The Seattle Seahawks are aiming to make it to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season and head coach Pete Carroll is pleased with the way they came back from last season, when they lost in the same stage against defending champions New England Patriots.
Seattle struggled early in the 2015 National Football League (NFL) regular season but as the season progressed, started to win and is now back in the playoffs to face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
"It just took us some time (to get past the Super Bowl)," Carroll said, according to The Seattle Times.
"And I think we had some hangover from it, just like, look at the history of teams coming out of the Super Bowl, how well are they doing the next year," Carroll also said.
He added that a Super Bowl defeat is the most challenging event to "endure" but he is proud since they are fighting and again have the chance to reach the grandest stage in the NFL.
The Seahawks finished the regular season winning eight of their last 10 games after going on a 2–4 start.
Along with the momentum they have entering the playoffs, the Seahawks also received good news this week as star running back Marshawn Lynch, who had an abdomen injury, is "ready to go," according to Carroll.
Meanwhile, if the Seahawks have a key player returning, the Vikings lost tight end Rhett Ellison who suffered a torn patellar tendon and will undergo surgery that requires a six-month recovery period, the Associated Press reported.
Besides the injury to Ellison, the Vikings also have to deal with a struggling quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater.
In their last regular season game versus the Green Bay Packers, Bridgewater only had 10 completions for 99 yards, throwing one interception and was sacked thrice.
Another concern for Minnesota is the lower back injury of star running back Adrian Peterson, who said he will play on Sunday despite the injury.
The Vikings ended the season as the National Football Conference (NFC) champions, a feat they last achieved in 2009 before reclaiming it this season.
