HEAD COACH PETE CARROLL

(On the upcoming game against the Kansas City Chiefs) "We're approaching the Christmas holiday. This is a great opportunity for us Sunday night, the 12s coming out and all of that. It's a great way to celebrate the holidays. It's a really important ballgame, as everybody knows and we want to play really good on Sunday night. We've had a good week. I like the way it's gone across the board and we know we're up against a really good club and we've got to play right and do right. It's a great challenge and we're looking forward to it."

(On if he would consider resting players if the team cannot clinch a playoff spot on Sunday night due to other results) "No. Absolutely not. If we couldn't clinch, we might do what? No. Whatever that is, no. We're going to go try to win a football game and we'll do everything we can. This is a terrific championship opportunity for us. It's a fantastic team, the kind of teams that you've got to beat if you get a chance to get into the playoffs and if you can't matchup with these guys, what can you expect down the road? We're going for it and that's the only way we know how to do that. We don't ever take a step off that."

(On if what Patrick Mahomes has done so early in his career has surprised him) "I think it's a fantastic job by their staff and Andy (Reid) putting together an offense that could make sense to him so he could execute this well. Remember, if you go back to the first month of the season, he was just on fire with all of the touchdowns and explosive plays and all of that. He's got a great group around him. To bring the quarterback along that quickly in a sophisticated attack, that's a big accomplishment by their coaching staff. Patrick has made full use of all of it and he's had a great season."

(On if there if it's a better time of season to be facing Patrick Mahomes knowing that the Seahawks young secondary has gotten more experience) "I don't know if there's a good time, but this is the time, so we're going to try to make the best of it. They have shown everything now, we've seen them. After all these games, we know what kind of the whole scope of this offense is. The first month of the season, everybody was kind of on their heels. Hopefully we can settle in to it. It's not that it gets easy because they have such a diverse attack that you've got to be ready for a lot of stuff. Our guys, they're up for it, they're ready for the challenge and all of that. We've got to do a great job on their really classy receivers. (Travis) Kelce and (Tyreek) Hill are just unbelievably talented guys having great years. So, there's a lot of issues here. I think our guys will be ready to do this."

(On what makes Tyreek Hill special other than his speed) "He does everything. He runs routes really well, he's really tough at making the catch. He's made circus catches with guys all over him, he's taken the ball away from guys. In the running game they've used him, obviously a big deal in the return game too. He's more complete of a player than you would expect a guy that would be that fast. You'd just kind of hope he'd be more like a track guy – he's not, he's a ballplayer. He can do everything – he can run all the routes and he gets after the football as well as any receiver. He's got a lot of great catches over the course of the season that show you the whole range of his catching abilities. He's been really tough."

(On how he adapts as a coach to quarterbacks who play off-script like Patrick Mahomes) "You're forced to, first of all. You're forced to because you don't know if it's a play-action pass that turns into a sprint out, if it's a drop back, it turns into a QB draw. There's another play starting and sometimes two plays starting. He may run over here, get back in the pocket and throw it from there. That has always been the most difficult element of defensive play, to deal with a quarterback that can change the play after the fact. It's hard enough stopping the regular plays. He's a good runner too and he's adept at making people miss and he has good choices and decision-making – when to get down, when to go for it – all of that. You just have to look at it and try to keep the explosive plays from happening and keep him somewhat corralled the best you can. It's just like any quarterback, if you can rush him, you have a chance to slow down their effectiveness, so we have to do that too. We have to take some chances at the right time. It just takes every aspect of every part of your game. There is a big element just in the scramble mode itself. There's a lot of discipline that is called on there for the coverage guys and the rush guys to stay in his face so that we have a chance. It's just as tough as it gets. That's why Russell (Wilson) has always been so effective. He's always had that whole other element to him that just drives you crazy on the other side of the ball."

(On the difficulty in scouting quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes who come from an 'air-raid' style of college system) "It depends. It depends on how extreme they are at their style of the pass game. If it's all RPO stuff and the ball's coming out off the run game, that's a good concept that we all like and we do some of that. But, if that's all a team does or that's all just primitive screen stuff, then you're not seeing the guy read down field. It just depends on really how the offense is constructed. In Patrick's situation, John (Schneider) was in love with him – he knew that he had something really special. He thought he was worthy of going up there in the very top of the draft. We were surprised that he made it to tenth by our evaluations. Really, it just depends on the system and really what they're called on to do."

(On the type of running back Bo Scarbrough is) "He's a hammer. He runs big and strong, a slasher, real physical guy. He's a big kid and he handles the ball well, catches the ball well. He was a big-time player at Alabama. They had so many backs that nobody got featured, but he was legit."

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BRIAN SCHOTTENHEIMER

(On the Kansas City Chiefs offense) "I watch highlights, obviously. I don't really watch their game film. Tremendous team speed, big-play ability, I think what the quarterback has done is remarkable for a young player. I think Andy (Reid) is a terrific coach. Obviously, he's done it at a high level for a long time but those are the things that jump out. You see all the points they're scoring, you see all the things that they're doing – they're fun to watch, (of) the highlights that I see." 

(On Chris Jones) "Unbelievable quickness, really great motor – they move him a lot like he doesn't stay wherever he's lined up. He doesn't stay there. He's got strength too, so if he misses with his initial move, he's got the ability to still push the pocket. Tremendous player. I've said to the guys, I think he's one of the top interior linemen in the league. We go against guys like Aaron Donald and (Ndamukong) Suh all the time. This guy is right up there with them. I think he's a dominant player."

