One day after his team’s 19-3 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a nationally televised Thanksgiving night game, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was still thinking about one aspect of Thursday’s rout that didn’t go his team’s way: The officiating.

The Seahawks were called for 14 penalties — the highest in Carroll’s nearly five-year term with Seattle — resulting in 105 yards. Meanwhile, San Francisco was flagged just four times by referee Tony Corrente and crew. But while bemoaning the disparity in calls, Carroll said the team would continue to play its trademark physical, aggressive style of football.

“We’re not going to chance the way we’re playing,” Carroll told 710 ESPN’s “Brock and Salk” show on Friday. “The style of play that generates this kind of focus from the officials is somewhat emblematic of us, and I don’t want our guys to back off. What I wish would happen, I wish the game would be balanced out with our opponents being penalized equally.”

The Hawks’ penalty issues might not be that big of a problem. True, the team leads the NFL with 102 penalties called against them this season in 12 games — an average of 8.5 per contest, which ranks third in the league behind only the Denver Broncos (8.73 per game) and the New England Patriots (8.64). But after the Seahawks’ win Thursday night, those teams are a combined 25-9, which seems to illustrate Carroll’s point earlier this week that the refs tend to punish successful teams more than their opponents, something he noticed while coaching at USC.

“I think it’s interesting, fascinating,” Carroll said on Monday. “When we won the national championship the first year, the next year our opponents were penalized the least — for the next four years.”

Whether that’s because winning teams tend to play more aggressively or due to other factors, Carroll’s Seattle teams have been able to overcome the disadvantages caused by lopsided penalties. According to data from NFLPenalties.com, the Seahawks have the widest disparity between the number of flags thrown against them versus their opponents, being called for exactly twice as many infractions as the opposite side in 2014.

That continues a trend that’s been at play since Carroll took over as Seattle’s head coach in 2010, with his first year being the only season in which the Seahawks didn’t rank in the top six teams in terms of penalties called against them. That trend saw its zenith in 2013, when the Hawks led the league with 138 penalties.

So while Carroll continues to blow up at officials on the sidelines in just about every game this season and complains from the podium in post-game press conferences, he sees the silver lining in the increased scrutiny.

“If you guys take a look at the disparity between the penalties called on us and called on our opponents by the same crew in the same game, that’s really startling. I don’t know what to tell you,” Carroll said on Friday. “In some crazy way it may be even a little sign of respect from the officials. I don’t know. It just seems like we draw a lot of attention. We are pretty crazy and wild, the way we play, and we don’t want to change that.”

What we learned: Seahawks feast on 49ers in Thanksgiving night rout









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Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Image 2 of 8 2. Hawks get it done on the ground Thursday night’s tilt was a matchup of strength on strength, with the San Francisco ground attack taking on Seattle’s tough rush defense — and vice versa. The 49ers came into the game averaging 119.5 rushing yards per outing, but the Seahawks defense — who came in allowing just 88.4 per contest — gave the Niners nothing all night long, holding them to just 64 yards on 18 carries. The lack of a consistent ground game made the 49ers a one-dimensional squad, and Kaepernick was incapable of mustering a response through the air. On offense, the Hawks and Marshawn Lynch ran all over a San Francisco defense that entered play allowing just 92.9 yards per game. Beast Mode bounced back from a lackluster effort Sunday against Arizona, picking up 104 yards on just 20 carries and punishing would-be Niners tacklers all game long. Seattle’s 157 yards rushing were the most allowed by the 49ers all season. less 2. Hawks get it done on the ground Thursday night’s tilt was a matchup of strength on strength, with the San Francisco ground attack taking on Seattle’s tough rush defense — ... more Photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images Image 3 of 8 3. Red zone woes continue Now for the bad news: While the midweek trip to San Francisco was an undeniable success, the score could have been — and should have been — so much more lopsided than it was. The Seahawks’ problems inside their opponents’ 20-yard line continued Thursday night, with the offense converting just one of five red-zone opportunities into a touchdown against the 49ers. The Hawks had to settle for three Steven Hauschka field-goal attempts after driving inside the Niners’ 20, and turned the ball over in their final possession of the fourth quarter. In Thursday night’s game, Seattle’s inability to convert in the red zone didn’t matter because the San Francisco offense never threatened. But the Seahawks cannot continue to settle for three instead of seven. less 3. Red zone woes continue Now for the bad news: While the midweek trip to San Francisco was an undeniable success, the score could have been — and should have been — so much ... more Photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images Image 4 of 8 4. ... as do penalty problems Seattle’s penalty issues also continued on Thursday night, as the Hawks were called for a whopping 14 infractions for a total of 105 yards — only 59 fewer yards than the Niners offense picked up all game long. Many of the calls were warranted, but there were several — like an offensive pass interference call against Robert Turbin that negated a touchdown early in the third quarter, or a third-down holding penalty on Sherman halfway through the same period — that were ticky-tacky at best. What was most frustrating for Carroll was the disparity between the penalties called against the two squads, with the 49ers flagged just three times for 20 yards in the contest. “The only thing, I wish they’d call some more penalties on the other guys. That’s all,” Carroll said after the game. “We’ve got our own problems on one side, but I wish they’d call them on the other guys. ... The cavern grows broader.” less 4. ... as do penalty problems Seattle’s penalty issues also continued on Thursday night, as the Hawks were called for a whopping 14 infractions for a total of 105 yards — only ... more Photo: Brian Bahr / Getty Images Image 5 of 8 Image 6 of 8 5. Wilson bounces back OK, back to the good stuff for Seattle: Quarterback Russell Wilson had a solid game through the air, completing 15 of 22 passes for 236 yards and a first-quarter touchdown to Turbin. It was Wilson's second-straight strong effort since a midseason dip in production, and it exemplified his style — almost boring efficiency punctuated by improvisational brilliance. That genius was most evident on a play early in the second quarter, when facing a third-and-9 from his own 36-yard line, he twice avoided a sack, spinning out of the pocket to evade blitzing San Francisco defensive back Dontae Johnson, then sprinting back upfield to avoid Johnson again before finding Tony Moeaki cutting across the field. Wilson zipped the ball to the tight end, who made a cut and rumbled 63 yards downfield to the 1-yard line. “It is normal for Russell to make those plays,” Carroll said of his quarterback after the game. “It’s not normal for most people, but it’s normal for Russell to find a way. That’s part of our offense. That’s how we play.” less 5. Wilson bounces back OK, back to the good stuff for Seattle: Quarterback Russell Wilson had a solid game through the air, completing 15 of 22 passes for 236 yards and a ... more Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Image 7 of 8 6. Seahawks get their groove back Before last week’s win over Arizona, the six-game gauntlet the Hawks would face to finish their season seemed nearly insurmountable for a team that had seemingly lost its identity. But the last two games have seen Seattle get back to its championship form — particularly on defense — and perhaps more importantly, regain its swagger. Now, with four games left in the final month of the season — including rematches with both the Cardinals and 49ers in the next three weeks — the NFC West seems almost ripe for the plucking. “We’ve been playing like we’ve been capable of in the past,” Carroll said. “If we can keep it going, we’re going to have a chance to have a good finish. It’s fourth-quarter time, which is really cool. This is exciting. The finish is always the most important stuff to us, and this is now finish time.” less 6. Seahawks get their groove back Before last week’s win over Arizona, the six-game gauntlet the Hawks would face to finish their season seemed nearly insurmountable for a team ... more Photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images Image 8 of 8 Head coach Pete Carroll on Seahawks' penalties: 'We're not going to change the way we play' 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

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