'It Wasn't to Our Standard': Seattle Seahawks Look to Get Right on Defense vs. Giants

Following a 42-29 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Seattle Seahawks have some things to correct on defense. They will have to do it quickly.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Tim Patrick (17) runs for a first down against Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson (0) during the second half at Ford Field in Detroit on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Monday, the Seattle Seahawks gave up 42 points to the Detroit Lions with a battered defense missing five starters by the second half. Still, that’s the most points Seattle has allowed since it faced Detroit in Week 4 of the 2022 season (45 points).

It’s head coach Mike Macdonald’s defense, but defensive coordinator Aden Durde is a collaborator. Durde wasn’t satisfied with the performance.

“I feel like the effort was there. [But] it wasn’t to our standard, if I’m really honest,” Durde told reporters on Thursday. “We were talking about it in the room with the guys. It was like ‘There’s some effort placed there, and I feel, it’s just a real honest evaluation. You are not obviously where you need to be at yet.’ And when you see that, it’s like, ‘Okay, where are the areas that we need to grow, the consistency that we need to grow with?’ And that's kind of the biggest evaluation of last week.”

The Seahawks allowed Lions quarterback Jared Goff to complete 18 of 18 passes — an NFL record for pass attempts without an incompletion — for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He caught a third score on a trick play throw from Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Detroit did whatever it wanted as its running backs totaled 158 scrimmage yards and Jahmyr Gibbs, particularly, rushed for 5.6 yards per carry. The game script favored the Lions, especially once they took a 14-0 first-quarter lead following DK Metcalf’s costly fumble.

Seattle’s defense was hampered, but not everything about a poor performance can be blamed on injuries. They’re NFL players facing other NFL players. Durde and the coaching staff are trying to fix the deficiencies without finger-pointing — which is exactly how it should be done.

“I think the way Mike [Macdonald] wants it is honest and accountable. So, if you face these issues front on, the biggest regret would be to not learn from what just happened,” Durde said. “I think that’s what we’re all trying to do. There’s accountability on me on the plan that I put together with the guys. So, all of us have to look back at ourselves and say, ‘Okay, how can we grow from this situation? How can we improve the areas that we need to improve on?”

Including the Lions game, the Seahawks have to play three games in 11 days. Two of those games are against the teams that played in last season’s NFC Championship (San Francisco 49ers in Week 6).

Durde said the players bounced back in practice on Thursday. They’re present and ready to go. But the communication must get cleaned up as they move forward, Durde said. Macdonald has emphasized communication all offseason and into the regular season as the crux of Seattle’s defensive success.

“If you think back to when we came in here, we were really focusing on communication at all three levels,” Durde added. “How does it sound? How do we work as a unit? That’s an area that we have to grow, and someone asked me last week, ‘Where do we go as this defense?’ And that’s part of us and that’s the area that as we go through this journey this year is that it’s got to be a constant growth. Last week to be honest with you, I think the communication took a step back. I think as we go, it takes a step forward and we go from there.”

Communication issues are expected with a disjointed starting unit. Chemistry and repetition are reduced and less practiced. That makes sense, but Durde understands you won’t win many football games allowing as many points as the Seahawks did.

Seattle has little time to dwell on the loss, as they returned to practice on Wednesday and already have a game on Sunday against the New York Giants.

Luckily, the Seahawks will have outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu back for the first time this season and will be getting multiple other key players back in the lineup. New York will also be without its top offensive threat, wide receiver Malik Nabers.

Seahawks versus Giants kicks off at 1:25 p.m. PT on Sunday, Oct. 6 at Lumen Field.