Postgame quotes from the following:
Head Coach Pete Carroll
Opening Statement:
"This game was a defensive ballgame, right from the get go. They played really tough and gave us a hard time all day long. We had trouble scoring, moving the football. We were giving them trouble scoring and moving the football, as well. It's just an uncharacteristic type of feeling that we were not putting any points on the board. That 5 points just didn't hang very well. One score, and you're out of the lead. I was really surprised that we weren't able to slow them down in the third quarter running the football. They ran some basic stuff, and they got away from us. There was two drives in there where they were able to get enough going where that was the difference in the ball game. Offensively, we had trouble all day long. Give them credit. They've been playing really good ball. I need to look at the film to see what the heck happened, and why it was like that, so much so. So, these games are hard, these games are tough. We can't let this thing knock us off getting going and moving forward. It's really important we get right back in business again, and that's the only choice we have, really. So, that's what we'll do."
On what made the game feel uncharacteristic today:
"We didn't move the ball. We weren't making plays to change field position, we didn't chunk them at all. We actually ran the ball pretty well early, but throwing the ball was a struggle. We took just monster losses in the sacks, that just take you out, the whole drive is just totally challenged from there on. Because, they weren't like 6 or 8 yard sacks, they were like 20s. So, unfortunately all of those situations just kept us from getting any momentum at all. We never got moving. It just isn't like that. None of us have seen us play like that, so it was very difficult."
On how much of the passing game struggles can be placed on Russell Wilson:
"I mean, he's in the middle of it all. I need to look at the protection to see how long we were hanging on to the ball. It felt like he was taking a good look down the field, like we weren't immediately rushed, and so we'll see. I need to talk to Russ, I haven't even visited with him at all yet about it. We'll talk about it."
On why so few rushing carries for Chris Carson today:
"We really went into the game hoping to mix between he and Carlos, because both guys are just barely getting back and feeling right, and we weren't going to load up anybody. Really, that really didn't come to light until we made it through the whole week and got all the way to the weekend, here, and we were hoping the guys would improve. They both played a little sore from the first week, last week. So, really, that's the way I thought it would turn out. We would mix those two guys, not go heavy on one guy or the other."
On the fourth down decisions, first to punt and then on the Wilson rollout:
"That was at the end of the distance that we wanted to kick, it was beyond it. Every game you have a marker in each direction for which way you're going to kick it and where you aren't, and it was beyond it. So, I was happy punting the ball and putting the ball in deep and playing that kind of style at the time, rather than try a monster field goal. And, then we didn't make it. They did a nice job of stopping the fourth down call. We put Russ out on the edge. He had three big options there, as well as run, and they did a nice job of defending it."
On whether was anything amiss with the energy or focus:
"No, not at all. That didn't feel like part of any of it. We didn't execute against them, and we weren't able to move the ball like we wanted to. That's what happened."
On the difficulty with the run defense in the third quarter:
"The big run, we had a pressure that didn't catch up with the play. It was unfortunate, because it was a one time call, and they hit it against it. And then, we were just a little out of whack finishing, making the tackles and knocking them back and doing the things that we normally do. There was just a space and time in there, where they were able to run the football. It wasn't in the first half, then it happened in the third quarter, and then we slowed it down after that. So, we just weren't clicking. As they shifted gears, you could see it to where they weren't even thinking about mixing, they just wanted to see if they could run it and try to play the game that way, and it worked out for them. They kind gained control of the game by doing that, it was a nice job by them."
On whether Tyler Lockett was okay after his big hit:
"Yeah. They cleared him. He was alright."
On the play of the wide receivers:
"We had some chances. I need to look at the film. They did a nice job of adjusting and changing the way that they played their coverages. They made it very multiple within the structure, and gave us some problems. We just have to handle it better. We didn't handle it as well as we thought we would."
