Before Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers piled up 426 total yards against them, the Seattle Seahawks already knew they’d be shorthanded defensively.
Three starters — defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, safety Julian Love, and All-Pro cornerback Devon Witherspoon — were inactive for Sunday’s 38–35 loss. During the game, linebacker Derick Hall suffered an oblique injury, while cornerback Riq Woolen exited with a concussion.
Even with nearly half of his defensive starters missing, head coach Mike Macdonald refused to use injuries as an excuse.
“Injuries are part of the NFL,” Macdonald said. “It’s on me to design better plays and put our players in better positions to succeed on defense. It’s that simple.”
Without Witherspoon, Love, and Woolen, Mayfield and Tampa Bay’s seventh-ranked scoring offense exploited Seattle’s secondary with ease. The defense looked out of sync, allowing several wide-open completions as Mayfield posted an 87.9% completion rate — the highest by any quarterback in the league this season.
“We just gave up plays we shouldn’t have,” defensive tackle Byron Murphy II said. “As a unit, we’ve got to be better.”
Entering the weekend, Seattle had allowed the third-fewest points in the NFL. Safety Coby Bryant emphasized that healthy players need to raise their level of play while key teammates recover.
“It’s tough,” Bryant admitted. “But it’s the next-man-up mentality. Whoever’s out there, we’ve got to be on the same page — and we weren’t today.”
On the offensive side, the Seahawks are seeing encouraging early results from Sam Darnold’s three-year, $100.5 million deal. Darnold currently ranks third in completion percentage, second in passer rating (behind Indianapolis’ Daniel Jones), and sixth in total passing yards.
Seattle remains one of only two teams in the NFL — along with Green Bay — yet to force a fumble this season. A year ago, the Seahawks forced 14 but recovered just four.
The bright spot for Seattle continues to be its run defense, which delivered arguably its best performance of the year on Sunday. The Buccaneers managed only 56 rushing yards on 24 carries, averaging just 2.3 yards per attempt. The Seahawks now rank fourth in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed.
Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe, used occasionally in special packages, made a costly mistake on Sunday when a bad option pitch to Kenneth Walker III resulted in a Bucs fumble recovery and their first touchdown drive.
Macdonald said Monday that both Witherspoon and Lawrence are aiming to practice this week. Hall remains week-to-week, and Woolen is still in concussion protocol.
Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba now has three 100-yard receiving games this season, matching his total from 2024.
The Seahawks will travel to Jacksonville next Sunday to face the Jaguars.
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