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When assessing the wisdom of a coaching decision, perhaps the best evidence comes from the reaction of the opposing coach. If it’s glee, then the decision may have been ill-advised.

And that accurately describes Seahawks coach Pete Carroll’s reaction to Packers coach Mike McCarthy’s decision to punt the ball on fourth and two from his own 33 with 4:20 to play.

“I was a little relieved,” Carroll told reporters after the 27-24 win. “I really did like that they punted the ball to us right there, because we knew we had a shot to kill the game if we could, and kill the clock, and we did it. The thing about that that’s important is our belief in the running game, and we get the ball in that situation. It was like, oh here we go, this is our time. It’s four-minute time. Thrilled to see that happen. The mentality that’s coming around in those guys up front and the runners and all that, it’s really important, it’s obviously really valuable too, and it’s great to see that happen.”

It happened because McCarthy chose to take the ball out of the hands of a quarterback to whom the Packers are paying $33.5 million per year. McCarthy justified the move in part by pointing out that defensive linemen Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels were injured. But that only makes the decision to punt more curious. Aaron Rodgers wasn’t injured, and Aaron Rodgers is one of the best players in league history.

That “galvanizing moment” to which Rodgers referred after the game could have come on that fourth-down play. Or maybe, if the Seahawks had been forced to kick a field goal after a failed shot at fourth-and-two, the “galvanizing moment” could have come on a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass.

But that’s crazy, right? Hail Mary throws never work.