Carroll: Seahawks thought they'd win despite 31-point deficit

The Seattle Seahawks won't make a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance, but the team still appears to be brimming with confidence.

The Seahawks trailed the Carolina Panthers 31-0 after a complete capitulation in the first half. They rattled off 24 consecutive points after halftime, but it wasn't enough to overcome their abysmal start.

Afterwards, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reflected proudly on his team's valiant second-half effort.

"There wasn't a guy in the locker room who didn't think we were going to win the football game," he said. "There wasn't a word in that direction for a moment. The demonstration of what happened in the second half proved it. These guys totally believe that they can do whatever they've got to do, they believe in each other."

Russell Wilson threw three touchdowns in the second half, after beginning the game with arguably the worst performance of his career.

"We just ran out of time. There wasn't quite enough time," Carroll said. "Unfortunately it was a terrible start and we just didn't have enough time to overcome it."

To be as successful as the Seahawks have been the past four years required an unusual amount of confidence, even in the face of long odds.

Although the Seahawks can reflect on their strong second half, it will certainly sting to watch the Panthers take on the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game.