'Who Would Have Thunk It?': Pete Carroll on Seahawks Taking Over First Place in NFC West

Pete Carroll was surprised to learn the Seahawks were first in the NFC West after beating the Chargers.

When the Seattle Seahawks traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos over the offseason, expectations for the seasons were lowered from playoff contender to rebuilding team. 

Despite that though, Pete Carroll held steady in his belief that this Seahawks team would take people by surprise and compete. Through seven games, Carroll was spot on. 

Following their 37-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday the Seahawks vaulted into first place in the NFC West, which surprised even Carroll himself who was unaware that they had taken first in the division after the game. 

"Nobody told me that before we started the meetings in there (the locker room)," Carroll said. "I would have been going nuts about that. That's fun, too. That's good. Seven weeks in, and look where we are. Who would have thunk it?"

Not many people would have "thunk" it but the Seahawks are genuine playoff contenders, at least they are so far. Of course, there's no telling where they'll stand once the season ends but for now, they're contenders and well ahead of schedule. 

While things could take a turn for the worse for Seahawks, following their win over the Chargers it is hard to think they will, especially with how dominant of a win it was for Seattle.

"I really liked us today, You could feel us in all three phases. We were humming," Carroll said. "It was good to see the offense be able to go down the field and put points on the board and the defense slowing them down."

What happens over the next 10 games is yet to be seen, of course, as anything can happen in the NFL. However, for now, the Seahawks lay claim to first place in the NFC West, which is more than most anticipated just two months ago. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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