, they come through. We're a band of brothers and we love each other, and we're going to get better. I know they trust to figure it out, and we will."

Darnold, asked about Jones and company sticking up for him, said it was "not a surprise" to see.

"I know those guys got my back, and I've got theirs." Darnold said. "It's just how we roll as a team."

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald appreciated seeing his team stick up for Darnold while not crossing any lines in an emotional rivalry game, and especially after personal foul penalties were such a big issue in last week's win over the Chargers.

"It speaks for our whole team," Macdonald said when asked about the sideline's reaction to the late hit on Darnold. "EJ led the charge, I know it was an emotional thing, but we've got to stay in the pocket too for us to play our best ball. And I thought our guys did a great job, honestly, coming off of last week and understanding how we want to operate. It just shows you, if we put attention to things, our guys get better. We get it, we attack it. It's one of those things where it's like, yeah, there's things we want to attack, things we want to do better, so let's put our focus on it and let's do it. There's a laundry list of things we need to get better at, and there's no time to waste. Let's get after it."

As the Seahawks advanced deep into the postseason on their way to a Super Bowl title last season, players frequently pointed to how connected the entire team is when asked what made that 2025 team so special. This year's team, while not playing at a championship level just yet, feels like that same closeness is still there, which is why players can be frustrated with a loss without that result causing any divisiveness.

"There's frustration," receiver Cooper Kupp said. "Without a doubt, there's frustration. We're very aware of how good the defense is playing. The fact that, up that point, we had given them two short fields that the 'Niners did a great job capitalizing on, then we just gift them seven points there at the end. We just can't do that. Offensively, we've put the defense in a lot of tough positions, and they've bailed us out over and over and over again. We just can't do that. We can't put them in those spots. That's all there is to it."

When asked if the offensive players are hearing any griping from the defensive players for putting them in a bad spot, Kupp said, "That's not how we operate. That's never been the belief, that's never the culture, that's anti who we are. The way we operate on a day-to-day basis is a belief in one another to go out there and do your job to the best of your ability, knowing the other side is doing everything they can to figure out their stuff. That's never been the feeling, that's never been anything that's been vocalized. We're a connected team, we're a very tough, connected team, and because of that, we have all the belief in the world that we're going to find a way to get things rolling in the right direction."

Added safety Ty Okada, "We always have our guys' back. We're one team, it's all one unit. All three phases of this team, it's all about complementary football, so for us, it's our opportunity to go out there and stand up for them. So really, it's just locking in in those moments and having those guys' backs, always."