Seahawks 29, Commanders 26
PETE CARROLL: This was a really impressive finish for us in this game. The basics of what happened was we didn't turn the ball over one time. We were plus one for the day, which we didn't take advantage of, but to not turn it over, we need to go in that direction. We've been screwing it up for the last few weeks.
It was a tough game the whole time. These guys have been kind of on a roll, feeling pretty good about themselves, and for good reason, they've been putting some games back to back. They were very confident and played that way.
For us to finish like we did, I thought it was really impressive to see our offense finish scoring the last three times we had the ball. Geno did a fantastic job of leading us down the field, and the guys -- Tyler and DK made the big plays in there with a couple cool runs by the young guys.
I thought that was just a really impressive way to finish the game.
Again, we saw Kenny Walker, a big factor that he played in the game with the huge catch and run, 60-something yards, whatever, an enormous play that we needed a breakout just to kind of get going.
I thought there was a lot of things that felt normal for us. We played really hard in the fourth quarter. Even though we couldn't get that last stop on defense, we did what we needed to do on offense and got the game won.
They had two big plays in this game that are amazingly similar, almost the exact same scenario what happened, and that was the difference in the game for them.
Those are plays -- I have not seen that happen once, let alone happen a couple times in the same scenario. But something we can certainly fix that doesn't have to happen again. We can get that out of our football.
Jason Myers had a great day today, not just the five field goals, but the five field goals under pressure. He needed some pressure kicks today, and Chris Stoll and Mikey came through with him to function just perfectly to get the kicks done. It was a great day for Jason. We're going to need him. We're going to need him all the way down the stretch. This was a good game for his confidence boost, reminding us who he is.
A lot of cool things today. Leonard had his first sack today as a Seahawk. That was fun. Moffitt continues -- does he have a record going here or something like that?
Q. Seven straight.
PETE CARROLL: Seven straight? I don't know how the heck you do that, but he's doing it, and really proud of him.
As we've talked about him so much during the season about his growth and really the transition from year one to year two, it's obvious he's playing with the big boys now. He's up in there and having a chance to really put together a great season. He's already had a terrific season. Really fired up for him in that regard.
I'm sure I forgot somebody to talk about here, but this was a big deal for us. It's a big deal after last week to come back and play good football and play hard. We came right back and played the way we've been playing the last six weeks from start to finish, playing tough and hard. They haven't been all pretty wins all the way, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the way we finished today and the attitude and their resolve about getting this win done. That's going to help us right down the stretch.
So we turn the corner. Here we go.
Q. What did you think of Geno on the last two drives?
PETE CARROLL: I thought he was almost perfect, all but maybe once perfect.
The throws he had to come up with, the calls, the poise, the cadence, running the club, the whole thing. He was perfect. I thought he was just exactly what we would hope we can see in him. I'm sure he had great numbers today. Must have had terrific numbers.
But more than that, he just came through, just like we're counting on.
3rd downs weren't quite good enough, but we were close, and we've got to keep working to get those better.
Q. Third game with a game-winning drive. What about his style and personality lets him --
PETE CARROLL: You guys don't get a chance to see how poised he is, how calm he is. We talked just before the last drive to say if we've got to go to overtime, we'll go to overtime. Let's make great decisions here. He was totally in tune with what we were talking about, and he just picked away and knocked us right down the field.
But he really is poised, and he's really confident, and he's clear as a bell to talk to. There's no distraction in him at all. That's why he was available for that moment, and he came through.
Q. Sometimes one play can really change things for an offense. This has been a group that's been struggling quite a bit the last few weeks. How much do you see that touchdown catch by Ken Walker really awakening everything?
PETE CARROLL: It was Kenny doing what he does. He's awesome in the open field. Made it look easy to go 60-something yards.
But it was just a lift. It was a lift because we have been fighting every step of the way. We needed something big to happen to just -- to have some fun and feel it. He came through in a great way.
Q. (Indiscernible) both running backs, how do you like it?
PETE CARROLL: Oh, man, you've got to love Zach. He comes in there and lights us up with his downhill running, his physical nature. They're totally different styles, and I couldn't love that more. I've been saying that for a long time. I love that we have a one-two punch or a two-one punch. It doesn't matter. Those guys can really make it happen.
Q. You guys really had it in control defensively until the fourth quarter. What happened? Was it the last two drives?
PETE CARROLL: Well, it was the play. It was really one play. It was a scramble and we lost coverage on the scramble and he dumps it over the top to the back and he runs down the sidelines. Those were just two huge plays in this game that just didn't have to happen.
Give them credit; they figured out how to make some yards out of it. But the likelihood of that coming up and happening again are not very good.
Q. What happened at the end of the first half? You guys had an opportunity to get a field goal --
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, we didn't get it. I screwed up on the -- I should have got us time-out. I was fighting to reset the clock with the official and I couldn't get it done, and I should have called time-out before we had that -- we had a delay of game. That was the one I was worried about.
Q. How do you think you and the team helped Geno Smith all week and even today?
PETE CARROLL: I think it was a beautiful illustration of it. Everybody did right down the stretch. That's all we ever hope to do about finishing is just keep doing stuff that's right and outlast them and have the chance to win if it takes us until the last play of the game.
That's exactly what it felt like out there. It was really a great illustration of everybody around him because he had great play from everybody. The catches and the catch-and-runs -- DK had a marvelous day. Tyler starred on this day. And the running backs did great stuff. That's what we're talking about. He doesn't have to be the whole show. He needs to be the point guard and be in the middle of it, and he was exactly that today.
Q. (Indiscernible) pass breakups --
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, man, and a great caused fumble. It was a fantastic play. So clear the intent. He knew exactly the situation he was in. I've got the quarterback, I got him held up. I've got a chance. He just out-competed him for the football and got the ball out. It was a great play.
But the pass breakups -- I think a couple of them might have been against McLaurin, too, and challenged him right from the get-go. One of the first passes of the game, he's all over him, makes a play. He continues to show us he's a very special football player, and we're lucky to have him on our side.
Q. There were moments certainly where Geno, the whole offense, just kind of buying yards but not able to return it for touchdowns --
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, we didn't fire just right on a couple of the 3rd down opportunities. He took some tough throws, and there was a couple balls -- the fans looked like, oh, what a terrible throw, and the receiver kind of pulled out and tried to adjust to what he was seeing in coverage, so it looks like the throw is bad. We have to work together. That's what I'm talking about. Everybody has got to help. It's not just a one-man show.
Sometimes guys make some decisions that don't work and don't work for the QB. You look at him like he can't throw the ball to anybody.
So it's just a matter of just getting better and staying with it. This was really important for us. It's the turn of the half of the season, I guess. We're in the second half, right? You can't figure it out these days. But we're in the second half of the season, and to get a win here at home is just marvelous for our fans and for our players.
Q. Referring to the fan play in the right slot first half --
PETE CARROLL: Next.
Q. Tariq Woolen, you had talked this week about he needed to take that step forward. Is this the kind of game you needed to see from him?
PETE CARROLL: I've got to look at the film. I really don't have much to say about that. I don't know how he did. But those guys didn't have a big factor. Good receivers and the throwing game that they've really been having a lot of success with, I thought we held up okay out there.
Q. You get a fumble recovery --
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, but that fumble recovery is pretty -- he should make that.
Q. Jason has made like 16 out of his last 17 but had struggles early on. What made you confident early on that he was going to turn that around?
PETE CARROLL: Because we know his way, how he handles stuff, and the competitor that he is, his habits. His mentality is just unwavering. As long as he's strong, he makes me strong. I've got all the commitment in the world to back him up.
I think I said something a long time ago about that. He's the real deal, and he's a great kicker, and shoot, he showed you again today.
It doesn't mean everybody hits everything forever. They go up and down and they have a couple misses here and there and then you fight your way back to who you are, and he's a fantastic player.
Q. The second-to-last drive you went 4th and 5 and I think it was a 57-yard field goal at that point. At what point were you going to kick --
PETE CARROLL: You're going to have to find that out when it happens. There's no reason for me to tell anybody that.
Q. Tyler took that shot early. For him to play through that --
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, just the fact that he got up, it was -- the kid didn't mean to do that, but he runs into the hit like that, and it was very -- it was obviously a big hit, and I think they handled it right, I guess.
It didn't waver -- he didn't waver. He had a great game after that. He's a total pro. He's the consummate pro, and he showed it again today.
The poise that he has -- we all know him well enough to feel the poise when here comes the ball and he goes down to make the catch or he works to the sidelines or whatever he has to do, he just does it in just classic Tyler fashion. We had a great game from him today.
Q. DK got a lot of passes down the stretch, too, including that last one. What's in him --
PETE CARROLL: His focus was great today. He was just tuned in. I don't know if you noticed how much he was hustling around and all that, but his focus was excellent. There wasn't a play that seemed like he wasn't there and available for it. It was really clear to us. I thought he had a terrific game.
Q. Did it seem like he came through pretty clean injury-wise?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, the only thing we had is Dareke Young's abdomen thing. Something might have happened there. He's the only guy on the injury report.
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