A day after his team's season-opening loss to the 49ers, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald felt similar to how he did after the game ended.
His team played hard, showing physicality and effort, but some of the finer details of the game made the difference in a 17-13 loss. In other words, the result was disappointing, but the team isn't discouraged about where it is headed from a big-picture standpoint.
"Guys played really hard yesterday," Macdonald said. "Obviously, a disappointing result, but a lot of the process up to this point I'm pleased with, which would have been the same answer if we would have made a couple of plays there at the end. The intent was there, the detail we've got to improve on as a football team, and we'll do that. It started today, and we'll go work our tails off this week and look forward to playing Pittsburgh on Sunday."
Later, when asked about the team's physical play, Macdonald said it showed up, "in all three phases. Our guys play the right way. Our intent is right right now, but we're missing some detail that prohibits us from making some of those plays that we need to be able to make to win a game like that."
In addition to some injury updates, here are six things we learned from Macdonald's Monday press conference.
1. Mood Of The Team: 'We're Still Confident In Who We Are'
After the game on Sunday, the message from most players was that they know they didn't play to their standard and they can be better.
On Monday, Macdonald said the overall mood is "disappointed," but "optimistic."
"Guys are good. They're disappointed, we're all disappointed. We're all edgy. But we're determined. We're optimistic, we're still confident in who we are. We understand we have work to do, so let's go get to work."
2. Josh Jobe had a great game and is competing for a bigger role.
Along with an Ernest Jones IV interception and a Julian Love sack, Josh Jobe's interception of Brock Purdy was another highlight for the defensive unit. After rookie Nick Emmanwori left Sunday's game with an ankle injury, Jobe played a significant amount, finishing the game with a pass defensed, an interception and two tackles. Jobe's interception helped set up Seattle to go and score a field goal.
"Josh is ready to go," Macdonald said. "He's always going to be a big part of the game plan. He's competing for more snaps, and I thought he played a tremendous football game. Played physical, played smart, played disciplined, finishing plays right. I thought he played a great game."
As for competing for more snaps, Macdonald's mindset has always been that if a player proves themselves, they've earned more playing time.
"You go out and produce, why would we not play you," Macdonald said.
3. Macdonald's thoughts on the run game.
The Seahawks had moments and drives where the run game looked really good, but overall the Seahawks didn't get the production they wanted out of that part of their offense, averaging 3.2 yards per carry on 26 rush attempts.
"It seemed to me when we get it targeted and we're all on the same page, we're doing a lot of good stuff," Macdonald said. "When we have some indecisiveness, it felt like that's when things got twisted a little bit. But a lot of positives, guys are finishing plays the right way, and a lot of stuff that we can build on moving forward.
"I think it's fair to say when we're not running the ball effectively, we're either not hitting our targets or wrongly leveraged or maybe not taking the right path. It can just be one of whatever things, it's not like guys don't know what to do, it's just how to do them to a certain extent. We'll get those things cleaned up as we go. You're never going to play a perfect football game, that's why the effort and the physicality are so important, because a lot of times, that makes up for a little lack of detail here or there. They've got good players too. They're allowed to go make plays and they're allowed to gameplan and do some things that you may or may not expect. That's why the game of football is so great, it's just back and forth, this battle of wills. When we're on our stuff and when we're rolling, I think we can be pretty dang good."
The Seahawks did not use much play action or quarterback rollouts, generally considered key elements of the style of offense Klint Kubiak is running, something Macdonald said he'd like to see change going forward.
"We need to action more, we need more movement," Macdonald said. "So we'll call it and we'll execute it when called."
4. Sam Darnold played fast and decisive, but he and the offense weren't able to finish off the comeback attempt.
Sam Darnold's Seahawks debut didn't see him put up big numbers, but he did a lot of the things the Seahawks were looking for when they signed him while completing 16 of 23 attempts for 150 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Unfortunately for Darnold and the Seahawks, a promising end-of-game drive ended in the red zone when he fumbled after the ball was knocked loose as he attempted a pass, the result of tackle Abraham Lucas being pushed back into the pass attempt by defensive end Nick Bosa.
"I thought he played fast, I thought he played decisive, took care of the ball, put us in a lot of great positions, but unfortunately, let's go close it out," Macdonald said.
5. The pass rush wasn't as good as Macdonald wanted, but Ernest Jones IV's interception was a great example of the pass rush making a difference.
The Seahawks sacked Brock Purdy only once, though they were able to pressure him quite a bit more often than that, but even with those pressures, Macdonald wanted to see more out of his pass rush.
"I think as a whole we can rush better as a defense," he said… "Our rush and coverage need to work better together."
One example of the rush and coverage working together came when linebacker Drake Thomas put pressure on Purdy, keeping him from stepping into his throw, helping set Ernest Jones IV up for an interception.
