Carroll 'surprised' Broncos took Wilson out of game for long FG try

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll says he was "surprised" the Denver Broncos attempted a long field goal instead of leaving Russell Wilson in for the decisive fourth-down attempt, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.

The Broncos were narrowly edged by the Seahawks 17-16 on Monday Night Football after Brandon McManus missed a potential game-winning 64-yard field goal on fourth down. Following a third-down reception by Javonte Williams, Denver's offense remained on the field as time ticked away before Wilson called a timeout just before the play clock expired.

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett defended the decision postgame and expressed support for McManus despite the miss.

"I was expecting to have to go for it on that down and distance because I believe we were about third-and-14," Hackett said. "I thought Javonte made an incredible play and put us in the field-goal mark that we were looking for."

"I have confidence in (McManus)," Hackett added. "If we put him in that situation again, I think he'll be able to make it."

McManus echoed that sentiment in a postgame tweet:

Wilson also stood by his coach's call to go for the long field goal instead of leaving the ball in his hands.

"I believe in coach Hackett. I believe what we're doing," Wilson said, according to ESPN's Ed Werder. "Any time you can try to find a way to make a play on fourth-and-five, that's great too, but I also didn't think it was the wrong decision."

Wilson threw for 340 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions in his first game back in Seattle since he was traded by the club this offseason. The Broncos were plagued by red-zone issues in the contest, with the team going 0-4 in that area with two goal-line fumbles.