On whether he is concerned about Russell Wilson's recent play:
"I'm going to look at this game and break it down and figure it out; talk to Russ, talk to Schotty, and get to the essence of it. I'm not going to just throw out some thought right now, randomly. I'm really surprised that this is how we looked against this game plan that they had. I thought we could do a lot of stuff that just didn't happen for us. I need to see why, and really break it down. I can't tell you right now."
On calling time out before the Giants' field goal attempt:
"We were uncertain if we had numbers right, right there, and we didn't want to screw it up."
On whether that was indicative of the day today:
"No. Just that situation."
On not rushing Chris Carson on fourth and one:
"That's easy to say now. Stuff works sometimes, and sometimes it doesn't. This is what you get to say when you don't make it on Fourth Down, and you get to ask the questions. I wish we would have made it, too. There are different ways to do it, and we want the ball in Russ's hands to give him a chance, there. He had all kinds of options, and that didn't work on one."
On whether Carson is fully healthy:
"He's making it. He's making it to the game, is what he's doing right now. His foot is still sore, but he can play. So, you can see. He looked good. But, it's just not 100 percent, and so we're trying to not overload him. We have a lot of games left, and we're just trying to make sure that he can play and contribute, which is what he's doing, and I thought they handled that pretty well. But, he's not to the point where we can just let him stay out there and keep on going and let's run him 25 or 30 times and see what happens. We're still trying to bring him along."
On the offensive line rotations, due to injury concerns:
"I can't tell you about Jamarco's play, but Jamarco's been around a lot with us and he's played a lot of different stuff, and he has the kind of versality that he can jump in and do that. But, it was in a walkthrough, and Cedric tweaked something. It was very late in the week, so we didn't have any time to prepare for it, for Jamarco. I can't tell you how we played yet. That's an issue, it's a problem. And then, Jamarco pulled his groin a little bit or something in there, and he came out, and Chad Wheeler had to go in and play, and Chad battled his tail off there, to try to help us."
On the performance of Michael Dickson and the blocked punt:
"These guys continue to really play well, and they gave us an opportunity. We went after it. A great execution by the whole group to get that done. That's never just one guy. Just, unfortunately, we didn't get the touchdown there, which we had a shot at it. It would have made a big difference in this game at the time. But, it was still a terrific play. The special teams have played really well, consistently, in all phases. Mike's kicking it and Jason's kicking it, and they're doing a great job for us. Again, I think that's a real constant for us."
On what aspects of the game plan that fell short:
"We're continuing to have trouble on third down. I don't know what it was today, it was 4 for 13 or something like that. It's really hard to overcome that if you're not doing that kind of an output, if you're not doing well on first and second down. The first and second down was very quiet for us. We didn't have a lot of big plays and explosive plays. So, the third downs really tell the story. We kind of have lived with a lot of big plays, and a lot of explosion, and that didn't happen today, they did a nice job of keeping that from happening. That's a nice way to play us, and they were able to get it done."
Quarterback Russell Wilson
On assessing his ability to feel the rush in the pocket:
"Well, I think that the Monday night game, that's one game in itself. We were leading pretty good. Our defense was playing great and the plan was to try to use the clock as much as we could in that game. This game, I think they did a really good job of doing some stuff with their coverage, just trying to keep everything in front pretty much. I think in the second half, we did a good job of getting the ball out, kind of having some plays where the ball's coming out a little bit quicker, this and that. And so I think that, unfortunately, we had the, sack I think Peppers got me on one sack. We had just had kind of a big play and they got me on that one, unfortunately. They had some timely calls and stuff like that.
So but, yeah, I think that anytime we take sacks, I never want to take stacks, obviously. I'm not trying to get hit. I think that you're trying to find ways to make a play and trying to find somebody open and all that and our receivers are doing a great job of battling and fighting to, doing a good job trying to get open and stuff like that. So I think they did a good job. They did a good job of making some plays and pressuring, timely pressures, and this and that against us.
