The Seattle Seahawks defense got bludgeoned for the third consecutive week.
Thursday night's 36-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers saw Mike Macdonald's defense give up 483 yards, including 228 rushing. The steamrolling came four days after Seattle allowed the New York Giants to pile up 420 total yards, including 175 rushing. In Week 4, the Detroit Lions put up 389 yards with 116 rushing and Jared Goff's perfect game.
"That's something we've been dealing with for the last few games," defensive lineman Leonard Williams said, via the team's official website. "As a defensive lineman and whoever plays in the front seven, that's something we should pride ourselves on. To allow this to continue to happen is not good for our defense, good for our team. And we obviously have to figure it out before we get to where we want to be as a team. I think a part of it is we just have to figure out how to just do our job, keep it simple and stop thinking about doing someone else's job. I think that's what happens sometimes in these big runs or explosive plays."
Despite another poor outing, players believe it's not a scheme issue but rather about being more disciplined, particularly with their run fits.
"I think it's just fundamental stuff," safety Julian Love said. "We have to keep it black and white in the meeting room, and address what needs to be addressed in terms of simple stuff. And that's the good part, that's the promising part is that it is bread and butter things that we're not executing on. Mike's really dialing it up, or trying to dial it up, and we just have to find a way to mesh and catch our flow."
The Seahawks allowed 14.3 points per game in the first three contests -- against the Denver Broncos (Bo Nix's first start), the New England Patriots, and the Miami Dolphins in their first game sans Tua Tagovailoa. In the past three weeks, Seattle has allowed 35.7 points per game with a -5 turnover differential.
"The defense has got to play better, we've got to create more takeaways," corner Devon Witherspoon said. "So that's been a common theme."
Safety Rayshawn Jenkins noted Thursday night that the bulk of the 49ers yards came on a few long plays -- a 76-yard run by Isaac Guerendo, a 38-yarder by Jordan Mason, and a 76-yard catch and run touchdown by Deebo Samuel.
"Very fixable," Jenkins said of the defensive issues. "Everyone just has to be open. I think we got the right guys. I think that is the case. But we just have to really hold each other accountable, and we can't beat around the bush."
The Seahawks have been banged up during their losing streak, but so is every team -- even Thursday's opponent, San Francisco, was without several key players on both sides of the ball. Injuries are something every squad deals with throughout a season. The good ones overcome. The mirages fade into the distance.
Things get no easier for Seattle, as they travel to Atlanta in Week 7 to face Kirk Cousins, Bijan Robinson, Drake London, et al.
"Yeah, of course you're going to be upset and worried about losing three straight," Macdonald said. "Of course. But we are 3-3. We are six weeks in. So, we started fast. Obviously (have) not played good football in the last three games, and onward we go. The mentality always has to be 'Hey let's move forward, attack this thing, and let's fight like hell to make it right.' That's the message to the guys. There is no novel idea, but that's just got to be the mentality."