Featuring postgame quotes from the following:

Head Coach Mike Macdonald

MIKE MACDONALD: All right, man, I mean, a great football game. We've got to give Minnesota a lot of credit. The reason their record is what it is and what their record is in one-score games is because they're a good football team. We hung in there and had an opportunity win the game. We didn't. There are things in all three phases we can do better, but did a lot of great things. Gave ourselves a chance to win. And so we're on a short week, so we've got to go back to work in about an hour. We will be back and rocking. We got a good plan. But our destiny is not in our hands right now, which is tough. But we still have a ton of football to play for. A break here or there, we're right back in it and rolling. So we'll dust ourselves off, chin up, chest out, and move forward. Onward we go.

Towards the end of the game what was the limit on Myers?

MIKE MACDONALD: Let's just say that was the top range of where we felt we could make it.

Assuming the fact was fourth and 15 eliminated the --

MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah. You got three options: kick it, punt it and try to play for a field goal less than a minute to go, or try to make it and tie it up and try to go win the game. You talk about those situations, we want to go win the game. We're not trying to play defensive. That's how we call it. So we wanted to call an aggressive game. We felt like that was the best decision at that time.

What happened on their final touchdown?

MIKE MACDONALD: They made a great play. I think we Cover 2 to that side and threw a seven cut. Just couldn't get there.

The face mask on Byron Murphy II, really big play. Looked like a legit call.

MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, (I've) got to look at it. That's what we're talking about. The guy is fighting his tail off to get to the quarterback. You've got to be careful where your hands are. There is a lot of stuff going on in that moment, too. We could have had a third-and-18 with two downs to go to try and seal it, and all of a sudden two plays later now we're down three. So, that's how close we are, but we're not there yet obviously. But that's an example of the fight in the guys and how they're playing.

Some unforced errors that you guys committed against a good team.

MIKE MACDONALD: Against a team like this, the unforced errors has to get cleaned up. It starts with me. So we'll look at it just like we do every week. Look at it and make adjustments and move forward. But we have to clean up the procedural stuff.

How is Kenneth Walker III?

MIKE MACDONALD: Has an ankle (injury). Going to get imaging right now. Not sure the extent of it.

What did you see on the final pass from Geno Smith? Miscommunication?

MIKE MACDONALD: No, no. I've got to look at the tape. I've got to look at the tape. Get back to you tomorrow.

How do you evaluate that game (and Geno Smith)? Some really good things, a couple scoring drives.

MIKE MACDONALD: Geno is our top competitor on our football team. We're not sitting here with life at the end of December unless Geno has done the things he's done. He's a fighter, man. I thought he played a good game.

Your running backs averaged four yards per carry, 14 carries, 78 percent pass distribution. Is that starting to become concerning that in these games you're not able to establish more balance?

MIKE MACDONALD: We've got to start faster on defense and put ourselves in better position. Some of it was Minnesota's personnel groups, how they're matching us. I think in some of those either-or spots when we are able to pass it, that was efficient as well.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba, another solid game; 1,000-yard season. What have you made of what he's done over the last couple months?

MIKE MACDONALD: Jaxon (Smith-Njigba) is playing great football for us, fighting his tail off. We love him. Happy for him.

What was your message to him in there?

MIKE MACDONALD: Just what I told you guys. You know, it should hurt. We've worked incredibly hard. We have been through a ton of adversity as a team. We're going to stick together and go back to work. So we're fighting for the right to stay alive, on a short week. What are you going to do?

Mike, on the fast start from the defense, did you get the intent, physicality that you needed?

MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, these teams got the opening scripts and they got stuff. I thought our guys were poised and played hard. We didn't have many miscommunications. Just they went down and scored. Our guys rebounded and I thought defensively they fought their tails off all game. Played a physical game. The ball was alive. We didn't take it away. To beat a team like this you've got to (make them) turn the ball over. We weren't able to do that.

Mike, you didn't have Riq out there for the first defensive series. What was the reason?

MIKE MACDONALD: Just a team rule thing. We made it right and that's what we decided to do, what was best for the football team. We'll move forward.

How do you think he responded after that?

MIKE MACDONALD: I felt like he played a good game. Again, we'll see what the opportunities were. He did have a couple pass break ups so it was good.

The fake punt, was that something they saw or something you called from the sidelines?

MIKE MACDONALD: I don't really want to air out why we're calling fakes or when. I'll just credit Jay (Harbaugh) and our operation. Guys did a great job executing it. Gave us a chance to extend the drive. We're trying to go win or looking for any edge we can find. We're going to try to go exploit it.

QB Geno Smith

How hard is that loss to take given you guys had the lead and looked like it was...

GENO SMITH: It's always tough when you don't get a win. I thought our guys fought throughout the entire game. I thought our offensive line protected me well. You know, we gave ourselves a shot. Obviously didn't get it done. Not how we wanted to close it out at home. You know, got a short week. Get back to it. Got to get our minds right and get back to work.

