After the Seahawks capped off an improbable comeback win with a 92-yard touchdown drive led by their backup quarterback, followed by a game-clinching interception, and after the team enjoyed a raucous celebration in the locker room, Pete Carroll stood at a podium, grinning in a backwards hat like the world's youngest 72-year-old that he is, and was asked by a reporter what kind of message he shared with his team that had just ended a four-game losing streak to keep its playoff hopes alive.

"I don't know," Carroll deadpanned. "I was kind of out of my mind in there."

Maybe Carroll's message was about the resilience his team showed, bouncing back from four straight losses to playoff-contending teams to knock off the 10-win Eagles in about as dramatic of fashion as possible on Monday night football. Or perhaps he hyped up the play of quarterback Drew Lock, who wasn't even sure if he was starting heading into the day, and who finished the game with a 92-yard touchdown drive that was capped by a 29-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Or maybe Carroll praised a defense that ended the game with four straight stops, including two Julian Love interceptions, to keep the game close to set up the dramatic comeback, then to preserve the lead in the game's final seconds.

Whatever message an "out of my mind" Carroll shared in that jubilant locker room, it was no doubt one full of pride in a team that, on a night the Seahawks desperately needed a win to snap a losing streak and stay in the playoff race, they were able to come through and launch what they hope will be a strong finish to the season.

"What an event for our crowd and our fans and the following and all that," Carroll said. "What a beautiful night for a Monday Night Football game. To make it that dramatic, incredible football game. Nobody will forget that game.

"We're thrilled to get that game. It's been a really difficult stretch. We played great football. The team is on a high. Every game, we've been in it. Every game we've had a chance. We just weren't able to get over the hump. This was a huge ballgame for us, of course going into the final stretch here. Our guys kept hanging. It's so obvious. We kept practicing really hard and working really hard and everybody kept believing we could do something, so tonight is that night."

As Carroll mentioned, it had been a tough stretch for the Seahawks heading into Monday's game. A month ago, the Seahawks were 6-3 and right in the midst of the NFC West race, but beginning with a loss in L.A. to the Rams, the Seahawks lost four in a row for the first time in 14 seasons under Carroll and John Schneider, dropping games to some of the NFC's top teams, losing twice to the 49ers and once in Dallas. And heading into Monday night's game against the Eagles, who had a 10-3 record coming into the game, the Seahawks found themselves in a near must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Oh, and to get that win, they were going to have to beat the defending NFC champs while playing without starting quarterback Geno Smith, and rookie defensive back Devon Witherspoon, who is arguably their top defensive player.

"This is huge," said safety Julian Love, who had two interceptions in the fourth quarter, including the game-clincher in the final seconds. "December football is critical. You just need some energy and some motivation and some momentum going into the end of the season. I think we needed this game. Nothing is guaranteed going forward, we know that. We got to carry this juice going forward. A few plays, here and there, the past couple weeks have really brought us down. This, I already know, is going to revitalize us."

And while some teams might have let a four-game losing streak sink a season, or lead to infighting and finger pointing, or a half-hearted effort, the Seahawks put together an effort that produced one of the most thrilling regular-season wins played at Lumen Field.

"We're very resilient," said defensive end Dre'Mont Jones. "We don't just talk a good game, we don't just talk about being together, we do it. We stayed the course, we stayed hungry, we were always in each other's ear, motivating each other, and that's something that's rare, you don't always get to do that. When it doesn't go your way, you can get to arguing and fighting, and we didn't do that today."

Added Love, "It shows that we're resilient. It's easy to just give up on the year. We have a lot of high character people in that locker room and people just didn't back down. Bobby (Wagner) and Geno (Smith), early in the week, challenged us. Got up in front of the team meeting on Wednesday or Thursday, and just addressed us. Just said what was in front of us. I'll let them talk specifically about what they said, but I think we all got the message that everything we have is in front of us for the taking. We just had to get this one, and thankfully we did."

And more than anything, this game was less a case of the Seahawks dramatically turning things around, and more so just an example of the type of win they can pull off when they play a cleaner game, which they did Monday while not committing a turnover, allowing only one play of 20 or more yards all night, a 20-yard Jalen Hurts scramble, and having only five penalties, two of which came on their first two offensive possessions.

"We showed who we can be if we don't beat ourselves, because that tends to be the reason sometimes we let things be out of our control," said cornerback Tre Brown. "Tonight we showed up against a really good team. If we play our best game, the sky is the limit for us." 

The Seahawks, of course, know a dramatic Monday night win won't mean much if they don't keep winning, but after what the team showed in this game, the belief was strong in that exuberant locker room that this win over the Eagles was just the beginning of a big finish to the season.

"There's a mentality about finishing," Carroll said. "We kicked this thing off exactly right tonight. I'm excited about our chances. These guys are, too. They know. This is what we talk about: finish. All year long, offseason, all that. This was the first real moment, and we captured a heck of a night."