So after having a few minutes to step away from the heartbreaking loss today, I have come to the realization that we should be nothing but encouraged about the future of this franchise. We tend to lose sight of what we thought this team was going to be before the season started because of how winnable the division looked with all of the injuries. The only thing that we could have reasonably hoped for was a team that got better each week and had a chance at the end. That is exactly what we have.

You also have to be pumped to look at the rookies that are contributing. There are three rookies, Colin McCarthy, Akeem Ayers, and Jurrell Casey, that are starting and playing well on defense. Those guys are going to be the building blocks of getting the defense back to one of the best in the league.

All of that doesn't even take into account the progress of Jake Locker. He looks to have come a long way in his time with the team, and we might get to see him be the starter with the injury to Matt Hasselbeck.

This loss hurts, but the future of the franchise looks bright.