Seahawks Undone by Costly Errors in 31-10 Home Loss to Bills

The Seattle Seahawks piled up nearly every kind of mistake a team can make on Sunday, falling 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills at Lumen Field. Interceptions, a fumble, bad snaps, 13 penalties and sideline-level tension all featured in a game that slipped away from the home side.

The result left Seattle at 4-4, a week after a convincing victory in Atlanta. Buffalo improved to 6-2. First-year head coach Mike Macdonald, whose team played without star receiver DK Metcalf, was blunt in his assessment. "We got outplayed, outcoached, and we've got to go make it right," he said, adding that Buffalo outplayed his team in all three phases.

The Seahawks' offense struggled to get going. Seattle did not record a first down until the first play of the second quarter, and the offensive line created little room for the run game. Running back Kenneth Walker III managed 12 yards on nine carries. "We didn't execute how we should against a good defense," Walker said. Quarterback Geno Smith completed 21 of 29 passes for 212 yards with one interception and no touchdowns.

Buffalo controlled the ball for long stretches, outgaining Seattle 164 yards to 32 on the ground and converting six of its first seven third downs. Seattle went 1-for-7 on third down and turned the ball over twice. Quarterback Josh Allen was perfect, completing 24 of 24 passes for 283 yards and two touchdowns. James Cook ran for 111 yards on 17 carries, and Khalil Shakir caught nine passes for 107 yards.

Seattle showed some life in the second quarter, driving to the Buffalo 2-yard line, but errors followed. After a 1-yard loss by Walker, center Connor Williams' shotgun snap sailed over Smith's head, and Walker recovered it for a run from the 29 to the 22. A false start was waived off because of a delay-of-game penalty, and Seattle settled for a 38-yard Jason Myers field goal to trail 7-3.

A chance to take the lead came after cornerback Josh Jobe intercepted Allen and returned the ball 33 yards to the Buffalo 7. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, however, Williams' foot drifted back too quickly after the snap. Smith tripped over Williams' cleat and then over that of guard Anthony Bradford, and he went down for a 6-yard loss. "We had too many self-inflicted wounds. That's been our story this season," Smith said. He was also penalized for taunting after throwing the ball at a defensive lineman's head following a play that pushed him out of bounds.

Frustration also surfaced on defense. Linebacker Derick Hall was flagged for roughing the passer for hitting Allen well after a throw, which led to a scuffle with defensive tackle Jarran Reed. The penalty extended the drive, which ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Allen to tight end Dalton Kincaid and a 14-3 Buffalo halftime lead, to boos from many of the 68,704 fans. Macdonald said, "It wasn't a smart penalty. That's not how we train our guys to attack quarterbacks."

Things did not improve after halftime. Trailing 17-3 in the third quarter, Smith was intercepted by defensive tackle Austin Johnson, and Jobe was flagged for retaliating after an unnecessary roughness call. Down 24-3, a seven-play, 51-yard Seattle drive included a Smith fumble, a holding call on rookie guard Christian Haynes, a false start on tackle Charles Cross, Smith's taunting penalty and an illegal formation call on tackle Michael Jerrell that was declined. Punter Michael Dickson, perhaps Seattle's best player on the day, averaged 61.3 yards on four punts.

Macdonald still believes the gap between the teams is smaller than the score suggested. "I think everybody on that field knows our best can compete with them," he said. Seattle hosts the Rams at Lumen Field on Nov. 3 and will look to cut down on the mistakes that have contributed to its four losses. Safety Coby Bryant summed up the afternoon: "We just beat ourselves."