You play this game, and this game, you play, each game has its own history. Each game has its own story and unfortunately, I think the reality of this story was we weren't able to capitalize on opportunities. I always talk about game-altering plays. We didn't have those plays unfortunately today, like we feel like we have had, for the most part, all season. We have done great job of those. And those just didn't show up as much today, unfortunately, and they stopped us on some key situations, situational football, they stopped us. So and then they scored right afterwards.
So I think that's where it was. We felt like we still had a shot to win the game at the end there. Anytime we get the ball back with that kind of situation, we think we're going to make something happen. Unfortunately, they made a couple more plays than us and that's the reality.
I think that, we have had a couple guys go down, in and out, and so I think just, we just got to be better. We got to be cleaner. It starts with me. You got to find ways to continue to get the ball to our guys and let them do their thing. And so I think just, I always start with me first because I think that's, you got to look at yourself first, and I think for me, just trying to find a couple more drives here and there, that's the reality. The reality is we moved the ball for the most part in certain situations, but then we got a sack here or something happened, whatever it may be, so that stopped our touchdown drives, we felt like. I think we had a few opportunities to have touchdown drives and like I said earlier, the situational part of the game, they made their plays in key situations."
On if the coverages from the Giants were different today than what he had seen on film and if they caused him to be more hesitant with some of his decisions:
"I didn't feel like I was indecisive. I think, I got to go back and watch the film, and sometimes they, they're a good defense, balanced, they have done a good job. Coached well. They had some things covered up and they kind of tried to keep everything in front and that, and we didn't really have anything down the field or anything like that, and so once we kind of started adjusting a little bit and trying to get the ball out a couple times there, DK caught a couple quick ones and Tyler made one or two there, here and there. And at the end of the game we felt like we were moving the ball. We went kind of no-huddle at the end of the game in the second to last drive, I think it was, and we made some plays. We kept going. We kind of made some, got the ball moving a little bit.
So I didn't feel, I didn't feel indecisive by any means. I think sometimes they had things covered too sometimes and sometimes you got to move around and they made a couple big-time plays in certain situations.
On the pass protection and dropping his eyes to the pass rush as opposed to looking down field:
"Well, sometimes, I think we had some key runs there. I think, I'm always looking to throw it. I think that I'm always looking to, when it comes to those situations, not looking to necessarily run, but sometimes you got to find a lane to move and create space. And I think I just got to watch the film and see where we could have hit a couple more here or there. I think this game, like I said, guys, I think this game, bottom line, comes down to just not capitalizing on our situational moments.
Our defense was playing great the whole first half and all that, and even in the third quarter there, and then they stopped us. They stopped them, I should say, late in the last drive there and we got the ball back. It's an NFL team. Sometimes it's going to be a tough battle. It was one of those days. So that's where I think, that's where I think it was. I think, for me, I'll go study it. You know me, I'll study the film and see where we can get better."
On the fourth down early in the second half and what went wrong on that play:
"It was a roll play. We try to get on the edge. They covered it well, like I said, situational football. And that was probably one of the most key parts of the game, to be honest with you, just because it was fourth and one, right in the middle of the field, and we didn't get it. If we get that, the whole game may change. Like I said, you take your chances. I think that you try to make, try to go win the game. You're not trying to play it safely or anything like that. You're trying to go win the game and unfortunately they covered it really well. I tried to spin out twice or whatever. I tried to move and tried to make a throw, and it's fourth down, once again, so you try to make a play. Unfortunately, it didn't work. They covered it really well.
And then I think they scored on the next drive or whatever. So that was just, like I said, I think our defense is battling. They're making plays. In those situations, we got to be really good on an offense, which I know that we will. I know that we'll fix it. I know that we'll figure it out. I know that there's no panic here. There's none of that. The focus for us is just staying together, staying focused on the mission, and that's to win the NFC West, that's to try to do everything we can one game at a time. Unfortunately it didn't go our way today."
