Where do the Seahawks go after their brutal loss to Buffalo?

SEATTLE- There's no shame in losing to the Buffalo Bills, a team that might still be playing in February when it's all said and done.

But there is a problem How The Seahawks lost on Sunday:

• A snap 20 yards past Geno Smith, who killed a touchdown chance on second-and-goal
• An offensive lineman steps on Geno's foot on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line
• A rough passer penalty when Buffalo was otherwise forced into the fourth
• Seahawks players Derick Hall and Jarran Reed battled each other after that penalty
• An interception on a screen pass that stopped a promising drive
• 11 penalties and a lost fumble

There's more here, but you get the point.

Buffalo is very good and the better team at the moment. But the Seahawks never gave themselves a chance, essentially snuffing out any chance of staying in the game.

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“There’s some frustration there,” head coach Mike Macdonald said after the game.

“Look, our guys are connected and support each other. They are emotional. “(It) wasn’t a smart penalty. It’s just that we don’t train our guys to attack quarterbacks that way, so it wasn’t a smart move.”

Two chances inside the five-yard line resulted in zero points. This isn't necessarily because they were outplayed by Buffalo in those situations, but rather because the center snap flew what felt like a mile over Geno Smith's head and later on a separate drive because Geno was outplayed on 4th-and-goal from his Offensive line stumbled was the one-yard line.

“First and foremost, I have to own it and learn from it,” quarterback Geno Smith said. “Every one of these games, whether you won or lost, is a lesson to be learned. The most important thing is that we learn the lessons.”

“I never want to say after a game that we've just put it behind us. That’s the wrong way to look at it,” Smith added. “I have to learn from your mistakes and acknowledge them. These are things that I personally will do, and I know our team will do too. We'll move on from there. One day at a time.”

Macdonald said that while the Bills are a good team, he believes the Seahawks could have had a different result without the costly mistakes.

“I think everyone in this area knows that our best can compete with them,” Macdonald said. “And look, Buffalo is a great team. I've been doing this for a long time. The balance sheet speaks for itself. They have great players. This is a vote of confidence in our boys, our people.”

If you're an optimist, look at these mistakes and realize how scary they were. When have you ever experienced mistakes or situations that hurt a team in the same game?

When you look at it that way, the Seahawks should pay more attention to how they did against Atlanta than they did against Buffalo in their next outing.

That game takes place next Sunday when they host the Rams in a crucial divisional contest.

There Was An error-filled first half against Denver in Week 1, but the Seahawks were able to overcome that with a strong second half. That wasn't the case this week.

Against the New York Giants, the Seahawks fell behind against a team many thought Seattle would easily beat. Even the potential game-winning field goal fell into an untimely error when the Giants blocked the free kick.

So the logic goes that you can't possibly see another game with the same or even nearly as many unusual errors as Sunday's.

But the Seahawks have to make it this way. You have to earn it.

“We're talking about stacking up wins and when you go back and forth it's frustrating,” Macdonald said. “You want to be able to build on the good things we're doing so we can get our program to where we want it to be. When you take a step back like we did today, it’s very sobering and frustrating.”

They need to get back on their feet or any postseason hope could be lost as quickly as Sunday's game was lost to unforced errors.

“But this is the NFL. If you don't play your best and play your best against good teams, you won't win these games. Our guys know that,” Macdonald said. “As coaches, we have to prepare our boys as best as possible. We have to play great games. The whole thing has to continue to fit together.”

Time is ticking, as we say. “We’re about halfway through the season now,” Macdonald added. “But you're taking a step back, I mean. “(We're) right in the middle of the division and the game coming up is going to be a big one.”

Kickoff with the Rams at Lumen Field next Sunday is scheduled for 1:25 p.m