The Seahawks kicked off on Monday what head coach Pete Carroll called a "very busy week" with a Thursday night showdown with the Green Bay Packers coming up. During his press conference, Carroll both reflected on Sunday's 36-31 loss to the Rams, and also looked ahead to a big NFC showdown with the Packers. If you're looking for the latest on Seattle's injury situation, you can find that here.

Here are five things we learned from Carroll's session with the media.

1. The Seahawks will stick with the Thursday schedule that has worked well for them.

The Seahawks feel good about the way they handle a short week, and the results back that up, with Seattle going 7-1 on Thursday Night Football under Carroll, so they'll stick with pretty much the same formula they've used for past Thursday games.

"We're going to pretty much stick with the way we've done it and we have our way," Carroll said. "Today is a really big day for us because we have to put this game to rest and then get on to the next one. We'll be in walk-through mode today to try to get started and the introduction of the opponent and all. We've had a good way of going about it and we're going to stick with the way we've done that. You're working on a big recovery mode while you're trying to get ready for the game so that's really the tip of our concerns right now, is get the guys back so that they're ready to go. We'll work that out."

The Seahawks also like that they get this game at home, something that hasn't often been the case in recent years, with three of their last four Thursday night games coming on the road.

"There is an advantage," Carroll said of playing at home. "The short week is hard enough as it is, but (the Packers) are going to probably travel on Tuesday night. I think they're on the road so soon. That's their day off, generally. It's a big challenge. The good side of it is that you get the bigger break on the weekend and we all benefit from that, but it does help us to be at home and we're ready to get in there and get mixing up with the 12s, and it'll be fun Thursday night."

2. Rashaad Penny "was explosive" and the Seahawks will have tough decisions to make when it comes to running back playing time.

When mentioning bright spots from his team's loss in L.A., Carroll pointed to rookie running back Rashaad Penny, who had a career-high 108 rushing yards on 12 carries, a performance that included runs of 38, 24 and 18 yards, the last of which was a first-quarter touchdown that saw him go into the end zone untouched.

"He was explosive, read the line of scrimmage really well on four or five different runs, saw things really clearly, showed good speed on the edge, a good burst, scored easily, and we haven't seen many of those," Carroll said. "That was really nice. It was just great to see him play football and contribute. This is the guy we've been watching and we saw in camp and all of that, and just haven't had enough good looks up to this point but he was ready for it. He's been working hard and we've been pushing him and it was great to see him come through."

Of course Penny's big performance brings up the questions of what happens going forward. Carroll said Chris Carson, who didn't play Sunday due to a hip injury, should be back this week, and the Seahawks have also gotten really good play out of Mike Davis this year.

"When everybody's healthy, not everybody's going to get the ball a lot," Carroll said. "That's just the way it goes, so we'll figure that out. You'll see how it comes together. Chris is going to be healthy this week and he'll be excited to get back out there too. It's a good group, it's a good problem. Not a great problem for the running backs, but it's good for us and we'll try to make the most of it."

3. Seattle's defense is facing another tough quarterback.

The Seahawks are in the midst of a very challenging run of opposing quarterbacks and offenses, having faced Philip Rivers and Jared Goff in the last two games, and with Aaron Rodgers coming up this week. After that, Seattle will face Cam Newton and the Panthers. It's a tough test, but one that the Seahawks and their young secondary will be better for having faced in the long run.

"It just keeps coming," Carroll said. "Next week is another one and it's just the way it goes. This is the real gauntlet of the NFL quarterbacks and it's great for these guys. A lot of our guys have watched Aaron since they were in grade school and high school and stuff like that, so to have a chance to play against him. It's important to them and to see that they can survive it and play well, that's a tremendous accomplishment that adds to the confidence particularly of the young guys. Tedric (Thompson) and Tre (Flowers), those guys and if Delano (Hill) gets out there too, it's a big deal to those guys and they're going to go out there and play like they're the other guys they've played against, but they'll also recognize who they've been up against when the game's over and it will be valuable to them."

4. The Seahawks know they need to finish better.

On one hand, it's a positive that the Seahawks have found a way to be in every game this season, a trait that Carroll's teams have always had over the years. But on the other hand, the Seahawks know they need to start turning some of those close losses into wins, having come up short in comeback attempts on multiple occasions this year.

"I don't feel anything but the positive part of where we can go and what we can do," Carroll said. "It's just unfortunate that we haven't triggered the right play at the right time at the end and they've been one or two plays to finish the game off where we can come back and put the points up or stop them one more time. It is frustrating, but it is also very encouraging that we're so clearly on track with the style that we're trying to play with so we just have to turn those into wins."

"It's finishing at the right time, making the right play. We've been so good at those games for such a long time that the fact that it's not happening is a little bit unusual. I'm disappointed because we've been able to always feel like we're going to win those games and do it. We still have the same mentality about it and attitude about it, but we've got to show it. We've got to get those finishes done."

5. Dion Jordan stood out on Sunday.

Carroll noted a few weeks ago that defensive end Jordan, who missed training camp and the preseason with a knee injury, was getting healthier, and it has shown in his play of late. Jordan had what was arguably his best game of the season in L.A., recording a season-high five tackles, as well as a sack he split with Frank Clark, Jordan's first of the season.

"He played really tough," Carroll said. "I don't know if you caught the pursuit plays that he had. He had a couple of plays (where) he was flying across the field and giving great effort to just chase the ball. He's played really solid. He always plays tough. I think this game showed him a couple times when he got to run across the field and chase, you could see the athleticism and his mentality. He has been a really good contributor."