The Seattle Seahawks defense suffered yet another significant setback with their latest 36-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night. This performance marked the third consecutive week of defensive woes for the Seahawks, who conceded a staggering 483 yards, including 228 on the ground. This troubling trend comes after they gave up 420 total yards, including 175 rushing, to the New York Giants just four days earlier. In Week 4, the Detroit Lions also had their way with Seattle's defense, racking up 389 yards, 116 of which were rushing, led by a flawless performance from Jared Goff.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams addressed the ongoing issues, emphasizing the need for discipline and individual responsibility within the front seven. He noted, “As a defensive lineman and whoever plays in the front seven, we should pride ourselves on this aspect. To allow this to continue is not good for our defense, good for our team. We obviously have to figure it out before we get to where we want to be as a team.”

Despite the Seahawks' struggles, several players believe the core issue is not with the defensive scheme but rather in the execution. Safety Julian Love pointed out the fundamental flaws, stating, “We have to keep it black and white in the meeting room and address what needs to be addressed in terms of simple stuff. 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.”

In their first three games, Seattle allowed an impressive 14.3 points per game. However, in the past three weeks, this number has surged to 35.7 points per game, with the team suffering a -5 turnover differential. Cornerback Devon Witherspoon highlighted the need for the defense to create more takeaways to combat this decline.

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins identified that a significant portion of the 49ers' yardage came from a few explosive plays, including a 76-yard run by Isaac Guerendo and a 76-yard catch and run touchdown by Deebo Samuel. Jenkins remains optimistic, describing the defensive issues as “Very fixable,” while stressing the importance of accountability among teammates.

Despite recent injury troubles, the Seahawks understand that overcoming such adversities is part of the challenge, as was evident even against the injury-affected 49ers. The team faces another tough test as they head to Atlanta in Week 7 to face the Falcons.

Defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald remains focused on pushing forward. Acknowledging the recent poor performances, he emphasized the need for a determined mindset, saying, “We are 3-3. We started fast but have not played good football in the last three games. 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.”

As the Seahawks aim to turn their season around, the team's focus on fundamental execution and accountability will be critical in addressing their defensive struggles.