The Seattle Seahawks recognize that their poor performance meant the loss to the New York Giants was determined well before the blocked kick

   

Two consecutive messy, sluggish starts have led to two straight losses. Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks are becoming frustrated with their slow starts and their inability to finish comeback attempts in the fourth quarter.

“When the game is on the line, it seems like we find ways to get things done, right? But that’s got to be the mentality throughout the entire game,” Smith said.

“We can’t wait until the end of the game to try and save it. We got to go out and execute for 60 minutes or however long the game is. Today, we didn’t get that done.”

Smith and the Seahawks suffered their second loss in a row on Sunday, falling 29-20 to the New York Giants in a game filled with troubling signs for a team that was unbeaten less than a week ago and leading the NFC West.

Kenneth Walker III runs with the football in his hand

Seattle (3-2) started poorly again, and the running game was mostly ineffective. The Seahawks’ defense struggled at times and failed to get off the field for most of the first half as the Giants controlled the game.

A major special teams mistake occurred in the final seconds when Jason Myers’ 47-yard field goal attempt was blocked. Isaiah Simmons jumped over the offensive line cleanly, and Bryce Ford-Wheaton returned the blocked kick 60 yards for a touchdown that sealed the game.

“Talk about not doing things in all three phases to win a football game,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said. “Got to give the Giants credit. They outplayed us today.”

The special teams mistake will receive a lot of attention because of how critical the moment was. Guard Laken Tomlinson was pushed down by defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, allowing Simmons to jump through and block the kick.