Seattle Seahawks Still Eyeing 'Terrific Season' Despite Loss to Cincinnati Bengals

The Seattle Seahawks sit at 3-2 after their 17-13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, but coach Pete Carroll says the team is confident in its ability to win games going forward.

Despite losing a game they had arguably no business dropping to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Seattle Seahawks should still feel confident in their ability to be a serious challenger in the NFC this season.

With Seattle having the better of most of the key stats against the Bengals, except the scoreboard, there could be a cause for a letdown after doing so much right in the game and failing to win.

But the first five weeks of the season have been relatively positive for head coach Pete Carroll, Week 1 aside.

“The opener was pretty shocking," Carroll said. "We played so poorly in the second half. Everyone was disappointed and surprised and couldn’t make sense of it. But now, when you stack some weeks together with real consistency and our effort and involvement and everyone’s commitment to it, even when you get disappointed with a loss like this that happened, they’re still seeing the future and where we’re going, and where we can go."

Where exactly can Seattle go?

The biggest offseason thought was that the Seahawks could usurp the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, and they sit just a couple of games behind Kyle Shanahan's team headed into Week 7.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll is still confident in his team's ability to have a good season despite the loss to Cincinnati / Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

After the loss to the Bengals, there could have been an emotional letdown after doing so much right throughout the game. But Carroll says that the loss to the Bengals could have been avoided if a couple of small things went their way.

"The hope is still there to put together a terrific season one week at a time," Carroll said. "You can feel that. There’s a confidence that comes from that. The uncertainty from the first was left behind in Week 2. Week 3 and Week 4, we just built on it, so here we are again. Tough situation, good team, respected squad, and the game was so obvious. We just needed to catch one more ball, run one more ball in and we win the football game. Everybody is pretty clear about that.”

The Seahawks get a chance to bounce back from their loss when they face the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field on Sunday.

It's a division game, and the Cardinals have shown throughout the first five weeks that they aren't pushovers despite what their 1-5 record shows.

While Seattle would have gained some confidence from the loss to Cincinnati, getting back on track with a win at home against the Cardinals and moving closer to San Francisco in the division could boost that confidence even further.