On if he wishes they went up tempo more often and if that could be a remedy for when they are struggling to find rhythm:
"I think that's a good question. I think it's something we can look at. I think I've always, you know me, I've always loved those up tempo moments just because the defense gets tired, I think we are kind of pushing the envelope a little bit, especially when the game has just been one of those games where everything seems -- I'm sure you guys were watching, but everything kind of seemed slow on both sides. They were running the ball every play pretty much. The game was just kind of tick, tick, tick, the whole game and just one of those games unfortunately.
But I think sometimes you got to create the momentum a little bit. I think that we kind of had to there at the end just because we got down a little bit too far and we had to make sure that we were able to come back. And we went up and down the field and Chris made a great play on the touchdown.
And I think that we have to have the mixture of everything. I think that's something that we have always talked about, we have always done. I think today I'm not going to over-think it. I think today, honestly, really just comes down, like I said, to the situational time of football. We didn't capitalize on our situations. That's always going to be this game. The game of football's pretty simple. Third downs, fourth downs, red zones, those moments, and to win. And win consistently, which I think we have been able to do over the years and even this year, is you got to win those situations. And I think all the games that we have won, we have won those situations and I think we just got to be a little bit more crisp across the board."
On how confident he is that the offense can get back to what it was for the first half of the season when they were leading the league in scoring:
"Yeah, I'm super confident about where we are, what we're doing. I think that we got to be cleaner. Like I said, hopefully we get healthy again. We need everybody to be healthy. That's part of this game. You want your guys to be healthy across the board. I think also, too, is obviously DK's having an amazing season. Tyler has been special. We got to get 32 going, Chris, he's such a great player and he had a couple really nice runs, so we got to get him going in running game and pass game. And he's, and I think about early in the season, he was not just running it well, but he also was catching it really well, and those touchdowns he had. So he had that nice touchdown tonight. So he's going to be a key factor down the stretch. Carlos, what he's been able to do. Key factor.
I think we have everything we want. We have everything we need. And those guys are unbelievable players and I think for us, we just got to stay on schedule. We got to win situational football. That's part of this game. It is what it is. We didn't win the situational football today.
And but if you're asking me what I think of where we're going and what we're doing and how we're going to get there, it's what I always tell you guys every year. I feel like I, at some point I had this conversation with you guys, I feel like, but the reality is, is that it's a journey and it's a process and we're going to trust the process. We're going to trust our preparation. We're going to trust where we're headed. We have great team, not just a good team, but we have great team and we're getting better. It didn't feel like it today, but we are, and just keep having faith in where we're going and where we're headed.
So we can fix the things that we didn't do great today and that's the good thing. It's one of those things that, we can fix those things and let's be really sharp on those."
On balancing knowing when to extend the play and when to get rid of it:
"Yeah, I think that a couple of them were just unfortunate. They just beat us on a couple of those plays. But I think that sometimes you're trying to move and trying to -- Tyler, one in particular, Tyler was kind of trying to break open from right to left, and the guy just kind of added and got to me late. I was pretty, I don't know, I was probably 10 yards back or whatever, unfortunately. But we felt like I was just about to have Tyler on that.
So they're going to make plays. I think that, for me, is obviously, you always want to eliminate sacks. You also don't want to eliminate the key moments because you go back to, for example, you go back to Arizona game, the one I kind of scrambled and hit DK on for the touchdown. A lot of people would say probably go down and just throw it away or whatever it is and we hit the touchdown.
So there's give and take. There's give and take. And unfortunately today, we didn't have the things that we wanted to have, so got to go back and watch the film. I think that if anybody's critical, I'm going to be critical of myself first and see where we can get sharper and cleaner.
And one thing that I've always tried to pride myself on is just adjusting and seeing how me personally, how I can get better and also the rest of the team. They played really well tonight. We didn't play our best at all and when we don't play our best and we don't do situational football great in certain moments and don't capitalize on those moments, it makes it tough. So I'll be better and I'm looking forward to it."
On if he gave any thought to changing the call on 4th down to give to Chris Carson or to just establishing the mentality of the run on short yardage:
"Yeah, I think that there's always that opportunity. I think the formation, without getting too much into the weeds of the details of it all, the formation that we had, we didn't have necessarily the call that we were looking for -- we had a pass call on. And so I think that going back at it, I think that we should probably go down hill, let Chris try to run over somebody like he always does, it seems like. And he's such a special player in that way.
So they covered it really well. Like I said, it was almost like they knew it was coming. They did a good job of covering it. And then we did run one on, I checked one on third and two. They just, they ended up, it was a pass and we checked it and they just stopped it. I think we ended up running from left to right and they stopped it on third and two. It was after that kind of scuffle.
And so I think that, obviously, Chris is just getting back. Obviously, the Eagles game he was in there a little bit, had some sweet runs, and this one right here, he made the touchdown pass, which was great. He had a nice run early on. He had a couple other ones too as well.
And then I think also, too, guys like DK and Tyler, they're the best in the world at what they do, so you want to keep trying to find ways to feed them in all different types of ways, those guys. We'll definitely do that. And so I wish we just had, I wish we converted on that one. That changed the game drastically, probably, because convert, we go down and score, potentially, and then they don't score. So it changed the game dynamic of the game, but we still had chances. We still had a chance at the end of the game and our defense did a great job of stopping them. We always believe when we get 1:49 or whatever it was on the clock, we got a chance and we were moving the ball well and they come up with a couple big stops. And then the sack that they had kind of quickly there on that one. So we just -- and then the last shot, I tried to take a shot and we almost came up with that one, but unfortunately, it didn't work."
On how frustrating this moment is for the team and how will they respond from it:
"Well, I go to the truth. I think the truth is that when we play both sides of the ball -- really all three sides of the ball -- but when we play both side of the ball all together, offense and defense in particular, we know it's going to be a great thing, it's going to be a magical thing.
I've said this to you guys before, this sometimes happens throughout the season, it's a long season, not everything's going to go perfect and it's easy to ask questions and easy to this and that and I think that the reality is that each game, like I said earlier, is its own history. So if we can marry those two things up together it's going to be a great thing. And it's a good thing to have down the stretch, our defense playing so well. Offensively, we believe we'll get hot again and do some great things.
I think, going back to the Eagles game, we felt like we moved the ball really well. Once again, we didn't capitalize on our situational moments, back then, and that's what made that game a little bit closer. And then we had a touchdown, got called back, we had some other key plays that unfortunately didn't work out. And that's how easy this game changes. It's one, two, three plays. That's what makes the difference, especially on offense in particular -- defense too -- but especially on offense, not a penalty here or this or that or not this moment there, it changes the game.
So that little more focus on the aspect of, starting with me, from the discipline, all the way across to certain moments of when we have a great run or a great pass or whatever it may be, staying on schedule. That really will help us and I think just we'll fix that and we'll get it right. And it's been a tough season, a tough journey along the way and we feel like we're still super zoned in, we still feel like we have everything in front of us and we got, we have to go earn it, we have to go earn it every day, we have to go get it and we have to do it collectively together. And the great thing is everybody is together, everybody in the locker room is together, we believe in each other, we believe in what we're doing and how we're doing it and we're going to get it done."
On how difficult it is to stay patient and then execute in a game with few big plays and limited touches:
"Yeah, it's a great point. I think that that was kind of their game plan, obviously, I think, to really slow the game down, really not allow us to have any big plays, that was their philosophy.
So we adjusted later on, I felt like -- the first half went by pretty quickly I felt like -- but going into the second half the game really slowed down in particular. And I think for us as a collective group we just have to adjust a little bit quicker if a team tries to do that. I think that -- and like I said, I think we make those situational plays. And that changes the game I think also too. We just got to keep believing that something great's going to happen and it always seems like it does. We felt like when the defense made that stop something great was going to happen still. They played great, we didn't, and that's just the bottom line.
