Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald provided a straightforward assessment following his team’s 34-17 home loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. He candidly admitted that the defending champions failed to execute the fundamental skills necessary to win in the NFL.

While Macdonald did not sugarcoat the lopsided defeat, much of the postgame discussion centered on controversial officiating decisions that went against Seattle. Focusing on the league's official explanations, a report shared on X by Brady Henderson detailed an interview from the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) pool report with referee Shawn Smith.

Here's the pool report with referee Shawn Smith, who was asked about three plays: the hit on Tory Horton on the Seahawks' first possession, the hit on Sam Darnold while he was sliding later in the first quarter, and the OPI on Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the third quarter. pic.twitter.com/z1JNY39W0y

— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) November 3, 2026

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In this official pool report, Smith addressed three major points: he explained that Tory Horton's hit did not involve forcible contact to the head or neck area and was not reviewable because it was not flagged during the game; he stated that Sam Darnold became a runner and did not incur illegal helmet contact while sliding; and he clarified that Jaxon Smith-Njigba was correctly penalized for offensive pass interference due to a full arm extension and locked elbow into the defender's chest.

Adding to the Seahawks' frustrations, they also lost defensive anchor Leonard Williams to a stinger in the trenches, which raises further concerns as Macdonald's squad seeks to regroup after their second consecutive loss.