The Seahawks lose their first game of the season, but offer hope for the rest of the season

SEATTLE- There is no moral victory in the NFL or any other professional sport. None at all.

So there will be no cheering or celebrating at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center this week, I assure you.

But if you follow this game closely, you have to draw a positive conclusion.

After the first three wins, we praised the Seahawks for finding a way to win no matter the circumstances. Overcoming a slew of costly mistakes against Denver, ironing it all out, getting an overtime win against New England and then dominating the Miami Dolphins.

The Seahawks may have lost their toughest test of the season so far, but think of it this way: The Seahawks' offense totaled over 500 yards in this game, with Geno Smith setting career numbers in passing yards. Kenneth Walker III returned with three touchdowns. The first look at the offense with Ryan Grubb at full strength (minus injuries on the offensive line) and Geno Smith running the show was electrifying.

The Seahawks lost this game because they couldn't stop the Lions, which wasn't due to Mike Macdonald's defense, but rather because they entered the game with four injured defensive tackles and midway through the game Lost defensive back Julian Love.

The takeaway here is that despite missing nearly half of their defensive starters, the Seahawks held their own and had chances late to win this game.

No moral victories, but it's hard not to imagine what these Seahawks can be when healthy.

“We have to take care of our business,” Macdonald said after the game. “Detroit is a great team. They showed it, they proved it, and they showed it again tonight. We want to be a great team, so we have to become a great team. We want to become the team we can be. We believe we can be and that is our focus.”

Macdonald said there is urgency in a short week with the New York Giants coming to Lumen Field on Sunday. The positives we're talking about don't mean the Seahawks were just limited by the injuries – there's a lot to work through.

The reality is that despite these obstacles, the Seahawks were likely prevented from winning the game by a missed pass interference call in the end zone and an incorrect incompletion call on a two-point conversion in the final minute. Just being in that position is pretty mind blowing when the guys who were on the practice squad on Sunday come into action. This is a wild turn of events that is difficult to comprehend.

If the offense really gets into shape, as the numbers suggest, and the defense gets healthy – or at least gets healthier soon – there's reason to believe the Seahawks can put together another winning streak.

With games against San Francisco (Thursday night, with a very short break), Arizona and Buffalo looming, it won't be easy before October is over, but even with a shorthanded loss there are plenty of signs to be optimistic.

Mike Macdonald is on to something with his new team, and when the pieces fall into place, watch out.