SEATTLE — In the last moments of a tense, tight game, as his team huddled to take a final snap and secure not just a win over the Kansas City Chiefs but a surprising spot in the playoffs, Pete Carroll prowled up and down the Seattle Seahawks’ sideline, shouting, hugging, high-fiving and pumping his right fist defiantly in the cold, wet air.

Even for a coach known for his buoyant energy, the display of sheer elation put a fine point on how special the victory was for Carroll and his team.

Remember that very little was expected of the current version of the Seahawks. Many even predicted they would be among pro football’s bottom feeders. It was a team that missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2011, and then underwent an overhaul that tossed aside its best-known defensive players. It began the season with a pair of anemic losses that seemed to be the starting blocks for a year of losing and misery.

Given that background, it made perfect sense that the 67-year-old Carroll — along with every member of a Seattle team stacked with rookies and second-year players who next month will be in the postseason for the first time — was prouder than usual at the close of Sunday’s 38-31 win.