After playing three games in 11 days, the Seahawks now have a mini-bye week to try to get healthy and correct the litany of issues that led to their recent skid. Seattle has lost the turnover battle 6-1 over the past three games – which perhaps best describes the team’s struggles during the losing streak. The Seahawks neither protect the ball nor take it away.

“It’s good to have a few days to catch your breath and really get a chance to get back with the tape and come up with a great plan of attack moving forward,” Macdonald said. “That has to be our mentality. So that’s what we’re going to do.”

San Francisco highlighted the first half with a 76-yard touchdown reception from wide receiver Deebo Samuel, which saw it start uncovered before safety Julian Love chased the pass defense and missed. No one could catch Samuel from there.

The 49ers took a 10-0 lead. San Francisco’s lead was 16-3 at halftime. Seattle was terrible on both sides of the ball through two quarters. The 49ers outscored the Seahawks 244-133 and had nearly five times as many rushing yards.

For the third straight game, Seattle’s game started to look uninspired and out of place. Smith had his worst start to a game, completing just 9 of 18 passes for 109 yards and an interception – coming on an overthrown pass to Tyler Lockett on Seattle’s first offensive drive.

Smith looked bad in the first half for the first time this season. It wasn’t just him, as Seattle’s offense and defense looked disjointed. The issues that have plagued the team over the past two games seemed to spill over, including poor offensive play and subpar defensive tackles.

“We have to get better at a lot of things. That’s the reality. We have to find ways to win,” Smith said of the offensive performance. “Whatever the bread and butter is, we have to collectively come up with that answer and run with it.”

The 49ers continued their dominance early in the third quarter. A 9-play, 70-yard drive was capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Purdy to George Kittle. San Francisco quickly increased its lead to 23-3. Seattle couldn’t close the floodgates.

Seahawks wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., who made a first-half kickoff that led to 49ers points, ultimately was the spark the Seahawks needed. Shenault returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown, cutting Seattle’s lead to just 13.

After forcing a 49ers punt, the Seahawks put together a 13-play, 94-yard drive that Walker capped with a 1-yard touchdown run. It was the most balanced play for Seattle in weeks, showcasing the offense’s ceiling while raising curiosity as to why the unit couldn’t string together enough plays to maintain that consistency.

Regardless, Seattle had cut the lead to 23-17. With 14 unanswered points, the Seahawks were back in the game.

That didn’t last long. Both teams exchanged punts before Smith threw his second interception of the game to cornerback Renardo Green at Seattle’s 35-yard line. The 49ers took advantage when tight end George Kittle caught a 9-yard touchdown from Purdy three plays later.

Seattle then orchestrated a 15-play, 70-yard possession that covered 4:36 of the game clock and was capped off with a touchdown catch by Smith’s Tyler Lockett. Once again, it seemed like what the Seahawks offense should be when you’re clicking on all cylinders.

Unfortunately, that drive ended with 1:44 left in the game. An earlier 52-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Metcalf was negated by an illegal shift that, if it had been counted, would have left 4:46 on the clock.

When 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo picked off a 76-yard rush on the first play of San Francisco’s next, it was clear the game was over. A game-winning score from fullback Kyle Juszczyk followed. Now 36-24, there was nothing Seattle could do.

Again, being minus five in the turnover battle over three straight losses is a quick way to lose three straight football games. From DK Metcalf’s fumbles in the last two games to three goals between Shenault and Smith in this one, the Seahawks are in crisis mode in that regard.

“It’s probably single-handedly the biggest issue that’s hurt our football team,” Macdonald said. “We have to take better care of the ball. Practice better. You get what you emphasize and apparently we don’t emphasize that enough. Shoot, that’s my responsibility.”

The offense has to protect the football and the defense has to turn it over. Seattle’s only takeaway in the last three games was Rayshawn Jenkins’ 102-yard fumble return touchdown against the Giants, which came at the end of a poor defensive drive. The Seahawks won’t win football games that way.

Never mind that most of the turnovers came at critical points where Seattle has a chance to tie the game or take a lead. It’s a plague on this team.

One of the biggest criticisms of Smith as Seattle’s quarterback is the lack of a signature win. Even one win against the 49ers would help him in that area. He couldn’t do that on his 34th birthday.

Through four career games against San Francisco as Seattle’s starter, Smith has completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 1,159 yards (289.8 per game), four touchdowns and five interceptions. He finished Thursday’s game 30 of 52 passing for 312 yards with one touchdown and two picks.

Unlike some of his interceptions this season, both were credited to Smith on Thursday. The second appeared to be a lazy route by Metcalf that was undermined by the defensive back, but that doesn’t blame Smith for throwing it. As previously mentioned, turnovers are an issue for Seattle, and Smith looked as bad as he has in a long time against the 49ers.

If he wants top-level quarterback money, Smith has to beat Seattle’s rivals or win a playoff game — at least once. He hasn’t done that yet.

Seattle allowed 228 rushing yards to the 49ers, their highest total of the season. That was without Christian McCaffrey in the lineup. Jordan Mason and Guerendo, the team’s second and third strings, pounded Seattle with 172 yards between the two of them.

Over the last three games, Seattle has given up an average of 173 yards on the ground per game. Like the turnover battle, that area is reaching a crisis point for the Seahawks. If the team has any hope of being competitive in the second half of the season, this needs to be resolved.

“Either we stop them at the line of scrimmage now, or the ball spits and is explosive,” Macdonald said. “When that happens on the front line, it’s guys coming out of their holes, not fitting the second level correctly, and not getting it on the ground in the third level. That’s what’s going on.”

But the defense as a whole was poor. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 73.8 percent of their passes for 804 yards and seven touchdowns to zero interceptions during the three-game skid. Neither phase complements the other and makes things too easy for Seattle’s opponents.

The Seahawks face the Atlanta Falcons (3-2) on the road on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 10 a.m. Atlanta is coming off two straight wins in a road game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, October 13 for their Week 6 matchup.

If the Falcons lose to the Panthers, they will enter the Week 7 matchup with the same record as the sliding Seahawks.