How did you generally feel out there today?

GENO SMITH: I felt okay. I was good enough to play so I felt okay.

Can you take us through what you saw on the final play there?

GENO SMITH: Interception, man. Anything you see that goes wrong, put it on me. Anything that don't look right, put it on me.

Were you lobbying to try to go for it on fourth and 15 there?

GENO SMITH: I leave that up to coach, man. He makes the right decisions, so I leave it up to coach. Obviously we got to put ourselves in a better position than being in fourth and 15. We got to the logo, didn't get it across the 50. Didn't give ourselves a better shot.

As Mike said, tough. You guys don't control your own destiny now. What's the mindset going into a short week where there is a little more uncertainty now?

GENO SMITH: We got to win two, but it starts with one. We got a tough Chicago team on the road. I know their record isn't the greatest, but if you watch film on those guys they got a tough team ask with a lot of the talent. We got to be ready coming off a short week, traveling on Christmas. Guys got to get their minds right and get ready to go.

You guys played three games in 11 days earlier in the season. What can you take from that period that maybe can help you get ready this week?

GENO SMITH: It's always going to be tough on the body. You play a game like this, tough, hard-fought game and turn right back around and play a Thursday night. Then got to travel. All these things. Like I said, there is no excuses to be made. This is the NFL, the pros. Guys get paid a lot of money to be ready. That's what we'll do.

Generally what do you think of the way the offense performed today?

GENO SMITH: I thought we had some highs, some lows. I really like the fight, though, the way we played. Just everyone was dialed in, ready to go. Unfortunate we didn't get it done at the end.

On that sack that pushed you guys back to the 43, what did you see there? Any chance to get the ball?

GENO SMITH: I got sacked. I'm pretty sure you all were watching it. Figure it out. But I got sacked.

Jaxon went over 1,000 yards receiving on the season. We've talked about it before. What have you seen out of him?

GENO SMITH: He's a great player. Been having a tremendous season. Those things are to be expected of him. I think he's only going to continue to get better. He's a fighter. Got a lot of heart. That's something that goes a long way.

As you know, guys haven't been good in the final two minute situations. Why do you think that wasn't the case in the final two drives?

GENO SMITH: Threw a pick.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

LB Ernest Jones IV

(On how tough that loss was) "As always, first I would like to give thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for allowing us to make it through the game, both sides come out pretty healthy. Oh, yeah, that's a tough one. Good team. We played alright. But, yeah it sucks. It sucks."

(On the sack on the last drive get erased by a face mask penalty) "Yeah, it's tough. Tough when you make a good play and you get negated by a penalty. We've got to be smarter, we've got to play cleaner football in those situations."

(On how deflating the second Jefferson touchdown was) "In the moment, it's deflating. But, at that point we had another opportunity for our offense to come out. At no point were we just defeated. We just got to make those plays, got to make better decisions in those key areas so we can be on the other side of these close games."

(On the message to the team) "We just got to handle our part, which is win out. Then, let the chips fall where they fall. Hopefully, we catch a little luck and we can get in there. But, it's tough in there."

(On rallying in a short week) "Yeah, we got to go in and put it behind us now. We got to get ready for Chicago. On these short weeks, you can't really bask in this, especially when you lose, you can't really bask in the previous game, because in three days we'll be lining up against a whole 'nother team that doesn't care that we just lost the game. For us, the focus is move forward, handle business in Chicago in prime time, and then we'll see what happens with that matchup against the Rams."

(On what he saw on the Vikings' opening offensive drive) "To be honest with you, that was a minute ago, like a couple hours ago. I don't even remember. I'll have to go back and watch the film, of course. Not trying to be funny or anything, but I'll have to go back and watch the film. I don't recall what happened on that first drive, or what sequence of plays happened."

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

(On how tough that loss was) "Tough. Super tough."

(On what worked well offensively today) "I thought the last two minute [offense] was good. I thought we drove down the field pretty good, when we needed to, just not enough."

(On reaching 1,000 yards receiving) "First, I would like to thank God for being healthy, feeling good, being able to go out there and put that Seahawk helmet on. It means a lot to me. Geno, too. I want to say thank you to Geno, and the rest of my teammates, receivers, getting me open, and the O-line doing their thing. Hopefully, it's just the beginning."

(On how long he'll think about this game, with another one coming up in just a few days) "We're going to definitely look at it tomorrow. Go over it, fix our mistakes and it's good that it's an early week, Thursday game. We will have to flush it and move it."

(On what Tyler Lockett has meant to him with his leadership and helping the young receivers) "It means everything. Everything to this organization. How he carries himself, just everything he's done for this organization and city. He's a leader, and I appreciate him so much. I feel like I'm in the best position possible, having T-Lock and DK and all these other guys. T-Lock, he's a special guy, and I'm just blessed to have his friendship and have him be my teammate."

(On how the team bounces back from this loss) "Win. Win next week and the week after that. That's the best bounce back."

CB Tre Brown

(On being unable to generate turnovers) "It's very frustrating. There were a lot of plays out there to be made, we just didn't make them. We've got to be better in that area and take ownership."

(On the play of the defensive line) "They've been playing their ass off for the past couple of weeks. They've been doing their thing. It's up to us, the secondary, to go out there and work with those guys and get those turnovers."

(On the touchdown catch against him) "That was a hell of a catch. Late hands. It's hard to see the ball right there. I wish I could've had that play back. He's one of the highest paid [wide receivers]. I respect him. But I feel like I could've made that play."

S Coby Bryant

(On the Vikings final drive) "Good play by them executed the right way. So kudos to them."

(On how the defense played) "I feel like we played pretty well. I mean, we got some things to clean up, but ultimately, you just got to go back to work and keep going."

(On what gives them the confidence to bounce back) "Short week, that's all it is. Still got games to be played, and that's all there is."

DT Byron Murphy II

(On the defense starting to find their groove in the second quarter) "Yeah, I'd say yeah. I felt like we got after him the whole game. I felt like we were in his face. We were putting pressure on him. I feel like we did enough to win the game. We just came up short."

(On the offense putting points on the board after some of the defenses stops) "It was very nice. That's what we talk about, playing complimentary football. Defense getting stops and the offense going out there and scoring. We preach that day in and day out."

(On what they take away from the game against a good Minnesota team) "There's room for improvement. There are things to get better at and we just need to move on to next week. Focus on Chicago."

C Olu Oluwatimi

(On what Mike Macdonald said to the team post-game) "He just said, 'We're not into moral victories. We got to be able to finish.' He talked about it. We play hard, but as you said, we got to be able to finish, and we kind of lost the right to control our own destiny, which sucks, but we just got to get back to the drawing board and just keep attacking."

(On how he felt the offensive line did as a group) "We obviously didn't do enough. I don't know how many rush yards we had, but whatever it was, it was not good enough, so we got to be more balanced. If we're not, then teams are going to pin the airs back and start lighting Geno (Smith) up, but we don't want that to happen. So that's something that we got to keep attacking."

G Laken Tomlinson

(On how he thinks the offensive line did in regard to recognizing the pressure brought by the Vikings' defense) "For the most part, I thought we were able to execute some long drives and pick up a lot of the pressures in the game. But, we've just got to execute better at the end."

(On why this loss feels different) "We had a really good game plan, came in with a ton of confidence, guys flying off the ball. But, for it to get away from us at the end, it stinks."

(On the challenge of not having Kenneth Walker III in the game on the final few drives) "At the end of the day we've just got to go out there and execute."

(On if there was additional messaging on the fourth quarter touchdown drive) "We were rolling. Just going out there we had a ton of confidence, especially on that drive. We scored, got the lead, and then we've just got to come out on the next drive and do better."

(On what he would tell his teammates now that they as a team don't control their own destiny) "All that matters right now is winning. We don't control our destiny, but if we win, we have a better chance to get into the dance (playoffs)."

CB Riq Woolen

(On how important the pressure generated by the defensive line was for the defense) "It was good. They did a great job. I feel like we fought hard today, it's just (bout) who can do it right the longest? The d-line, they played great and their presence was felt today as usual."

(On what needs to happen for the Seahawks to finish games like this one) "Do right longer. That's all. That's how teams win, do right longer. Those are the teams that play in the playoffs, they play in championships, they get there. You've just got to do right longer and do it consistently. That's something we're working on. But, we're a playoff team, we're a great team, and we know that we're capable of being one of those teams that can do right longer consistently. But, that's something that you've got to do, and today we didn't do that. But, other than that, we played great though. We've just gotta fix stuff."

(On how quickly he and the team need to move on with Thursday Night Football against the Bears coming soon) "Fast. I mean we're going to Chicago (on a short week). So, just take care of your body and then just move on. It's part of our profession. You've just got to be a pro with these next couple of days with taking care of your body."

LB Tyrice Knight

(On his overall take on the game against the Vikings) "They made the plays that we weren't able to make. We've just got to give the hats off to them. They played their way around the game, we've got to clean up a couple of things on our end."

(On what the defense needs to do to start fast) "I honestly think it's just a mentality. We've just got to come out and say we're going to win the first three plays and give our offense a chance. The last two games we didn't do that."

(On how frustrating it is that the defense was not able to force a turnover) "The whole game, we emphasized that we just need one turnover and we're going to win this game. Plays like that, you've just got to get at yourself for not completing the ball and just getting that ball. But, I've got to give hats off to them (the Vikings)."

(On the short turnaround before Thursday Night Football against the Bears) "It's just a short turnaround. We've just got to put this game behind us right now, start prepping for the Bears, just get our bodies back healthy, and just keep keep going ahead."