So we got to make sure that we play great at each week, especially as the season goes on. I think that we got to adjust quicker, we got to see things, we got to do things better, everything we got to do, we just got to do a little bit more tuned in. It's not like what we did last week wasn't good or not like the week before, I mean, we have done some great things. And we did some even great things tonight, it didn't feel like it, it didn't feel like it the whole game, obviously, and so let's lean on those things and find those things and figure out what we can do better along the way. So eliminating the little things."
On if he attributes anything to putting the ball on the ground quite a few times today (three fumbles, four drops):
"No, I think that we just got to be cleaner, we can't play that way, we got to be sharp and we got to be really crisp, especially going down the road, down the stretch here.
So we have been playing really good the past couple games or whatever on that front, but yeah, so that was, we just got to be better, we need to be cleaner, we got to be cleaner across the board and just go back to fundamentals. It always will be that way and always, it rings true in any sport it's just getting really, really sharp and leaning on each other to continue to work extremely hard, which we're always going to do and today was not our day. Today wasn't our day today, but we got a new week next week, we got to get going."
Safety Jamal Adams
On how he would describe the defense's performance in the third quarter:
"That's not our standard. That's not Seahawk football, that's not Seahawk defense. We weren't doing our job. When you don't do your job on defense and they're running the ball the way they were running it, efficient, you're going to have a long day."
On if defensive struggles in the third quarter were easy fixes that needed to be made:
"It's an easy fix, it's an easy fix. Again, we just weren't doing our job. You've got to give credit to them and the way they ran the ball, different personnel, bringing in '22,' '22-T,' '13' personnel, the way they switched up their looks. They were window dressing it, but they were running the same exact thing but we couldn't stop it in the third quarter. We didn't do our job."
On if there was a miscommunication on the TD pass to Alfred Morris:
"No. We were in a form of man. I had my guy, I didn't see what was going on in the play so, I don't really know exactly what happened. I have to go back and look at the film. I didn't see it."
On how much it stings to lose a game like this:
"It stings, it stings. I'm pissed off. Coming from where I came from, a New York team, it just hits a little bit different for me. But it's not about me. Obviously, we're going to bounce back, we're going to figure it out, we're going to correct mistakes. But it definitely stings. It definitely stings."
On his comfort level with this defense and setting a career high in total sacks on the season:
"I'm starting to figure it out. I told people at the beginning of the year that I was going to figure it out. They counted me out, they called me everything in the book, they said I wasn't successful, they called me 'blitz boy,' and all of this. That doesn't matter to me. I'm focused on the marathon, the marathon continues. I know what I bring to the table. I know I don't have any picks (as they say), 'that's the little downfall' or whatever. I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about making plays for team and doing everything possible to help the team win. That's what I'm about."
On what his responsibility was on Wayne Gallman's 60-yard run:
"Obviously we had a corner blitz. I was replacing the blitzer, I was on the back side. That was my responsibility, to answer your question."
On how different this Giants team looked compared to last year's:
"Mentality, right off the bat. Mentality and confidence."
On facing his former team next week:
"I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about fixing these mistakes and getting better. We'll see them next Sunday."
On if he felt like the energy and the focus was where it needed to be this week:
"That's a great question. When you lose, you take it as a lesson. There's always something you could've done right to make sure we didn't have this outcome, individually and as a team. I can't really say where our focus was but, at the end of the day we didn't get it done. We didn't have enough focus. We take that upon us as players, as a staff, as a group, as a team. We've got to get back to the drawing board, we've got to figure it out. We've got to put out chips back in and bet on ourselves, and we're going to continue to bet on ourselves. This is a tough loss. Obviously, it's not what we wanted but, we'll figure it out. Guaranteed. I guarantee we will figure it out."
On who it was that counted him out:
"My guy. Is that my guy right there? My guy. You know, you've seen it. At the end of the day, we're focused on other things. At the end of the day, I've got to keep playing ball, continue to learn, continue to make plays, and that's where I'm at with it. Again, I'm not focused on the outside bro. I'm really not. I'm focused on winning ballgames."
The best photos from Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants at Lumen Field. Fueled by Nesquik.
