Little time for Seattle to make fixes with 49ers coming to town

RENTON, Wash. — Moments after the kind of loss that could linger, Geno Smith was ready to put an unexpected setback in the past.

For the Seattle Seahawks (3-2), there’s no time to dwell on Sunday’s 29-20 loss to the visiting New York Giants with what’s ahead on the horizon: a Thursday night matchup with NFC West rival San Francisco (2-3).

“We’ve got a quick turnaround. Tough opponent Thursday night. Divisional opponent. It means everything to us,” Smith said. “This is a big game. It’s about as big of a game we’ve had this season. We better be ready.”

Seattle’s second straight loss exposed some continuing worries and issues, but there’s no time to make wholesale corrections or changes.

Coach Mike Macdonald made no excuses when asked about the Seahawks’ short amount of time to prepare and fix whatever problems the team is facing.

“It doesn’t matter how hard it is,” Macdonald said Monday during a radio appearance. “Nobody cares. We’ve got to work harder. That’s the way it is. It’s an opportunity to go make it right in four days. That’s really what we need to focus on.”

What’s working

Smith continues to be really good late in games, although he’d prefer not to be in situations where he is throwing all the time. Smith was 11-of-14 on the 95-yard drive that culminated in Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter on Sunday. On the next drive, Smith’s 32-yard scramble on the first play put Seattle immediately into field goal range.

“We started playing hard,” Smith said. “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.”

What needs help

Seattle’s run defense has been bad the past two weeks. The Giants rushed for 175 yards and averaged 5.1 yards per carry after the Lions rolled up 116 yards a week earlier. Seattle has allowed more than 100 yards on the ground in three of its five games. Injuries on the defensive line were a factor against Detroit, but Seattle had most of its key players back against the Giants.

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