Brian McDermott admits the Rhinos' pride has been dented after the Super League champions were consigned to the Qualifiers by a 23-22 defeat to Widnes.
McDermott's men had boosted their slim top-eight hopes with back-to-back victories but Joe Mellor's late drop goal left last year's treble winners facing a scrap for survival.
Leeds, who only this week moved back into their training complex which was badly damaged by the Boxing Day floods, remain rooted to the bottom of the table after suffering their 15th defeat of the season.
"It's a dent to the pride, absolutely," said McDermott.
"That's not what we're about and it's not where we want to be.
"It's where we're at because of certain things that have happened this year that have been out of our control, but at the same time there are things we need to learn. The Kirkstall issue and the injuries have had a huge part to play but we should have learned along the way."
The Rhinos had appeared on course for their third straight win after tries from Kallum Watkins, Ryan Hall, Joel Moon and Mitch Garbutt put them 22-10 in front in the early stages of the second half.
But quick-fire converted tries from Patrick Ah Van and Rhys Hanbury got Widnes on level terms before Mellor gave the Vikings their first win at Headingley since 2002 with a last-gasp one-pointer.
Leeds dominated territory in the closing stages but were unable to find a winning score, to the frustration of McDermott.
"I thought we performed well for a lot of the game but there were moments in the game when we didn't have enough composure and individual errors proved costly," he said.
"If you take the context out of the game, that was a good performance.
"But it's a big moment. The danger is the overreaction to this for everybody involved. We're going to get to a stage where we're playing in the Qualifiers and we need to be as good as we can be."
While Leeds prepare to battle for their Super League status against the likes of Leigh and London, Widnes can look forward to a tilt at the play-offs after all but securing their top-eight place.
The thrilling win at Headingley completed a rare league double over the Rhinos after the Vikings started Leeds' slump with a thumping 56-12 victory in round two.
"It's an understatement to say I'm proud of this team," said Vikings head coach Denis Betts, whose side bounced back from a narrow defeat by Warrington in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.
"There's a resilience building in this team; we could so easily have folded on the back of the massive disappointment in the Challenge Cup. We had a real big chance to push ourselves into the semi-finals.
"Moving on to this week knowing that Leeds are very desperate. They had to win every single game, are at home and have some players back. For us to win this game is very impressive.
"It's a fantastic achievement to all but secure our place in the top eight."