"It's a great example of how rush and coverage work together," Macdonald said. "We timed up a pressure really well, Drake won his one-on-one on the running back, didn't let the quarterback step into his throw, E.J.'s where he's supposed to be in coverage and he makes a phenomenal play. That's kind of how it all works together. If we give quarterback plenty of time to throw and step into, the ball's probably a little bit more on time and we're not having this conversation. It takes all 11 on every play, details matter, and when we do it, we play some really good football."
6. Jalen Milroe's One Snap
Heading into Sunday's matchup, it was unclear whether or not rookie Jalen Milroe would see any action, although it wasn't out of the picture, with Macdonald previously saying the team was including him in the game planning.
Milroe did take one snap, rushing for one yard on the play.
"He had an option to throw there, an option to use his legs," Macdonald said. "[He] made the right decision in that moment, but we had more plays up for him, we just didn't get to them."
Check out photos of the Seahawks 53-man active roster heading into the 2025 season.
This is a 2025 photo of DeMarcus Lawrence of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (0)
Seahawks cornerback Derion Kendrick (1)
Seahawks cornerback Derion Kendrick (1).
This is a 2025 photo of Drew Lock of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2)
This is a 2025 photo of Nick Emmanwori of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3)
This is a 2025 photo of Michael Dickson of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks punter Michael Dickson (4)
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5).
Seahawks kicker Jason Myers (5)
This is a 2025 photo of Jalen Milroe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Jalen Milroe (6)
This is a 2025 photo of Uchenna Nwosu of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (7)
This is a 2025 photo of Coby Bryant of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Coby Bryant (8)
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9)
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9)
This is a 2025 photo of Cooper Kupp of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp (10)
This is a 2025 photo of Jaxon Smith-Njigba of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11)
This is a 2025 photo of Ernest Jones IV of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV (13)
This is a 2025 photo of Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14)
This is a 2025 photo of Tory Horton of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Tory Horton (15)
This is a 2025 photo of Elijah Arroyo of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Elijah Arroyo (18)
This is a 2025 photo of Jake Bobo of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Jake Bobo (19)
This is a 2025 photo of Julian Love of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Julian Love (20)
This is a 2025 photo of Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21)
This is a 2025 photo of Zach Charbonnet of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26)
This is a 2025 photo of Riq Woolen of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen (27)
This is a 2025 photo of Nehemiah Pritchett of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28)
This is a 2025 photo of Josh Jobe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29)
This is a 2025 photo of George Holani of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks running back George Holani (36)
This is a 2025 photo of Brady Russell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks fullback Brady Russell (38)
This is a 2025 photo of Ty Okada of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39)
This is a 2025 photo of Robbie Ouzts of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks fullback Robbie Ouzts (40)
This is a 2025 photo of Chris Stoll of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks long snapper Chris Stoll (41)
This is a 2025 photo of Drake Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas (42)
Seahawks linebacker Chazz Surratt (44)
Seahawks linebacker Chazz Surratt (44).
This is a 2025 photo of Tyrice Knight of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight (48)
This is a 2025 photo of Jared Ivey of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Jared Ivey (51)
This is a 2025 photo of Boye Mafe of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Boye Mafe (53)
This is a 2025 photo of Olu Oluwatimi of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Olu Oluwatimi (55)
This is a 2025 photo of Connor O'Toole of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole (57)
This is a 2025 photo of Derick Hall of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall (58)
This is a 2025 photo of Jalen Sundell of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks center Jalen Sundell (61)
This is a 2025 photo of Charles Cross of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Charles Cross (67)
This is a 2025 photo of Abraham Lucas of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Abraham Lucas (72)
This is a 2025 photo of Josh Jones of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tackle Josh Jones (74)
This is a 2025 photo of Anthony Bradford of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75)
This is a 2025 photo of Grey Zabel of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Grey Zabel (76)
This is a 2025 photo of Bryce Cabeldue of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks guard Bryce Cabeldue (77)
This is a 2025 photo of Mason Richman of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks offensive lineman Mason Richman (78)
This is a 2025 photo of Eric Saubert of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end Eric Saubert (81)
This is a 2025 photo of Cody White of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Cody White (82)
This is a 2025 photo of Dareke Young of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks wide receiver Dareke Young (83)
This is a 2025 photo of AJ Barner of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks tight end AJ Barner (88)
This is a 2025 photo of Nick Kallerup of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Signed tight end Nick Kallerup (89) on May 2, 2025.
This is a 2024 photo of Jarran Reed of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90)
This is a 2025 photo of Byron Murphy II of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91)
This is a 2025 photo of Mike Morris of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seattle Seahawks active roster as of June 9, 2025 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Mike Morris (94)
This is a 2024 photo of Leonard Williams of the Seattle Seahawks NFL football team. This image reflects the Seahawks active roster as of June 10, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)
Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99)
