Featuring postgame quotes from the following:

Head Coach Pete Carroll

Opening statement:

"We came in here buckled up, ready to go play these guys, and we just got out played by their guys on offense too many times to win the game today. They had a bunch of explosive plays doing the things that they do. There's nothing new, just stuff that they did. They executed really well. They made some great throws when the guys were open down the field. [49ers QB Brock] Purdy did a nice job with that. There were too many explosive plays to hold these guys in check, so we've got to give them a lot of credit. They're a good club and had we done those things that would've been a much tighter football game. We were able to score and we were able to move the ball a little bit. I thought [Seahawks QB] Drew [Lock] did an excellent job in this game. Going into a game like this, you can expect that there's three or four plays, or two or three plays that you wish didn't happen the way they did. You just hope that they didn't beat you in the game. He did a lot of cool stuff and came through for us to give us a chance and we got banged up a little bit. [Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon] Spoon got bruised ribs. We don't know how extensive that is. If he could have gone back in, he would, and it was not a head injury. It was a ribs injury and we had already lost [Seahawks CB Artie] Burns. He got banged up a little bit, but should be okay. So we'll see. We came out of it all right, but it's hard coming back. It's been too many weeks coming back on with losses and it's been hard for all of us. Here we go again. We're going against one of the best teams in the NFC this next week. This is the challenging portion of this season. We're going to see if we can make it through it. The fourth quarter of this season is still there for us to do something with it and we'll see if we can. I believe these guys are going to bounce back and be ready to go again. It's a Monday night and at home, and we've got to get ready and have a great week of preparation to do that and see if we can get a game. We've got to get back on track because this losing thing sucks." 

You said it was stuff that the 49ers have done already. It wasn't anything new.

"They had some tougher sweepers that went for 70 yards. That's their favorite play. We've been practicing against it the whole time, that's what I mean by that. There was nothing special about them running [49ers WR] Deebo [Samuel] on a deep crosser. He's been doing that his whole career and we saw it and we didn't play it right. We gave it to them, [49ers TE George] Kittle in short yardage, in a play-action pass. Their heavy personnel, he's been doing that for his whole career. There was nothing new about those things. We didn't execute well enough to stop those opportunities. That's the stuff we practiced and we needed to come through and make those plays. We didn't do it." 

How close was [Seahawks QB] Geno [Smith] to being able to play?

"He ran around a little bit and threw the ball, but he couldn't go. He couldn't go in one direction with any confidence and if he could've, he would've played for sure. He came out early today and went through an extensive workout. He got a lot of stuff done under control, but he didn't have it. He didn't have the ability to push in one direction. That's classic for a groin injury. It wasn't the right thing to do to just throw him out there under those circumstances. He didn't call it off. He made me call him off, he wanted to go." 

What did you think of Drew Lock's performance?

"I thought he did a great job right from the beginning of the opening drive, it was beautiful. That's a really good sign for Drew, it wasn't too big for him in any way. He wasn't too nervous, he wasn't jittery at all. He came right down the field and threw a great ball to [Seahawks WR] DK [Metcalf] to get us in the end zone. And throughout the game, his calm on the sidelines, his ability to communicate about what was going on and how to adjust, and the things that were coming up in the next sequence and the next series, he was on it. He was a real pro about it. So he did a really good job." 

With the extra day, do you think Geno will have a good chance of going next week?

"I don't know that. It certainly helps us, and that was part of the thinking that he couldn't play today. He wanted to go out there and slug it out, but it was right to not play him. We'll have to go day-to-day and see how he goes and see how much he comes back. It'll be like Spoon's injury, those ribs, you've got to go day-to-day and see how he can respond to it. We won't know until all the way to game time, I'm sure and same thing with Geno." 

How much did it change your offense and team that Geno's injury happened so late in the week of the preparation?

"It's a jolt. We got jolted by that. He tweaked his groin on taking a funky step after stumbling over a defensive player and he stumbled a little bit. You would never have thought that the guy would get hurt there, but he hit it wrong. The good part of it is that it wasn't a violent incident. He'll come back and he can throw, he can move around. He just can't move around the way he needs to play this game." 

*What is your message to this team and what buttons can you think of pushing that you haven't tried already? *

"We have to be in and click into the finish mode here in the fourth quarter of this season. We need to regain our stride and our mentality to execute the way we need to execute. Today we gave them big plays, but those plays should not have happened to us. So that's easily fixed. Not everybody does it the way they do it. They played their game and their style. You saw how they featured their key players and it worked out for them again. They shouldn't even have thrown those balls. We should have been back there. He throws to somebody else, he checks the ball down. So that's stuff that we can certainly improve on."  

With all the different stuff that Devon Witherspoon's doing on your defense, all the plays he makes, how much were you missing him?

"Oh no, we missed Spoon. Spoon would've made some tackles that we missed today. He's a ball player, he gets guys on the ground and he's in the nickel spot. He'd be inside, he'd have made some of those plays and he's really good at it. We did miss him, without question." 

What was your view of the fracas that happened at the end there with a couple minutes left?

"I saw DK get drilled in the back of the head on the play and then I didn't know what happened after that. I don't know who he mixed it up with or who made that hit even. I didn't see that, but I guess it was number two [49ers CB Deommodore Lenoir] who wound up getting tossed out also. It's a hard time now, and these guys are fighting through and they're trying to figure it out. They're not willing to accept what's going on, so they're going to fight. To some extent, that's what happened. Some of the young guys thought they should go out there and fight too and they were totally in the wrong place at the wrong time and I'm pulling AB [Seahawks OL Anthony Bradford] out of it a couple different times. They want to be upstanding and they want to stand for the toughness and the competitiveness, but they've got to pick out when it fits and when it doesn't. We're learning that, and it's the first time young guys really got involved like that. I thought three or four guys were out of whack a little bit, trying to chest up with people and not knowing what they should be doing. We'll try to learn from it." 

The fourth-and-two play late in the first half, what went into the decision to punt there instead of going for it?

"I didn't want the game to be decided right there, you know, give them the ball at the 40-yard line. It's a tough game or tight game. I figured we won't kick the ball and play defense and play it like where you don't just give them the football at the 40-something yard line. I mean, you're giving them that whole first half if you do that. I'm always fine about that one." 

Do you think if we'd have more success on those third and fourth and shorts, we wouldn't be as fearful of not getting it there early in the season?

"It's really easy for everybody to say just go for it because if you go for it and you make it, it's fine. If you go for it and don't make it, the issue it's not. If you make it, that's easy, alright. Did we not convert a fourth down in there somewhere? Yeah, yeah. That outlook has to understand from my perspective, you've got to understand what happens if you don't make it and if somebody slips or whatever goes down or you don't make the block or whatever happens, they get the ball right there. It's first down, it's a turnover. That's a turnover. It's just like you threw them an interception right there. What would happen if you threw them an interception right there? Well, you'd be on your heels and they would be gaining the momentum of the opportunity and all of that. So is it worth giving them a turnover to make that first down? No, it wasn't in my opinion. There's times I've gone for it in that situation and more. If you believe in who you are and what you're all about, you should kick the football right there and let's go play some more ball." 

How healthy was RB Ken Walker today?

"He looked pretty darn good. I thought he looked phenomenal. His competitiveness in getting after it worked out. The whole process of bringing him back and the way the guys prepped him and all of that worked out beautifully for him to be able to contribute in a huge way. He made some fantastic plays today and those were plays where he was torqueing around so he must be okay. That's all you could say. I have to give him a lot of credit. That was a heck of a game for him to bounce back." 

The touchdown pass to TE Colby Parkinson. Was that the play you guys got from them last year?

"It's an old NFL play. It's been around for a long time." 

What was your message in the locker room for the guys now?

"About finishing this fourth quarter, hanging and continuing to believe. [Seahawks WR] Tyler [Lockett] had talked to these guys about how valuable and how important it is to keep believing and I just picked up there because I couldn't agree with them more. That's how you get this done."

QB Drew Lock

On the opening drive in particular, for your first start in a long time to go out and march down the field score had to feel pretty good.

"Yeah, that was awesome. That was an awesome feeling. We just kept capitalizing on the opportunities they gave us on that drive and thought [WR] DK [Metcalf] made a heck of a catch on that play and got around, ran around a little bit. Running game, guys were blocking great and to go down after you don't get the ball to start the game and then they get seven. It's a big thing for us to go down and get points on that drive. And I think for us to do that, the first drive, get a little confidence in the guys. I think that was big for us."  

After the touchdown to DK Metcalf and then they lost CB Charvarius Ward, did they start covering him maybe a little different at that point?

"Yeah, they started changing things up a bit. I think with seven on the field they were going to be more prone to playing a little more man to man. Then sure enough he goes out and they start playing a bunch of zones, a bunch of two high zones, clouding him a little bit, and giving a little extra help. That's to be expected with that guy. It definitely changed a little bit of what they were doing." 

Overall, how do you assess your day?

Obviously, turnovers – can't have them. Left that ball inside on the long ball to DK, put that to the sideline, let him run underneath. It could be a big play for us. The last one just is what it is, but I thought I used my legs well, thought I got the ball to a lot of different guys today. Spread it around, made the big plays when they were there. Stayed confident, stayed calm, nothing threw me off the rocker today. And that was a blast being out there. Again, I'm trying to balance the feeling of, I just finally played again and how good that feels to go out and play. And then also not getting it done. So, it's interesting. But, I did have fun with those guys out there. I thought they came out and played their butts off the whole time. Did a great job tonight. And when guys got the ball in their hands, man, they made plays." 

Once Ward got hurt and they go to the two high, what was the counter you were trying to get to?

"When we ran the ball in that second half, they were popping off big runs. That was big for us. We wanted to, in the play action game, kind of get play action calls that attack the safeties a little bit more, knowing that they were going to probably crowd us and not give us the single head looks that we had prepared for a little bit. But, it was easy. It was a quick switch. [Seattle Seahawks Offensive Coordinator] Shane [Waldron] did a great job tonight. I appreciate the way he called that game too. He let me do a lot of things that, with the first guy coming out there playing in a long time, he can get a little scared in the play calling, and he was not that way with me tonight. I appreciate him for doing that." 

If you do end up starting next week against Philadelphia, what from this game will you take away, good or bad, that you can use in that game?

"That I can still play football. I can still go out there and do it. It had been a while since I've started a game. I can be confident in my legs, confident in the deep ball, confident in just dropping back and living in the pocket. It's just confident that I am an NFL quarterback. I guess I could take that away and take that into the next week, when and if I do get the chance." 

The, the touchdown to TE Colby Parkinson, is that something you guys have put in this week or is that a play you guys have had?

"Yeah, we've had it, we've tweaked it, changed a little bit and brought it back this week. It's a fan favorite in the locker room. We liked it this week and I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Glad Colby got that one." 

*Did not have as many explosive runs in the second half impact you guys offensively anything? *

"I mean, I can think of two plays myself that I know I could have impacted us better on. One, the pick and then our first drive where we went two incompletions on first down, second down, coming right out of the half I think or the second drive. We could add 10 explosive runs that would've helped, but I know those two plays right now in my head. Two completions were there for me on the field, didn't get to the right guy, and we could've converted those and got into a rhythm on a drive coming out of the half." 

Was there a miscommunication on the first pick?

"No, no, no. I just left it inside. That was, we had a guy running across, DK taking the top off. He gave us a single high look. Corner's outside, safeties in the middle corner outside, put it over the corner's, head to the sideline, didn't get it done, left it inside. Got it." 

So, late in the weeks suddenly having to maybe prepare as the starter, is that any more of a challenge or are you just kind of going to move seamlessly into that?

"Like I said, I try to prepare every single week like I am the starter. Maybe a little more work with [WR] Tyler [Lockett] and DK and Jax [WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba], throwing them a couple extra balls. Working with the O-line on cadence a little more. It just, the little small details I guess, the things that you have to add onto your plate towards the end, where if you just get thrown into a game, it's alright, I have to know what I'm doing, what are my plays, what am I doing this week? It was a little more of the little minor details of like I said, communicating with the O-line, extra throws to Tyler and DK, just those things." 

*You said you felt like Shane sort of kept things open for you. What do you mean by that? *

"I just know that you got a guy that hasn't started a game in a long time, come out with a couple runs. No, we came out, took some play action shots, the touchdown play action shot, let me drop back, let me run around. I just appreciate him letting me go out and do the things that I'm really, really good at." 

*How important is that for your confidence when he's calling those plays? *

"Yeah, it's huge. When you hear those play calls coming to the headset, like you said, it does give you confidence. All right, we're play action shot right here. He trusts me to get the ball to the right place, check it down if it's not there. And it just does give you a lot of confidence. I was, like I said, I appreciated the way he called that game tonight." 

Fourth-and-two, late first half, were you thinking maybe head coach Pete Carroll was going to go for that in that situation?  

"We're ready for Pete to give us the head nod whenever. But again, that's, that's coach's decision, I'm just there when and if he wants to do it." 

You smiled like you wanted to go for it.

"Of course. All quarterbacks want to go for it every single time. But, it just depends on the flow of the game."

WR Tyler Lockett

Talk about QB Drew Lock's performance.

"He did great. I think he gave us some great chances to be able to win. First drive, went down and scored, which was big for us. I think he did everything that the coaches wanted him to do and more, and I'm just super proud of him for being able to come through, getting this opportunity, and still playing at a high level." 

Why did you talk to the team after the game about staying with it? 

"That's all you can do. All you have is four games left and regardless of whatever happens, you have to be able to finish strong. You have to be able to continue to play at a high level and understand that there's going to be a lot of ups and downs. I've been here long enough to understand that once things start rolling, it starts rolling, and great things start happening. Sometimes in a football game, especially like this, there's going to be some great times and there's going to be not so great times, but you have to be able to keep on playing because you never know what can happen. We weren't able to get the fourth down when we went for it, but you saw how fast our defense got us the ball back and then we got another chance. So I've been here long enough to know that miracles can happen and we just have to be able to believe. We just have to keep playing and allow whatever happens to happen, but not let that dictate where we're trying to go." 

*As long as you've been here, you guys haven't lost four straight games. I don't think that's happened under [Head Coach] Pete Carroll. How different does it feel? *

"Everybody hates losing, but at the same time, you have to be able to figure it out. You have to learn from it. You have to be able to not just move on, but be able to learn how to move forward. I think we're playing great teams, don't get me wrong. We're playing great teams, but we're a great team ourselves. You have to be able to figure out what it's going to take to be able to win a game because if you win a game, then you could be able to get the ball rolling. But sometimes you need things to happen in your favor. Sometimes you have to go out there and make it happen yourself. I just think we have to stay in it. All we have to do right now is stay together, stay in it, and keep playing with our heads down."

S Julian Love

*Can you put your finger on why some of those big plays happen, if they're plays you guys have seen before? *

"Yeah. They were scheming up some of the stuff we do. But that's a pillar of what we have to do on defense - play top down and not allow explosives. Obviously we allowed too many balls over our heads today."  

*How do you assess this game? The two takeaways, they punted five times, and you also had all the big plays. It was a mixed bag. *

"It's like you said, it's a mixed bag. We have to play complimentary football. When we get those takeaways, [we need to] try to score, play top down, and tackle. It was kind of a gritty game. A lot of good players were out there. But we didn't string enough good ones together."  

*You guys were fighting too, and now you've lost four in a row. What's the mood of the team right now? *

"You have two options right now. You either fall victim to your circumstances or you rally. We have four more opportunities for the end of this regular season and we have to capture them. Everything we can get is in front of us still, thankfully. We have two ways to go and each person in that locker room needs to decide what they're going to do."

On the finish of the game:

"You know, I thought we played tough for four quarters. We went back and forth. The offense
was rolling. The defense was making some stops in key situations. Yeah, we had opportunities at the end on both sides of the ball and we didn't finish it."

LB Boye Mafe

How disappointing is it in this locker room? 

"I mean, it hurts but you can't really look back at the past. I think we [need to] move forward, and understand that we have things to learn from these games. There are things we can fix and there are things we can work on. We take those things and get ready for the next one." 

Can you talk about the explosive plays today? Those are kind of the back-breakers on the defensive side of the ball. Would you agree? 

"Yeah, we need to take accountability for those, and understand where we need to get better and what we need to get better at. We have to watch the game tomorrow and understand what we need to work on and solidify ourselves. We have a great defense here. Our defense has been playing lights out. We have to get back to what we know and the ball that we know how to play." 

Did you feel like after that first big play, you guys did settle down, especially in the first half? Is that the way it felt to you guys? 

"We have to understand that, after every situation, we have to be ready to bounce back. We never know how it's going to start, how it's going to go in the middle, or how it's going to finish. So, [we need to] understand that the guys we have in this room, the guys we have on this defense, you can always trust them."

DT Leonard Williams

Were there too many explosive plays?

"Yeah, I think that's really what it is, explosive plays. I feel like defense overall, drive in, drive out, we were doing a pretty good job stopping them. We had a few three-and-outs, a few takeaways and everything. I feel like overall we put a big point of emphasis on their play makers, 23 [Christian McCaffrey], 19 [Deebo Samuel] and 85 [George Kittle]. I feel like overall we let them make too many explosive plays." 

They got that big explosive play, did you make adjustments?

"I don't really think we made too many adjustments that we didn't practice throughout the week. I think really we just messed up on that opening play and they took advantage of it, got down the field and it gave them a lot of momentum." 

This team has been so close yet, you look up and there are four straight losses. It has never happened under Seattle Seahawks HC Pete Carroll. How close do you guys think you are right now, looking from the outside in, to the playoffs?

"I think that's the toughest part about it, how close these games have been and how much talent I know this team has, how much passion I know this team has, and how much want I know this team has. I don't think we're lacking in any of those parts. And there's just something about it that we're not being able to finish out these close games and we really have to figure it out."

WR DK Metcalf

How much of the lack of running game contributes to those long third downs and then the inability to cover third down? 

"We play off the run game so if we really don't have a run game then the play action, the deep passes or the intermediate passes don't really work." 

Where do you think this team is right now? You're close. You're in a five point game going into  the fourth quarter, you played Dallas right to the bitter end as well, but a four game losing streak is not what you guys are used to in there. Where do you think you are  as a team right now? 

"A team? I think we still have to answer that question. We've been pretty inconsistent as a team. We have to answer who we really are, who we want to be and we have to use the last four games of the season." 

The last play looks like frustration. Was there more to it than that? 

"If you want to call it frustration, yes, it was frustration. From my side, he hit me in the back of the head. I just retaliated." 

You've lost to the San Francisco 49ers five times in a row. Does it feel like you are behind them or you guys are really close? 

"I don't think we're behind anybody. We're an NFL team and you have come to play on Sunday, every Sunday. A team's record really doesn't matter. You have to show up to play every game."

LB Bobby Wagner

So, to fulfill the playoff goals, what do you think you need to do to get there? 

"We have to find a way to win. We have to find a way to stop having these penalties. You know, when you go against an elite team like that, you can't give them anything. So we have to find a way to execute better." 

When you look around this room, there's talent. I mean, it just looks like on paper it's there. What do you think is missing, besides cleaning up the penalties?

"I'm not sure. I just think we have to make plays. I think it's pretty simple. We need to find a way to make plays in key moments."

NT Jarran Reed

S Jamal Adams

Can you tell us about San Francisco's offense?

"Obviously [RB] Christian [McCaffrey] is a hell of a player and they got a hell of an offensive line. [LT] Trent [Williams] does his thing and you have [TE George] Kittle and [WR Brandon] Aiyuk blocking. Everybody is blocking over there. They do a great job of playing team offense and it's tough. We have to close those gaps, because one bad mistake can lead to several."

When you're trying to get those cutback lanes filled, is it [RB] Christian McCaffrey's style of running that makes it more challenging?  

"You team him up with a guy like [Head Coach] Kyle Shanahan - who is a tremendous coach, who knows how to call their offense, and he keeps defense and players on their toes - with all the bootlegs, with all the fast flow tosses, and gap exchange. All of those things play a part. At the end of the day, we didn't close those gaps like we needed to."  

After that opening drive from the 49ers, the offense answered. What kind of spark did that give the entire team when you saw them march the length of the field?

"It was amazing, just to get that juice back because we definitely needed it. Giving up a long run on the first play of the game is not ideal for a defense. We take more pride into it. We just have to be better."

RB Kenneth Walker III

I know that QB Geno Smith was a game time decision, but how much work had you guys gotten with QB Drew Lock this week in practice?

"No, we always get work with Drew. He knows the game plan every week. He studies film, just like we study film. So we were confident in him playing and being our quarterback." 

Was there anything said before that opening drive? Was there a sense of more determination or anything said before that drive?

"We just got to go out there and execute. That's what we talk about a lot. So yeah, I feel like we can play with anybody, but just go execute. I feel like we said at the beginning of the game and the beginning of the drive." 

There's a lot of talent and there's some big plays and then it kind of stalled out there in the second half. Was that adjustments that the Niners made or was that something else?

"I just think we didn't finish. That's it. I feel like it was nothing. We just didn't finish."

RB Zach Charbonnet

Can you talk about the way this offense moved the ball in the first half? You had a couple great runs, a couple 23-yard runs, kind of trading carries there with [Seattle Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III]. Can you talk about that a little bit?

"I think we had a good first half on offense. We just executed the game plan and stuff like that. Then, in the second half, we just came out flat and that's something we have to continue to build upon and not keep saying, 'we're going to.' We have to actually do it now." 

There's four straight losses here, but the last couple games have been so close. Is that the mindset here with five games to go in the season?

"Yes. [Seattle Seahawks QB Drew Lock] was talking before the game, 'just believe.' That's the mindset we're going to continue to go with and we just have to find a way to keep working harder. Just like Lock said, 'believe.' We're going to keep believing and trusting the process and keep on growing from here on out." 

How would you evaluate [Lock]'s play today? I feel like he was pretty poised, especially in the first half.

"Yes, I think we all did, especially in the first half. We were playing really good, and second half, [Lock] had some good catches, too. But it's how [Lock] was saying after the game: we just have to find a way to continue to build and continue to grow from this."

S Quandre Diggs

*Is part of that frustration [of this losing streak] because you have the talent to do it and you have the guys, but the plays aren't being made? *

"I feel like you can have the talent. I've been on less talented defense that's been more technique-sound and more in tune to what's going on. It's cool to be talented. But, I've played this game a long time, not by being talented. I've played this game by being consistent in my approach and what I do each and every week. At some point we got to learn from mistakes and go from there."

TE Noah Fant

What did you think of QB Drew Lock having his first start?

"I think Drew did everything he could. I was proud of the way he played. I know that he had some picks but we were in the game at the end and that's all you can ask from a quarterback. I think he did what he could." 

QB Drew Lock has to play next week against the Philadelphia Eagles, how confident are you in him?

"I've always had the utmost confidence in Drew, same thing with [QB] Geno [Smith]. Geno is our starting guy and Drew came and filled in. I have the utmost confidence in both of them. They both give us a great shot to win the game and whoever it is, that's who we are going to ride with, whether Geno's healthy or if Drew has to fill in again." 

Do you feel like not having the run game in the second half is probably what contributed to the stalled drives?

"I think so. I think we could have done a better job with mixing in some things. Even when we were calling runs, being a little cleaner on assignments. Their backers run very fast, so sometimes it is hard to get off combinations to catch up to them. We'll have to go back and look to see exactly where we had breakdowns in our run game. But we had some good runs. We have to look at that and see which of those plays were good and [where we were] able to get those explosive plays. The film will tell us that."