(On stopping the Chiefs pass rush) "I mean, really good pass rushers, obviously. Again, they've got (Chris) Jones inside who like I've already mentioned, I think he can be dominant at times – is dominant at times. Dee Ford, explosive, undersized guy but explosive. Unbelievable motor, and then, of course, Justin Houston. You just look at what he's done over his career, it's pretty much enough said about that. They've been up in a lot of games, so you obviously get to where you've got to throw it to catch up and stuff like that. That plays into their hands a little bit."

(On if he faced Bo Scarbrough while coaching at the University of Georgia) "I think so. I believe so, but I know we look at him coming out (of college) more than anything. Adds great depth to our room, big powerful guy. You don't realize how big he is until you see him out here running around so we're excited he's here and think that he adds great depth for us."

(On Bo Scarbrough) "A very powerful, great inside runner. Ability for yards after contact, which obviously we like. He got better as the game went. He played behind the offensive line where they were moving people and they were asking him to carry it 30 or 35 times. Just a very, very good in-between the tackles runner that moves the pile and gets a lot of yards that maybe aren't there from a blocking standpoint."

(On if the Seahawks offense has taken anything from the Chiefs) "We haven't studied them a whole lot. Pete (Carroll) is always looking at the opponent and coming in saying, 'hey, this is pretty cool what they're doing.' Sometimes, if I'm not doing anything, I'll watch out here what they're doing – there's some really cool formations. They're very explosive, they're very fast, the quarterbacks playing at an unbelievable level. Andy Reid's one of the best of all-time. I guess it was two weeks ago, he broke my father's (Marty Schottenheimer) record in Kansas City for wins. It's pretty cool, they came down, did something with my father where he could congratulate Andy. He won a lot of games in Kansas City and Andy's broken that record, so terrific coach."

QB RUSSELL WILSON

(On playing the Chiefs, who run a completely different offense) "You know, I think for us, we want to play our style of football. It's physical, it's being able to run the ball really well, being able to throw the ball efficiently when we need to and everything else. They've been throwing it around all year. It's been fun watching (Patrick) Mahomes and what he's done and all their players – (Travis) Kelce, Tyreek (Hill), special, special players across the board. I think for us, we've got a lot of great players on our side too and we know it's going to be a battle. They're coming here. It's going to be a loud crowd, it's going to be a tough game, it's going to be back and forth probably and we're prepared for whatever we need to do to get a win."

(On the comparisons between him and Patrick Mahomes) "I think he does an unbelievable job of scrambling. You watch him scramble outside of the pocket, he's pretty special at it. He's one of the best to do it and to see what he can do outside of the pocket, he's a lot bigger than me but in terms of how he throws the ball on the run and everything else, it's the baseball in both of us. Being able to play baseball and playing infield and all of that. He's a special player. Like I said, he's really fun to watch."

(On if there is anything he can learn from any of Patrick Mahomes' play) "I think that he does everything really well. I think he executes really well. He's sharp, he gets guys open, I think he does a great job of that so I've got to watch more film of him but it's fun watching him play, that's for sure. He's competitive as can be."

(On if he's crossed paths with Patrick Mahomes) "No, we haven't really crossed paths. We played in that preseason game and kind of talked to each other for a little bit but we haven't had the chance to cross paths yet. I'm sure we'll play against each other a bunch over the years to come so I'm looking forward to that."

(On avoiding the Chiefs pass rush) "Yeah, I think the thing for us is we've got to stay on schedule against these guys because they're the number one sack-leading team in the NFL. They've got a lot of guys. (Dee) Ford's got like 11+ sacks, (Chris) Jones has 14 and they've got (Justin) Houston, who's always been one of the sack kings of the NFL. There's a lot of guys that they can rotate in and out and make plays, and they make timely plays as well so we've got to be really smart up front. We've got to be smart with the ball in the pocket and everything else, and play a great game. There's no fear. We've played some tough opponents this year in terms of defensive lines and I think our offensive line has done a tremendous job of being able to do a great job against some really, really great players. This is going to be a great task for us and we're looking forward to that."

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR KEN NORTON JR

(On how the Seahawks plan for an offense like the Chiefs) "Just getting a good plan together – a nice, simple plan where everybody really understands what they're doing because there's so many movements and formations that you want to make sure that you're on the same page all the time. We're excited about the challenge and the guys are hard at work. They're getting a good game plan together."

(On how much this game will draw on everything else the Seahawks defense has seen all season) "It's tough. The guys, if you've been watching them, they've been really getting better every week. At this time of the year, they're feeling really good right now and they've been doing a lot of really good things and learning a lot as they win and they're growing as the games and the season goes. We're really excited about the challenge. Kansas City, they have some really good players, really good skill players and they've been lighting it up all year. A chance to play them to see where we stand at this point is exciting for us."

(On what stands out about Patrick Mahomes) "He's young, he's really good, really strong arm. You see him just barely move his arm and the ball will go 50 yards. He's really confident and he's made a lot of plays so his confidence is continually building but he's done some amazing things. He's so young that he hasn't had the scars of the bad things happening so he thinks it's so good right now. It's just a matter of when things don't go so good, how do you handle it? His growth has been very good and it's been fun to watch him from afar, and now we get to see him up close."