49ers 36, Seahawks 24
MIKE MACDONALD: Look, it stings. It stings to have lost three in a row, to lose it against your division rival at home, primetime, such a great environment. Guys fought their tails off down to the last minute.
But we're not playing well enough to beat the team we needed to beat. Message to the team is we have the people in the building. Our players, our coaches, to become a really good football team. Right now we're just coming up short.
That's obvious base the off tape and what's going on. We got to start faster. We have to win the take away differential. That's a team stat. You know, we're just not doing the things that good football teams do to win football games.
And so we're going to attack it. We're going to take a breather and really go back and dissect the heck out of that thing. There are one of two options: Give up or fight like heck to make it right. That's what we're going to do.
We're six games into the season and there is a lot of football to be played. Just like the message was last week, we got to get better in a hurry. Finding new ways to lose games and that's no good.
But we got the right guys for the job, guys that are in it. We're going to do this thing together and fight forward. Go to Atlanta next week.
Q. How is the discipline on the fits, designs, assignments?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, guys aren't inventing things. They're trying to do it the right way. We're either stopping them right now at the line of scrimmage or the ball is spitting and it's explosive.
When that happens on the frontline, it's guys getting out of their gaps, second level not fitting correctly, and not getting it on the ground in the third level.
That's what's going on.
Q. Seemed to be a renewed commitment to the run during the week. Do you feel like that played out today?
MIKE MACDONALD: Well, we certainly tried. I think we ended up with like 20 rush something. It's really a team stat because if you're behind multiple scores, deep into the second half, you're not going to be able to run the ball.
It's just the way it goes.
So we're going to keep working on it. Finding our identity. I mean, that's one on the list of things that we're going to be attacking over the next week.
Q. What did you think of Geno's night? Had a couple interceptions there.
MIKE MACDONALD: Look, at the end of the day, we had -- we put ourselves in position after being in a massive hole, if he we got a stop to go down and score. Geno is playing really good football for us. I know he threw the two picks, but we got faith in Geno. He's going to bounce back oops. Thought he played a good football game.
Q. Any updates on Tre Brown and Artie Burns?
MIKE MACDONALD: Artie reaggravated his toe, so like severity I'm not sure. Tre had ankle.
Pretty sure everybody else is okay.
Q. How much thought did you give to going for the touchdown at the end of the first half there?
MIKE MACDONALD: If it was -- it was a matter of where it was on the field. Wasn't much thought from that yard line.
Q. I guess what do you think the players need to get back on track here?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, look, you can't fix everything overnight. You got to pick one thing at a time. You got to be really surgical in our approach, positive.
There is good things on tape. The effort was there. The guys are trying to play physical. Trying to play the right way. We got to look at what we're asking and how we're coaching it and how teams are attacking us, and then go from there.
That's really just going to be the thought. Kind of like a mini bye week so going to be looking at ourselves a lot over the next few days and then go back to work on Monday.
Q. What was the explanation you got where they called the personal foul on Leonard but they had called motion on San Francisco?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, apparently the rule says that a 15-yarder overrides a 5-yarder even if the first 5-yarder would've stopped the play. That's the explanation I got.
Q. Mike, what did you see on the Deebo touchdown, the breakdown you guys had there?
MIKE MACDONALD: It was a coverage breakdown on our end, and we had an opportunity to make it right with Julian on the overlap. If that happens, we just got to get him on the ground up we miss the tackle and off he went.
Q. You mentioned the turnovers earlier. Had multiple turnovers in four games. Hasn't been one guy obviously, but what do you think needs to change to get that down?
MIKE MACDONALD: Obviously we're not emphasizing it enough. That's the starting point. The guys know that. I mean, add that to the list of things we have to attack.
But can't be giving the ball to the other team. We have to be playing more precise.
Q. Good to see Laviska bounce back though?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, special teams, it's really like our football team right now. Doing a lot of good things that put us in chances and we're really hurting ourselves in certain phases. It's like I'm living in two extremes.
We got to balance it out and be a more consistent football team.
Q. Another game where you asked your offensive line to hold up in the pass protection quite a bit. How do you feel like they did?
MIKE MACDONALD: I mean, again, this is the third game in a row you're behind so you got to chuck it in the second half.
Again, that's defensively and as a team we have to be in these games within a score in the second half so we're not having to drop back that much.
But the guys are battling. They're battling. The guys are battling their tails off. I'm proud of the effort, and I don't know what the score was at some point, but looked bleak.
Laviska took the kickoff back, guys fought back to within a score, and we didn't get the four-minute stop on defense.
It's kind of a tale of the last three weeks right now.
Q. These last couple games the other team have been able to drive right down the field to start the first and second half.
MIKE MACDONALD: Yep.
Q. Are you noticing anything that's causing that where it seems like the defense is coming up flat starting the game?
MIKE MACDONALD: No, I don't think we're flat. You know, team have openers and you have to stop those openers. That's just what it is. That's a combination of understanding how teams are attacking you, how that's evolving, and keep putting them in better position to make plays and our guys got to go make the plays.
Our guys are ready to play.
Q. You guys have been on the negative side on the turnover battle for a few weeks in a row. How do you see that aspect of I don't you play right now?
MIKE MACDONALD: It's probably the single handedly the thing -- the biggest thing that hurt our football team. We have to take care of the ball better. Practice it better.
You know, you get what you emphasize and apparently we're not emphasizing that enough. Shoot, that's my responsibility.
Q. Three games in 11 days, how much physically do you need to break right now?
MIKE MACDONALD: I don't know. Physically not sure what the answer to that is. It is good to have a couple days to take a breath and say -- go back and really have a chance to go back with the tape and let's come up with a great plan of attack to go forward.
You know, that's got to be our mentality. So that's what we're going to do.
Q. Are you concerned about where your team is right now after losing three straight?
MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, of course you're going to be upset and worried about losing three straight. Of course. Of course. But we are 3-3. We are six weeks in. So we started fast. Obviously 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, and that's -- it's just -- I hate to be like there is no novel idea, but that's just got to be the mentality.
Q. On creating turnovers how do you do that without pressing defensive-wise?
MIKE MACDONALD: I think it starts with stopping on first down type plays. I don't know what the stats were today, but felt like we were behind on some of those things. If you're in the forcing them into passing situations it's hard to affect the quarterback.
When we did create those situations today I felt like we couldn't get the guy on the ground and was able to extend and make plays in that regard.
But you have to be winning games, you know. And that's when it comes to life. If teams have options to run or pass all the time, it's hard to get them behind the eight ball.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports