Featuring postgame quotes from the following:

Head Coach Mike Macdonald

MIKE MACDONALD: I'm talking about not doing the things in all three phases to win a football game, got to give the Giants credit. They outplayed us today. With that said, we gave ourselves a chance to tie the game and even win it at the end of the fourth, and we came up short. The message is we don't have enough time to sit around and put our heads down. We've got to keep our heads up, take it on the chin and move forward. We've got a game, (in) three, four days and we need to be ready to go. We need to get better in a hurry.

Q. Take us through the thinking on fourth-and-one and choosing to go for it there.

MIKE MACDONALD: Felt like we had a pretty good play. I was confident in the situation and we felt good about it. They didn't play it the way we expected them to. And Burns made a great play.

Q. Was that the play you called, as executed?

MIKE MACDONALD: That was the play that we had game planned for that situation.

Q. What did you see as the struggles on defense today for you guys?

MIKE MACDONALD: We got outplayed and outexecuted today. That's what happened. I thought we made some good adjustments as the game went on. I'm not sure what the numbers are saying, but when we did create third downs in the first half we didn't get off the field. And then I think there were some penalties there in the second half. It's kind of all the way around -- all three phases, all three levels of the defense, myself included. We got outplayed today on defense.

Q. Second straight game you guys came out throwing the football. I believe 15 out of the first 17 plays dropping back. Ken Walker had four carries midway through the third quarter. What are your thoughts on that situation? Seems to be a trend where number nine, when he's healthy, is not getting the ball very much until late in the second half?

MIKE MACDONALD: That's a fair question. We definitely need to get the run game going. The way the game started we were thinking about trying to get Geno going early. And I'm not sure how many plays we had (in) the first half, but it wasn't many. The game started to kind of get out of hand there. We had to get going. You're right, we need to get the run game going, we need to get Ken (Walker III) the ball more.

Q. (On the blocked field goal)

MIKE MACDONALD: Well, you know, there's a guy in the A-gap. We need to block him. That's pretty much that simple. But you're allowed to push down. They pushed down on our right guard, and he wasn't able to get to Simmons.

Q. What do you think of all the success they had running the ball? Did you feel you had the right personnel in there (to defend the run)?

MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, it was our best 11 guys, given who is on the field for them. Again, we have to call a better game. When we're in those plays we have to execute better and tackle and numbers the ball better. It's fundamental football and we're coming up short. That's what's disappointing right now.

Q. What did you see from Jerome Baker, first game back, had a couple of plays at the goal line?

MIKE MACDONALD: Jerome in those critical situations, I thought he had some really smart plays. The run game, all 11 guys need to be better. That's what it is.

Q. On a short week, did you think the energy, the focus, the effort was where it needs to be?

MIKE MACDONALD: Yeah, I thought we bounced back. Throughout the week the guys were focused. I thought we executed well throughout the week. It's hard to do a huge autopsy right now because it's only been an hour. We're going to go back to work on the (San Francisco) Niners. But we do need to look at it, see what we need to improve. I thought the preparation was good enough to go win a game.

Q. (On Riq Woolen and Uchenna Nwosu…)

MIKE MACDONALD: Riq (Woolen) has an ankle. We're not sure what that looks like. Uchenna (Nwosu) had a, I believe it's a thigh.

Q. With Riq out, we saw Pritchett, got the third-down pass breakup. What did you see in the time he got?

MIKE MACDONALD: He's got to go in there play at a high level. He's been practicing well enough to be up and be the next guy in the game. There's going to be a competition there based on what happens with Riq and how we align guys. But it was good to see him respond (and) make plays in the second half.

Q. You mentioned quick turnaround, there's three games, you play again. How hard is it to fix things fundamentally and to pick yourself up when there are such gaps?

MIKE MACDONALD: Doesn't matter how hard it is. Nobody cares. We've got to work harder. That's the way it is. I mean, it's an opportunity to go make it right in four days. That's really what we need to focus on.

Q. They finished with seven sacks. Did you see them do anything scheme-wise to try to get open there?

MIKE MACDONALD: I'm not sure. I'm not sure without dissecting when they were calling stuff in certain situations. But they rushed well today. They have a good front.

Q. Geno Smith's day in general, what did you make if it?

MIKE MACDONALD: The thing about Geno, the guy is going to battle his tail off no matter the circumstance. We're fighting, even when we're down nine points at the end. We take a sack there. This guy is an ultra competitor. And given how the game was going, we did some things at the end of the second half that I thought was pretty dang good. And Geno's a big-time pro. He's a leader on this team. He's going to be kind of a uniting force for us, a galvanizing force for us in order to get in the direction we want to go.

QB Geno Smith

Q. You got it going late. What did you guys do throughout the game to get the drives consistently going?

GENO SMITH: We played bad. That's the reality. Played bad. I don't think we executed well. I thought we came out slow. (We) Talk about starting fast. That's not how we want to start. Turned the ball over, not finishing drives. I mean, all the above. That will get you beat in the NFL on any given Sunday.

Q. As quarterback, you always want to have the football in your hands. Do you feel like getting more balance established offensively is something that needs to be figured out here moving forward?

GENO SMITH: Honestly, I don't even think about that when I'm playing. I've got to execute the plays that are called. I've got to do my job. That's my main focus, to do my job to the highest of highs of my ability. So those things are questions you should ask the coaches. In reality, I've just got to go out there and play better. I've got to do better to get us over the hump.

Q. Geno, what were they doing to make it hard for you today?

GENO SMITH: They played harder. They wanted it more. They fought harder. They came out, executed better.

Q. What's the key then with only a few days here to get things going the right way?

GENO SMITH: Have a short memory. It's (a) one-game-at-a-time mentality. This game's already behind us. Gotta learn from it, and we've got a quick turnaround. Tough opponent Thursday night. Divisional opponent. It means everything to us. This is a big game. It's about as big of a game we've had this season, we better be ready.

Q. What you did you feel started to work there in the fourth quarter?

GENO SMITH: We started playing hard. Seems like when the game's on the line, we find ways to get things done. But that's got to be our mentality throughout the entire game. We can't wait until the end of the game to try and save it. We've got to go out there and execute for 60 minutes, however long the game is. Today we didn't get that done, but we'll get back to it.

Q. If there was one thing that you saw positive from yourself and your teammates, what would that be that you could build on going forward?

GENO SMITH: We woke up this morning. That's a positive. We're still alive, got another chance.

Q. As one of the leaders on this team, you talked about turning this around and obviously it's the biggest game of the year -- the next game always is. But what do you need to do to lead the way to create that example to turn the page on this?

GENO SMITH: Lead by example as I've always done. Do what I always do -- get better, work harder. Can't wait for tomorrow. It's another opportunity for me to work on my game, become a better leader and get the guys going. It's early in the season. Obviously back-to-back losses are not the way we wanted it to happen. But it's where we are. So we've got another opponent coming in, we've got to be ready.

RB Kenneth Walker III

(On what he thinks happened regarding the lack of offensive production during the game) "I feel like we just didn't execute as an offense. We practiced it all week, but when it came to the game today, we just didn't make the plays we needed to make to win the game."

(On the run game not being utilized against New York and if he expected to run more) "You always expect to run the ball."

(On if what happened seemed different than the game plan going into the game) "I just feel like we didn't execute. That's it."

WR Tyler Lockett

(On what the offense needs to do moving forward) "I think we just got to continue to try to be balanced (between the run and pass game), continue to make plays for first downs at times, and be able to move the sticks. "

(On Zach Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker combining for seven carries and if the offense felt unbalanced today) "It's tough because we're in the moment in the game. So, you don't really see or pay attention to much of it. I just think that whenever stuff is called we just got to make sure we're doing our part. I think I could do better at blocking and stuff like that, being able to get people to break or make sure that my man's not the one that's making the tackle. That's something I can work on."

(On what he would like to see as the biggest difference on offense for the upcoming game this Thursday night against San Francisco) "I can't really say that. I just think we got to figure out how to go win. I think we have difference makers everywhere in our positions, as far as skill guys and even bigs. I just think it's about whose name gets called and being able to make the best out of that play. At the same time, sometimes it doesn't even matter what the play is called because the defense has to play a certain way. Everything has to go a certain way in order to be able to get a chance. For us, we just got to do our part and let the ball fall where the ball goes."

FS Julian Love

(On the challenge in getting off the field on defense, particularly in the first half) "It wasn't ideal, that's for sure. I think it came down to execution. I don't think in any phase we played good enough today to win. Obviously, we had a shot, kind of, there at the end. You can't win in this league if you don't play well."

(On why the Giants were able to run the ball effectively) "I'm not sure. That is something we have to seriously address, obviously. It's been shown on tape a few times. We've got to get our fits clean, and guys just got to bow up. It's a short week, we got to go in there and address some issues we've been facing."

(On getting things right in just a few days) "I think it's just commit. It's a few days, we have to spend that extra time, whether you're in there early, staying late. As a group, just to correct it and honestly be accountable. Every one of us has to look inward and figure out kind of what they could do better. That's across the whole defense. I'm sure offense, special teams as well. It just takes commitment right now. It's a short week. It's a short week for them, too. So, we have to go in and really attack the week."

(On the play of Nehemiah Pritchett) "I think he came in, that's tough. Coming in, probably not warm. He came in and played some good ball, I thought. It was a great experience for him, I'm a fan of his game, and just seeing the rookie get out there in that situation, it's tough. But, he handled it well, I thought."

(On the Giants' ability to convert third downs) "Yeah. I think we have to be stick aware. A lot of those routes or concepts were at the sticks, and just leaky yards. I think we have to clean up our tackling. I think we were just allowing too much free access things. Then, when we are in man, we have to play man better and just be aware of situational football in zone. That's all of us. I'll take accountability for the back end. We have to just play better. It's pretty simple, in terms of our secondary."

(On what concerns him over the last two games) "I wouldn't say anything concerns me. I know we have the guys in the room that can go in and attack it. I'll try to lead that charge. Hey, this is the NFL. You're going to win games; you're going to lose games. It's a marathon. We have to keep clicking. This is the first time as a staff, as a team, as a unit, in that building, where we're seeing adversity, and so now we got to feel each other out and just grow together. I think in the NFL, it's been said this week, you have to learn how to struggle well. You can struggle and just shut down, or you can face adversity and just solve some things, and everyone have that approach, that growth mindset. And so we have to have that, this week, for sure."

(On whether the team is struggling well right now) "We're about to find that out. I'm going to do everything to get the back end right and get the defense right, because we have to just go straight through it."

(On how to balance lessons learned this week vs. preparing for San Francisco on a short week) "It's quick. We have to get in there and address some areas that we need to address. But then, we have to, tomorrow, turn around for San Fran on Thursday. It's a quick week, it's a quick week for them, too. But, it just takes guys getting out of their feelings about this game, get this game out of their head, and move forward. We have to really attack this week so we can come in here and protect this house."

(On whether he is seeing opposing offenses attack Seattle's defense differently, now that we are several games into the season) "It's a copycat league. Some things, especially in the run game, you'll see teams start to try to execute, and so we have to shore that up. We've got to close that Pandora's box and just execute. I mean, you saw some leaky stuff in a few of the games where teams were able to run on us, and so we have to shore that up, first and foremost. Secondary has to tackle better and then we have to work down as a unit to stop that. Then, in the pass game, we can get to our man situations, to our good stuff, just execute that. But, we have to be better on first, second down. I know our third down numbers weren't great today, but those get back on track situations, we just have to be better on."

LB Jerome Baker

(On the play of the defense today) "We just didn't execute. No matter how you look at it, we didn't execute. We need to get off the field. We just didn't do enough."

(On not getting things going, after the 102-yard fumble return touchdown) "Even if you look at that drive, they drove the whole field. So, yeah, we were happy we got the turnover and the points, but we also didn't stop them. I think we always got to look each other in the eye and just get better, and get ready for Thursday."

(On the issue with the run defense today) "We just didn't play together. It's as simple as that. We didn't play together and that was the outcome."

(On whether the Giants did anything different scheme-wise than they were expecting) "They just played together better than us. At the end of the day it's still football, so if you play your technique, your assignment better than us, you're going to win. That was the outcome."

(On whether he was aware that the ball was still live when he knocked it out at the goal line) "I just tried to make a play. I know I met him at the goal line, but I didn't see it come out until [Jenkins] going down the field."

(On getting back out there after having to miss a couple of days) "It was hard. I didn't really catch my wind until the second half. Other than that, I just started going. It's just a shout out to our defense and our team. They had my back this whole time I was gone, so shout out to them."

CB Nehemiah Pritchett

(On not being able to finish the game with a win) "Absolutely [it stings]. Any loss hurts, and basically the way it happened, you just have to play better and get ready for situational football."

(On the challenge of coming in and playing after Riq Woolen gets hurts) "Just continue to not let the standard drop. Continue to build off of what he can [do]. Just be ready to play when it's my chance."

(On feeling more confident as the game went on) "My confidence definitely grew. Just getting comfortable in the game and seeing what they were attacking and being able to get the stop [on third down] was very good. It was a blessing."

G Laken Tomlinson

(On what was difficult about getting the offense going) "All credit to them, they did a great job of holding on to the ball and keeping us off the field. We couldn't get into a good rhythm. Credit to them."

(On the message in the locker room after the game) "It's a bad taste. We have a short week coming up here. It's full steam ahead. We're going to do everything we can to prepare ourselves and correct our mistakes and move forward to that Thursday night game."

(On the limited run game and if they expected there to be more coming into the game) "Like I said, they did a really good job of keeping us off the field."

WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

(On what was going wrong with the offense from his perspective) "Just didn't execute well. Getting behind the sticks on first and second down. Just playing from behind, really."

(On the game plan going into the game and if they had to reevaluate once they got behind) "I think the gameplan was to have them stop us and we stopped ourselves today."

(On the message in the locker room) "We know what we have to do. We just got to do it. We have to execute. We have a short week on Thursday so we have to get ready for that."

(On who spoke to the team) "Coach Macdonald usually has a good message so he had a good message for us today."

SS Rayshawn Jenkins

(On his 102-yard touchdown, and at what point did he realize he had green grass in front of him) "Honestly, when I picked it up, I just looked down. And there was nobody there, so I was like, 'I'm not going to let anybody catch me from here.'"

(On if he was going to run out of gas during his return for the touchdown) "No, when there's that much green grass in front of me, and it was a big play momentum shift for the defense at that point in the game. We had let them drive down the field a little bit. And hats off to the guys who hit the ball out. I was just backside, and I saw the ball on the ground, green grass, and I was gone."

(On what the Giants did to keep getting those explosives plays and stay on the field) "They did a pretty good job. Daniel Jones, I feel like he ran the offense well today. So hats off to him. They were able to put the ball on the ground. And I feel like they just had an overall good game plan."

TE Brady Russell

(On the challenges in the backfield) "I was only in the backfield to do protection. I hear stuff from other guys on the sidelines, but it's tough if you're not totally in the game to really know what the issues are and what's plaguing the offense."

(On what the conversation was on the sidelines) "There wasn't a ton of conversation on the sideline in terms of substance or what we could do better. It's more about just trying to keep people in the game, you know, and keep guys motivated, keep them wanting to come back next series and keep fighting because we were struggling. But it was encouraging to see the fight that was still in the guys at the end of the game."

(On what the Giants were doing to create havoc up front) "They just sent some unique pressures in different situations where you have to block a lot of different things, and I think I'm just good in the backfield at scanning and seeing who I need to pick up."