Some players and coaches will give themselves 24 hours to dwell on a defeat.
But with the Cardinals hosting the Seahawks in 72 hours, there is no time to feel bad following the heartbreaking 16-15 loss to the 49ers on Sunday. Coach Jonathan Gannon had let the team know that as soon as they reached the locker room in Santa Clara.
"I caught myself in a meeting talking about a play (from Sunday) that I wasn't really pleased about, but we're game planning on first and second down with Seattle," Gannon said. "I can't be thinking about that, so you kind of got to block that out. It's hard, but we do have to control that."
The Cardinals have no choice but to focus on Thursday's divisional matchup, and truthfully, it's tough to ignore that it already has a big-game feel.
There are noticeably more reporters and camera operators than a regular Week 4 matchup when surveying the press conference room. Walk around the building and the signage has flipped from the traditional Cardinal red to the sandblasted rivalries design which the team will debut. Plus, it will be the Cardinals' first time playing on Thursday night since 2022.
It's also a division game, and one the Cardinals can't afford to lose.
"We understand the teams in our division are good teams," Gannon said. "I know we're a good team. You've got to win games, and they understand the importance of playing at home versus divisional opponents. You don't want to get knocked down too far, but there's a lot of ball to be played."
At State Farm Stadium in 2024, the Cardinals won two of their three NFC West games. The lone loss came to the Seahawks. It's a Seattle team that Gannon has yet to beat since taking over as the head coach. While it is Mike Macdonald's second season in Seattle, it's a different team at many key positions.
DK Metcalf, who had caused fits against the Cardinals, is now in Pittsburgh with Aaron Rodgers. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp departed from the Rams and joined the Seahawks. And Geno Smith, who was undefeated against Arizona, is no longer the quarterback after heading to the Raiders.
Sam Darnold is their starting quarterback. The Cardinals played against Darnold when he was with the Vikings last season. Linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. had two sacks in that game.
"You see Sam right now and he's playing really fast," defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said, adding there have been some personnel changes considering the Seahawks hired Klint Kubiak to serve as their offensive coordinator. "Same player. He had an amazing year last year and he kind of showed the league that he's a starting quarterback and he can play winning football, and I think so far this year he has proven that."
Both the Seahawks and Cardinals have a 2-1 record with the blemish coming at the hands of the 49ers. The sense of frustration and disappointment is a real feeling throughout the building. However, Gannon said when talking about the offensive struggles that "the sky is not falling. There is no panic in my game and I told the team that I haven't lost confidence."
It's a shared sentiment in the locker room.
"The team I know we are, we've just got to respond," Calais Campbell said. "Another division game, Thursday night, the next one is just as big as (Sunday)."
Wilson also tweeted out a simple message to the fan base. "Don’t panic," it said.
With it being a short week, the time for frustration is shortened and the excitement for game day looms closer.
"When they come in tomorrow, there's nothing about San Francisco," Gannon said. "We've got to be fully focused on Seattle."
