PHX Reporter

Monday's meeting at the Cardinals training facility was routine, despite their recent 16-6 loss to the Seahawks. The main message remained unchanged.

"Get back to work and go over and be critical of yourself on what you messed up on," outside linebacker Zaven Collins said. "Whether it's a win or a loss, you've got to be critical of what you've done, bad or good."

After Sunday's defeat, the Cardinals maintained their one-week-at-a-time approach. This mindset helps them move past previous results while focusing on correcting mistakes before facing the Vikings.

The defense worked hard, allowing only 10 points against the Seahawks. Jaxon Smith-Njigba's touchdown was the first they had conceded since Week 8 against the Dolphins. However, players felt more could have been done.

"It's the fabric of our team," coach Jonathan Gannon stated. "What they're probably talking about, just like myself, is when you don't get the result you want, you go right to the negative or the bad. But there was a lot of good in that game too (across) all three phases."

The defense saw positives in their pressures with five sacks and eight tackles for loss; four sacks occurred on third down. Defensive lineman Dante Stills, Collins, and outside linebacker Jesse Luketa led in sacks.

Geno Smith's play extensions proved challenging for the Cardinals as he scrambled effectively and connected on crucial passes. Seattle converted seven out of fourteen third-down attempts.

"Guys are covering their butts off," Collins noted. "There's certain plays that we call it 'leakage' and that build up. It happens."

With six games left in the season, Sunday's result tightened the NFC West race. The Cardinals will face Seattle again soon at State Farm Stadium. They currently stand second behind Seattle due to tiebreakers but are ahead of both Rams and 49ers.

First-rounder Darius Robinson is expected to debut this weekend according to Gannon who also mentioned safety Jalen Thompson's return after an ankle injury kept him inactive for two weeks.

It's uncommon for Gannon or team members to discuss postseason prospects openly as it might distract from immediate opponents.

However, as December approaches Gannon acknowledged each game's significance especially before facing Minnesota.

"We're one round at a time but we're in playoff football right now," Gannon said adding importance during holiday season noting "you can be thankful we're playing meaningful games right now because we've earned that right." Yet emphasized focus must remain solely on Minnesota game preparations rather than future possibilities beyond current matchups.