The 49ers gave themselves a brief time to dwell on the game as the media asked them about the disheartening defeat. By now, they are probably preparing to shift focus to their next opponent, and take any frustrations that they might have left over out on the Arizona Cardinals.
Kwon Alexander watched and cheered his teammates from the 49ers sideline. The always-positive linebacker is out for the remainder of the season with a pectoral injury. He watched as his defense gave all it could against a dangerous Russell Wilson-led Seahawks offense.
San Francisco may have lost the game 27-24, but Alexander was proud of his defense's effort and his replacement in the game, Dre Greenlaw.
"They fight to the end, man," Alexander told Matt Maiocco on NBC Sports' 49ers Insider Podcast. "Those guys, they work hard every day. They're going to keep grinding until the clock hits zero, zero, and that's what those guys did.
"Obviously, we didn't win but we played hard, and we got things to build off of, and mistakes to fix, and we can fix those."
Maiocco asked Alexander about Greenlaw's impressive performance during the loss. The rookie linebacker finished the game with eight tackles, a pass defensed, and what could have potentially been a game-changing 47-yard interception return off a Wilson pass in overtime.
"I knew Greenlaw was going to step in; I didn't have no doubt about him," Alexander said. "I seen it in his face when we first walked in the door. He's been a tremendous rookie, doing everything right, working hard. We put a lot of extra film in this week, and it all payed off. He got an interception.
"I'm proud of him. I'm happy for him. He's just a great young man."
Maiocco also asked Alexander when he expects to be back from his torn pectoral. Could the veteran linebacker return in time for the 49ers' offseason program next year?
"I wish I could come back sooner," Alexander responded. "I'm going to try. I'm just working hard every day, and I'm getting better every day, getting strength, so we're going to see. We're going to see what God's plan is."
You can listen to the entire interview with Alexander, as well as interviews with Dre Greenlaw himself, Fred Warner, Garrett Celek, and Kendrick Bourne, below.
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