The Seattle Seahawks had plenty they could point to after their loss to the Washington Commanders.
Mike Macdonald wasn’t interested in excuses.
Seattle’s head coach delivered a pointed message after the defeat, calling on both his players and coaching staff to confront the mistakes that cost the Seahawks.
“The message was going to be the same whether we won or lost,” Macdonald told reporters. “It’s about how we do what we do and how we get better — it’s really that simple.”
Then came the line that summed up his approach.
“We say go through, not around — that’s what we plan on doing.”
Seattle Seahawks’ Mistakes Add Up Against Commanders
Macdonald didn’t have to search very hard for problems to attack.
Seattle finished minus-three in the turnover battle, struggled to generate pressure defensively and again left Macdonald dissatisfied with the team’s red-zone performance.
“In the NFL, what wins games is great situational football, taking care of the rock, playing complementary football, and stacking plays, and we didn’t do those things today and they did,” Macdonald said.
Still, Seattle remained within two points despite losing what Macdonald described as the smaller battles throughout the game.
That provided both encouragement and frustration.
Macdonald believes the Seahawks are capable of winning when they play their brand of football. Against Washington, they simply didn’t do it consistently enough.
“We can be better situationally to take advantage of that and try to close the game out,” Macdonald said.
Mike Macdonald Wants More From Seahawks Defense
Seattle’s defense also failed to produce the disruption Macdonald wanted.
Asked specifically about the pass rush, the Seahawks coach didn’t soften his assessment.
“No, we didn’t get enough pressure today,” Macdonald said. “They did a good job taking care of the quarterback. We’ll look at it and see where we can get better, but I don’t think we hit our mark today on the quarterback.”
Macdonald later connected that lack of pressure to another problem: Seattle’s inability to generate takeaways.
He said the Seahawks need to find ways to become more aggressive, noting that consistent pressure creates opportunities for turnovers.
The red-zone defense didn’t escape criticism, either.
“It’s not good enough,” Macdonald said.
Macdonald Defends Sam Darnold Despite Turnovers
Quarterback Sam Darnold represented much of Seattle’s afternoon in miniature.
There were explosive moments and costly ones.
Darnold threw four touchdown passes but also tossed two interceptions, including one he later described as a “bad decision.”
Macdonald nevertheless came away encouraged by much of what his quarterback produced.
“I thought he made some tremendous plays on time and on extended plays, so I thought he did a great job,” Macdonald said. “The takeaways are tough, but we’ll look at why we made those decisions. On the whole, he kept us in the game.”
That leaves Seattle with a fairly straightforward assignment.
Macdonald said the coaching staff will evaluate everything from game planning and preparation to travel and execution. He isn’t questioning whether his locker room will respond.
“I just know our team and what they’re made of,” Macdonald said. “We’re going to go back to work and get better.”
After a game Seattle nearly survived despite repeatedly hurting itself, Macdonald’s message wasn’t complicated.
Don’t avoid the problems.
Go through them.
Seattle Seahawks Coach Mike Macdonald Sends Blunt Message After Loss to Commanders