Seahawks 20, Eagles 17
PETE CARROLL: Wow, what an event for our crowd and our fans and the following and all that. What a beautiful night for a Monday Night Football game. To make it that dramatic, incredible football game. One nobody will forget that game.
It was an interesting game in that early on we didn't get going well. We stumbled on a couple of penalties and things like that. Just lost our drives. Defense gave up an easy drive kind of in the first one, but then we just hung in there, kept hanging and hanging.
That really was the theme of the night, that we just kept playing, knowing if we kept hanging in there, something could happen. We stuck with it. Sure enough the plays just started happening. Some beautiful football by a bunch of guys.
I loved the way we ran the ball in the third quarter. It changed the game. That drive and then the drive after that we ran the ball well again. Kind of took the game in our control for us, so it was the game we wanted to play against these guys. So it worked out beautifully.
So many guys made things happen in a special way. Kenny played a great football game for us tonight. He was all over the place. Just a fantastic game running and catching. By the time the game was over, it took all night to get it done. Drew played a fantastic football game for us and did a beautiful job. DK came through in the last drive and other times in the game. Tough plays, really difficult plays. He made 'em, other guys might not make.
Then the throw and catch to Jaxon, I haven't seen the good looks of it yet. I know from what everybody's comments were, that's the guy that's going to make that play, make that catch, he's just that good. For him to have that opportunity, for Drew to put the ball on him, Shane to call it, guys to protect. So many gorgeous things that happened there football-wise that gave us a chance to get ahead there at the end.
Then the defense finished the game and came through. Julian Love's game, tagging onto what he did last week, this week incredible game, incredible plays. The last catch is exquisite on the sidelines. Toes tapping, hanging onto the football, winning the game. Just fantastic stuff.
I'm sure there's a lot of stuff you want to ask questions about, but we're thrilled to get that game. It's been a really difficult stretch. We played great football. Team's on a high.
Every game, we've been in it. Every game we've had a chance. We just weren't able to get over the hump. This was a huge ballgame for us, of course going into the final stretch here.
Our guys kept hanging. It's so obvious. We kept practicing really hard and working really hard and everybody kept believing we could do something, so tonight is that night. Now we'll get cracking for the next game. Got a short week. Just have to come back together and get working.
Q. 91 yards in less than two minutes. What does that tell you about Drew Lock?
PETE CARROLL: Beautiful football. Just beautiful football. The poise we talked to you about last week. That's where he's been. He's been on it. He's been in command. There's a couple incompletes in that drive, came right back and hit it, converted and made the first downs and all to throw the football to win the game. Amazing stuff.
He would be the first to tell you about the guys around him. The offensive line did a great job tonight running the football, pass pro, did a great job against these guys, gave us a chance. I mean, we couldn't ask more from him in that game tonight.
Q. What was the process deciding on Drew as the starter?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, Drew took most of the plays during the week. We really tried to save Geno as much as we could, not overexpose him because it's been such a short span of time since the strain.
We went out tonight to see could he play if we needed him to play in the workout. He looked really good in the workout. That was the one taxing workout that we put him through. We knew we could dress him. If we needed him, we could go to him, in hopes we wouldn't have to, so we could buy him another week of healing. It was really too soon.
It was a tough decision. It was as hard as can be on Geno. We got him all the way to the point, then say no. Dress, be there if we need you, we will go with the other player, see if we can make it to the next week.
We'd be very hopefully that would happen, Drew would be able to practice next week, prove it, really secure his opportunity to play. He's going to do it in his brain. He's a frickin' warrior. We just got to make sure he gets the reps.
Q. Did he fight you on that decision?
PETE CARROLL: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. We were battling. We were battling. But he understood.
Q. How did you feel about the progress Drew made this week compared to last week?
PETE CARROLL: Honestly, I can't tell you it's that different. I can't tell you that. We did throw a couple picks. I don't have that perspective right now to compare it.
I thought his night tonight was a great night against a bunch of guys, a championship club. He came through.
Q. At what point before kickoff did you decide on Lock?
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, we went up to the window. We had to figure out who could dress, all that kind of stuff. We didn't know if Geno would be able to dress in the game. He did a beautiful job in the workout, showed us that. Whatever that time frame is, that's when we got serious about it, all that.
Q. When you decided Lock would start?
PETE CARROLL: Yes.
Q. Or did you decide later on?
PETE CARROLL: We took a little bit of time. The first thing was just okay, he could dress. He could play if we needed him. We'd have to figure out how to get him through the game. He would have done everything in his power to do that.
I thought we made a hard decision, but a good decision. He'll have a chance to really come back guaranteed this week, this next week. This game, three hours of playing football, the experts said it was too much to ask from him.
Q. If Geno is healthy, he'll starting?
PETE CARROLL: Yes, Geno is our starter.
Q. How happy are you for Drew?
PETE CARROLL: Man, I'm so thrilled for the kid. First off, it's a memory you're never going to lose. He's going to hold onto this Monday night forever. He earned it. He deserved it. He played up to the great moments in the game and came through.
It's been hard. It's been hard for him. Anybody that has the brain of a starter, brain of a championship kid, it's difficult as heck to have to wait. So he's had to do it. But he had his chances. Almost put together a game good enough last week. Then this week he did the whole thing. It was amazing.
Q. Drew had about 116 yards passing before the final drive, missed Tyler...
PETE CARROLL: Had a shot.
Q. To hit the one to DK and Jaxon...
PETE CARROLL: I thought the completions to DK were amazing. One up the middle he ripped. When he was tightly covered, for DK to make that catch in such a crucial situation. The throw was low, contested, all of that. Fantastic play. Yeah, he made the plays he needed to make to win the game.
