First-year coach Mike Macdonald seemed like a great choice when he led the Seattle Seahawks to a 3-0 start. However, they then hit a rough patch with three losses in a row, followed by a surprising win against Atlanta that made it seem like Macdonald’s team could be a playoff contender.
After a tough 31-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, it’s hard to tell where Seattle’s season is headed.
“We got outplayed and we got outcoached, and we’ve got to go make it right,” Macdonald said. “I feel like we’ve had this conversation too many times about going back to work on Tuesday and tackling this issue head-on, and seeing if we can turn this around.”
The Seahawks struggled in almost every area of the game. A crucial penalty by linebacker Derick Hall led to a sideline argument with defensive end Jarran Reed, showing how rough the day was for Seattle.
During the second quarter, they had two chances in the red zone but only managed three points.
Center Connor Williams snapped the ball over Geno Smith’s head, forcing them to settle for a field goal. Later, on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line, Williams stepped on Smith’s foot, leading to a turnover on downs.
The Bills held the Seahawks to just 32 yards rushing on 17 attempts, with Kenneth Walker III gaining only 12 yards on nine carries.
In contrast, the Bills piled up 445 total yards — 164 rushing and 281 passing.
Seattle committed 11 penalties for 82 yards, with Hall’s roughing-the-passer call being particularly damaging, as it resulted in a touchdown for Buffalo.
“When you talk about all the things that we want to do, well, I don’t think we did any of those today,” Smith said. “So we’ve got to look at ourselves, look in the mirror, and take it from there.”
Seattle can find some comfort in the fact that no one is pulling ahead in the NFC West. Arizona and San Francisco both won on Sunday, joining the Seahawks at the top of the division with a 4-4 record.
