The Seahawks’ 38-35 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 5 delivered more than just a mark in the “L” column-it was a gut punch wrapped in a shootout. For a team whose defense had looked like one of the most well-coached in the league through four weeks, Sunday’s unraveling was both surprising and costly.

Let’s start with what made this loss sting so much. This wasn’t just any loss-it was Seattle’s highest-scoring defeat since 2023.

And this wasn’t a game that ever felt out of reach. The Seahawks had the ball in Sam Darnold’s hands with just over a minute to go, a chance to steal the win late.

But the final offensive sequence ended in a turnover instead of a touchdown, and Tampa Bay walked out with the win. What-ifs don’t show up in the standings, but they linger.

From a bigger-picture standpoint, this game marked only the second time in Mike Macdonald’s 22-game run as head coach that Seattle’s defense allowed more than 30 points. Before Sunday, they hadn’t given up more than 20 in a single 2025 matchup. This loss didn’t just crack the armor-it blew it wide open.

After the game, Macdonald took it square on the chin.

“Obviously very disappointed,” he said. “Our guys played extremely hard…

This game is my responsibility, okay? … I have to be better with our defensive gameplan, our execution and how we call it.”

Refreshingly candid accountability. And the numbers back his frustration.

Seattle surrendered 426 total yards-second-most allowed under Macdonald-and the Bucs lit them up through the air. Tampa’s 370 passing yards were the most the Seahawks have allowed since Week 7 of the 2020 season.

That’s not just a leaky performance; that’s a flood.

Still, it’s fair to ask: what exactly went wrong? Part of it was strategy, no question.

But the other part was attrition. Seattle’s secondary was battered to the point of barebones.

By the time the final whistle blew, the team was down to just six fully healthy defensive backs. That’s six, total.

Out were Devon Witherspoon, Julian Love, Riq Woolen, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Derick Hall-a half-dozen key defenders watching from the sidelines. At some point, even the best defensive schemes can’t cover for a depth chart that’s been stretched to its breaking point.

The fill-ins? They fought, but they weren’t up to the task.

And against a sharp Buccaneers offense, that gap in performance mattered. Tampa moved the ball efficiently, taking advantage of mismatches and miscommunications in coverage.

Seattle’s defensive backfield got picked apart, and the pass rush couldn’t generate enough consistent pressure to make the quarterback uncomfortable.

Offensively, the Seahawks did enough to win most Sundays. Put up 35 points in the NFL and you expect to come out on top.

But complementary football wasn’t there. The defense, which had carried this team through much of the early season, finally had a game where its injuries and inconsistencies showed up on the scoreboard.

Make no mistake-this wasn’t a collapse of identity. Seattle’s defense has been more than solid in 2025, even without operating at full strength. This loss feels more like an aberration, a bad Sunday made worse by injury luck that hasn’t been on their side all year.

As Macdonald pointed out, the only thing the team can do now is learn from it, regroup, and move forward. Because despite this setback, the defensive foundation is still strong-and when the Seahawks get their guys back, you can expect this unit to look much more like the one that dominated Weeks 1 through 4.

But for now, the tape doesn’t lie. Seattle’s defensive standard dipped, and in the NFL, even one off week can cost you a game.