Q. Only two sacks. I don't think Drew got hit in the first half.
PETE CARROLL: He didn't, I don't believe. The guys up front did a fantastic job.
The first quarter rhythm was screwed up because we had a penalty, then we had a second-and-16 situation. I think there was something else that happened. We couldn't get our first down to get moving. Meanwhile they possessed the ball quite a bit.
The first half, you can't get much out of it. But we finished it doing some stuff. We moved the ball, had a sense we could go, had the ball coming out. We had high hopes we could get something going.
Q. (No microphone.)
PETE CARROLL: Yeah, that's how we intended to play the game. We didn't have a chance to do it.
Q. What happened on the situation with the fourth down...
PETE CARROLL: Time running down, I called timeout with one second left. After I called the timeout, they challenged the play. I was a little screwed up on the rules on that one. I was trying to get the timeout back.
In essence, because we called timeout, they had extra time to look at it. That's what he was hammering me about 'cause they always get hammered, so when they get a chance, they get after you when you're not right (smiling). That's what occurred there.
That was I'm sure the right thing. I was fighting it anyway.
Q. Jaxon has two game-winning touchdowns. For a rookie to be that trusted by his quarterback, coordinators, what does that say about him?
PETE CARROLL: I'm telling you, he was so chilled. He just made the catch of his NFL career. He was just as calm and poised. He's a great competitor. I'm serious about when what I'm saying here. This guy, it was not too big a deal. It was like no big deal. Of course, I made that catch. He's been doing that his whole life.
It's that kind of confidence and savvy that allows a guy to separate from other players. He's got that stuff in him. I was incredibly impressed with that. I caught a couple glimpses of him in between all the craziness and all that stuff. He was just on top of it, man. Really impressive.
Q. Someone mentioned that Geno maybe reaggravated his groin in practice?
PETE CARROLL: The week before in a play he just felt it. He didn't reinjure it so much as he just felt it. We tried to do stuff this past week that didn't... We didn't want that to happen, that's the setback we were trying to avoid.
He was willing to do whatever, but he did not get a ton of work with any tempo at all. We took it all the way. We were saving him to check him out tonight to see did that break give him enough he could play. He convinced us he could do that, but yet it was still going to be very risky. Everyone was involved, I had to call it, that's what we did.
Q. What was your impression of Leonard tonight?
PETE CARROLL: I'm sorry, but I didn't catch all the stuff. The guys in the locker room were raving about it. I didn't see what happened from him. I thought they ran the ball pretty well against us. We didn't want that to happen. Leonard had to be doing a nice job. Halftime I think they were averaging 3.8 a carry. Felt like they ran for 150 yards, but they hadn't. I don't have a good perspective.
Q. Two picks from Julian.
PETE CARROLL: That's four turnovers he's been involved in in the last two weeks. Holy cow. Holy cow.
Q. How big was he for you in the fourth quarter?
PETE CARROLL: He did an incredible job of playing. He had some other tackles up by the line of scrimmage. Both those catches were challenging, difficult plays. He made 'em look easy.
Again, here is another kid that was so comfortable with that moment. He would go out and make another one if you gave him a chance. He just was not moved by it, beyond total poise and composure and all. Really impressive.
He's going to have a baby this week, too. Really excited about that. He finally figured that out. Happening Wednesday. He's got a big week coming here. Baby has been a little reluctant on us here.
Q. Great Monday night games come down to the wire like this, what is it about Monday night?
PETE CARROLL: I'll go to my dying days not really knowing, to tell you the truth. I can't figure it out why other than the way we do it, the way we talk about it. We don't make this into something that it isn't.
Our guys... I mean, I gave you so many examples of composure and poise, hanging in there and all that stuff. Drew did a fantastic job. It's what he said to the team afterwards, how well we did that.
That's being comfortable with the moment, not letting it get you. Came through in great fashion.
Q. Starting Jackson instead...
PETE CARROLL: Guys had a competition this week. That's how it came out. They're all playing good football. So we just thought it was worthy of those guys having a chance to battle for it. That's just the way it came out for the week.
Q. 8-0 against the Eagles. What does that mean to you personally, to this program?
PETE CARROLL: I like stuff like that, but it's no big deal. Don't mean nothing. I like numbers like that.
Q. What was your message to the team in there?
PETE CARROLL: I don't know. I was kind of out of my mind in there. I really can't recall. The big thing is to make sure that we realize if you keep hanging, you can win. That's why we always talk about the fourth quarter. This is fourth quarter time right now, this is. What have we got, three games left? This is the fourth quarter starting tonight. It kind of was, but the funky 17-game schedule you can't quite get it right.
It's not just words. There's a mentality about finishing. We kicked this thing off exactly right tonight. I'm excited about our chances. These guys are, too. They know. This is what we talk about: finish. All year long, off-season, all that. This was the first real moment and we captured a heck of a night.
Q. Why were you out of your mind?
PETE CARROLL: Why was it out of my mind? I had so much fun tonight. C'mon.
Q. How close was Kevin to playing?
PETE CARROLL: He's got a legit issue with his hip. It's not a damaged hip. It's just a hip pointer. But it's really deep and really painful. He's been really uncomfortable with it. I can't imagine that he won't be able to make it back. That's me wishful thinking. We need him back out there.
By the way, I thought Arty did a great job playing that spot tonight. He was all over it. He did a bunch of stuff disguising, rushing, blitzed. I was really fired up with the game he played.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports