Seahawks 30, 49ers 23
COACH CARROLL: Going to take 33 seconds of quiet in here to celebrate the fact that we finally got a possession game that we had the ball more than they did. We could just pause.
Kidding.
Crazy game. There is a lot of stuff that happened, and marvelous job of just hang and staying together and keeping it going when we had a chance to win.
I mean, it was just one end to the other as far as extremes of play. Really happy that our guys got a chance to get in the locker room and have fun and get a great win? No matter when you get one it's great, and this one was much needed.
There was a lot to celebrate in the game, a lot of huge plays. The big special teams play to start the game off was great design by Izzo, Larry Izzo and Tracy Smith to take advantage of something they saw, and then perfect execution by the guys.
Then of course Homer does the score, Bellore, everybody did great on that one. That was just an amazing play. But the rest of game, to come back in the two-minute situation at the end of the half was really a big deal, and to make a drive and get a touchdown and put us within a couple points was huge.
And then we go right back into the sequence, take the ball off them the next time on the kickoff team, and we wind up getting the safety and all that to tie it up. It was just a lot of crazy stuff that happened in this game that made it the way it was.
Unfortunately we turned the ball over three times today. We haven't turned the ball over seven times all year or something, and the ball just got away from us today. We needed every one of them. Diggs interception, Bobby's interception, fumble recovery on the kicking team, all those were just so necessary, and need every one to them to get it done.
It was exciting for our guys to get AD a touchdown today so he could tie the great Jim Brown. It was just for fun. Thrilled that he got a chance to do that and have him with us on this game.
Thought Rashaad Penny looked really good today. Got some good carries out of him, really good screen play. We need him so badly to start lighting it up, and we think he has a chance to do that. Fortunately he made it back this week. He had a hamstring just two weeks ago and usually guys don't make it, but he toughed it out and got through it.
That was a really big deal for him to overcome that and play this game and help us.
Go ahead. I'm just yapping here.
Q. How is Jamal?
COACH CARROLL: He sprained his shoulder today, the one that was operated on, so I don't know any updates other than that.
Q. Bryan Mone, Shell?
COACH CARROLL: Mone had a knee that he put a brace on and was okay to go back. Toughed that out for sure. Brandon Shell, same shoulder that has been bothering him. Just aggravated it again. Not a whole lot worse than it was last week, but he didn't finish last week either.
We should note Jake Curhan and Forsythe got a chance to play in this game and Stone and those guys did a nice to help us finish the game, so that was pretty special.
Q. Carlos Dunlap rising up. What's his professionalism been through this whole process?
COACH CARROLL: I think it was a great illustration of a guy just hanging tough and believing in this himself, and we believed in him also. Gave him a chance with his matchup today and totally came through and had a big day. The sack for the safety was gorgeous, and then of course the big play at the end knocking the ball up in the air. Huge plays.
He was bringing the heat all day long as well.
Q. You had some memorable goal line stands here. What was that moment like?
COACH CARROLL: It was great, man. Really when you play this game there is nothing more thrilling than those opportunities to end the game. We've had a couple -- I remember New England or whatever it was a couple years ago, we've had a bunch over the years, but there is nothing more thrilling than that because everything, every fiber of your body is cranking those guys out.
We'll never forget those four plays, and to come through in that way, couple runs and that incomplete And the ball gets knocked down on fourth down, yeah, it was a sensational moment.
For our fans, to. They deserve it so much. I'm so glad they got to have the fun of seeing that happen?
Q. Were you second guessing at all not having kicked the field goal before that?
COACH CARROLL: No, never thought twice about it.
Q. What did you think of Russ' game?
COACH CARROLL: Russ was strong. Good, solid football game. Made some great throws in the game. Took a couple sacks. We need to talk about that. Thought maybe we could get rid of the football. But I thought he played a really good football game. Two minute drill was exquisite. Again, the play to Tyler for the touchdown, that orchestration of that route and the concept and the call, was a great call, y Shane and great execution by the guys, and great toss.
You know, really we should have scored the other time down there. Gerald had a chance. He's in the end zone, that's a touchdown. We had the other one, too.
Russ had a couple more touchdowns in him today that didn't show up. I thought he played a really good game.
Q. Speaking of Gerald, he played so hard this year to have those three plays go against him.
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, heartbreaking day. He is a tough competitive, come-through guy, and those plays just went the other way.
Q. When you signed Adrian Peterson on Wednesday, practices twice at 36 years old, did you think when you signed him that this would be realistic to play and contribute this much?
COACH CARROLL: You hoped. Really I just wanted to bring him in and give a chance to see our guys and be with our team. I thought it was just such a rare opportunity and he totally exceeded my expectations of his influence of just being in the locker room and on the practice field.
He was so much the consummate pro about taking this opportunity to hart and going for it. He's played a lot of football and he was so serious about it and so strict about the way he did everything. He executed beautifully. He had a great week of practice. He needed to play, and we knew he had that touchdown thing that we were trying to get.
The celebration was for the big guys that knocked it in so he got a chance to score there.
Q. What went into the decision on the fourth down run for punt formation?
COACH CARROLL: Really that's the guys that picked up on opportunity for us in the study during the week, so we had to -- you know, pretty cool call to go for that. You have to figure out how far back in the situation and all, and so I said go for it. Going into the weekend, if we got the chance, kind of wherever it was, if it was legit and we really saw it clean, then let's go for it, which we did, and happened to be the first drive and we're backed up and it was perfectly executed by the guys.
Q. Kyle fuller?
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, sprained his ankle. I don't know any update on that either.
Q. So nothing to suggest that any of the guys that didn't finish will be long-term things?
COACH CARROLL: No, no, I don't know anything about any of that right now. Sorry.
Q. Adrian Peterson plans for the coming week?
COACH CARROLL: Coming to meetings on Monday. Let's go.
Q. Holding that rushing attack to only 71 yards after what they've done lately, what was that tell you about your defense?
COACH CARROLL: I'll tell you, that's a really, really -- I'm glad you brought it up, John. I didn't mention it. That's a real accomplishment. That's guys have rushed for almost 700 yards in the last three weeks and turned their season around doing that.
I saw up there on the board one time it was 61 yards in the fourth quarter. Holy cow. That happened to them one other time. Might have been the start of the season, the Cardinals might have done that to them.
This is a team that is fully committed to running the football. They've run it average of 40 times a game for the last three weeks.
Our guys took the challenge. Kenny and Clint and Johnny, they all get their guys ready to go and the guys went out there and played their tails off to get that done. That's a big deal. That's a big deal. We been holding points down pretty good.
Just so disappointed we were 23 early and then they shut them out in the second half. What a great effort by the guys in the second half. Third and fourth quarter, nothing.
Q. (Regarding Chris and his first touchdown.)
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, that was great. He looked good. Had a couple plays. Made a first down and did a couple things we're not surprised by. He's really got some strength to him and some explosiveness that will continue to allow him to make plays. We just got to get him going more. But he did a really nice job for us today.
Q. How exciting is it to have him and the two offensive linemen, Forsythe and Curhan, both guys stepping up like that when you guys were losing to be able to come back and them play such a big role?
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, I know. No, it was -- this is the time of year that these guys should be able to help us. They been getting the reps, they've been involved enough in the preparation that they should -- we expect it there, that this would happen, and fortunately they really came through.
I don't know how they did. I can't tell you that, but I know we made it through it. D'Wayne made a couple big plays as well.
Just those guys coming off the bench and to come throughout is really big for the big fellows.
Q. Just to clarify, why did you go for it on fourth and one there?
COACH CARROLL: We were going to make a first down there, and we made a first down. I didn't foresee the next thing happening. I liked having the football and I wanted my guys to know we're going for it. Really going for it. Should have got a touchdown there.
Q. In terms of competing and the messaging you have, what does a win do for guys to buy-in?
COACH CARROLL: These guys are bought in. They have to be to at this point to be hanging like this throughout even -- they are, and I trust in the leadership. Bobby and Russ and all the guys, D'Wayne, I always tell you about that continue to send the message. They keep us together.
Last night, you guys will have fun with this. Tyler did a really nice job in the meeting. He had a chance to bring up something that he wanted to talk about and gave them the opportunity, and he did a great job with our guys about hanging together and about why we are connected in the way we are.
Really cool. I think it had something to do with today.
Q. You talked about the fake punt, but special teams as a whole...
COACH CARROLL: They're on fire. Mikey kicked the ball. I mean, he did it again. I saw it on the board. Didn't realize he had the most balls inside 20 in the league. That makes sense because he's fricking great at what he does.
Did you see the way when he spun that bounced and went about 70 or whatever that was? It was exactly the way he planned it. He told me when he came off. That's what he said. Just telling you what he said.
Q. Tyler Lockett last night spoke to the team?
COACH CARROLL: Yeah.
Q. Along the same lines, Travis Homer, obviously the touchdown run jumps out, but he was just all over the place.
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, having him back, we really missed him the week before. He's just so tough and takes such pride in being a leader on special teams. It's so classy that he gets a chance to do -- I remember he had a chance couple years ago as well. You got to look out for him. He's dangerous.
We'll get everybody to be afraid of us from now on. They'll help us.
Q. How close was Alex Collins?
COACH CARROLL: He was close. This week with three guys that were in question, just went with the guys that practiced the best this week, most healthy during practice.
Alex will be ready to go next week. He needed a week off for some time now and this may help him down the stretch.
Q. The third and 14 pass to DK was a pretty big play.
COACH CARROLL: Yeah, great conversion for us there. Beautiful thrown catch.
Q. In general what role do you think third down on both sides of the ball contributed to the win today?
COACH CARROLL: Well, you know, I think we're three for ten on defense and that held up pretty nice. It felt like -- maybe because we're not accustomed -- we converted five third downs today on offense. That's more than we been doing. Still didn't come out percentage-wise.
But we had some big third down ones and you can see how it just factors into the drives. So we'll continue to be at it. It'll really tell the story for the rest of the season, how we convert there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports