Seahawks’ Pete Carroll Talks Two ‘Extremes’ of Lions & Panthers

The Seattle Seahawks are coming off a great win after an underwhelming performance in Week 1, with Pete Carroll stating that getting the focus right is crucial ahead of the Carolina Panthers' visit on Sunday.

The Seattle Seahawks have done their best Jekyll and Hyde impression over the first two weeks of the season. After the second-half shutout against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, which resulted in a 30-13 loss, Seattle bounced back with a 37-31 overtime win over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field in Week 2.

Going from such a low to then such a high, naturally, controlling the emotions ahead of the Carolina Panthers' visit to Lumen Field on Sunday is crucial.

For head coach Pete Carroll, moving on from the high of the overtime win while remaining grounded has been a big part of the team's meetings and practices this week.

“This is really what this day is about for us, is to deal with what happened properly after Monday and get back in here and put our focus back in order so that we can get ready for the next challenge," Carroll said.

“This is a classic one extreme, other extreme. We had a terrific game on the road under all of those circumstances coming off the mess we threw here. In both directions, the previous game can cause distractions, and keep you hung on whatever just happened. We try to have a tremendous discipline about learning how to do that so we can always come back and get back on track."

Seattle welcomes a Panthers team searching for its first win in the Bryce Young era and will be hellbent on a home Seahawks game being spoiled. However, Young, the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft, is unlikely to play due to an ankle injury.

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Moving on from such a high against a good Lions team and then weathering expectations against a struggling Panthers squad isn't something that is easily done, according to Carroll. The team needs the experiences to lean on.

"I think it’s been something that we’ve been doing for a long time," Carroll said. "It’s a skill that guys acquire, but we need the experiences to do it. There’s so many things that came out of this game this past week that are measurably important to us for learning and getting better and growing and the lessons. The most important thing is being disciplined about coming right back to work."

While naturally, many think that the Seahawks are "back" after defeating the Lions, a team that might win the NFC North, it's important not to get caught up in the emotion of the win and realize that last week has no bearing on this week.

And Carroll echoes this.

"What we did last week has nothing important to do with what’s going on now," he said.

Reset and refocus. That's the mindset of this Seattle team. They got punched in the mouth against the Rams before exacting their vengeance on the Lions. 

Against a Panthers team that many have them beating rather comfortably, the Seahawks need to take care of business, while keeping their fluctuating emotions in check.