Pete Carroll shares his reaction to Broncos’ surprising decision

Dec 21, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reacts against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at SoFi Stadium. The Rams defeated the Seahawks 20-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pete Carroll was just as surprised as everyone else at the Denver Broncos’ decision at the end of “Monday Night Football.”

Carroll’s Seattle Seahawks beat the Broncos 17-16 on Monday after Denver missed a 64-yard field goal with just under 20 seconds left. The Broncos had a 4th-and-5 with around a minute left and let the clock go down to 20 seconds before taking a timeout.

Seattle was fully expecting Denver to go for it, which is why they too had to take a timeout.

“I was surprised they took Russ out at the end,” Carroll said of the Broncos’ decision to kick rather than let quarterback Russell Wilson try to convert. “We weren’t thinking field goal there. We were thinking they were going. It gave us a chance to win the game on that play. Very fortunate there.”

The decision didn’t pay off for Denver.

Kicker Brandon McManus missed the 64-yard kick, allowing Seattle to win the game 17-16. Carroll thought Denver was going for it, and he was concerned about stopping the Broncos in that situation. Had Denver converted, they would have had two timeouts remaining and a shorter, more reasonable kick for McManus.

Nathaniel Hackett botched the ending so badly that even Carroll couldn’t believe it.