The Seahawks have been exceptionally good at recovering fumbles in 2018

Remember when the Carolina Panthers fumbled it six times against the Seattle Seahawks and somehow recovered all of them? It sure felt like Seattle was on the wrong end of fumble luck and squandering opportunities to get some important turnovers.

Well as it turns out, outside of that game, the Seahawks have been astonishingly good at recovering fumbles. They forced 21 fumbles on defense and special teams this season (tied for third in the NFL), and were able to recover 14, which is tied for most in the league. Compare that with the 2014 Seahawks, whose fumble luck wasn’t as good, as they forced 20 and only got half of them.

It’s good that they’ve been getting fumble recoveries, as the defense has only mustered up three interceptions since the bye week, and just twelve overall. For the second year in a row, none of Seattle’s cornerbacks amassed more than two interceptions, and Earl Thomas is tied for the team lead in picks despite not playing since September.

Seattle has the league’s best turnover differential at +15, and part of that is not only their defensive fumble recoveries, but their ability to recover loose footballs (or have them go out of bounds) on offense. Of the 14 fumbles forced, only four have been recovered by the opposition, which is the fewest in the league alongside Washington.

The past two meetings with the Dallas Cowboys have seen the Seahawks commit zero turnovers and force six, and hopefully that will continue heading into Saturday night.