This may surprise a few folks considering how dominating the Seattle Seahawks were in last season's Super Bowl, but Seahawks coach Pete Carroll had this to say Monday morning about his team’s 26-20 overtime victory over the Denver Broncos in Sunday’s Super Bowl rematch.

“I thought we played better in this game than we played in the Super Bowl,” Carroll said on his 710 ESPN Seattle radio show. “With 13 minutes left in the game, [the Broncos] had three points, and that's the best offense in the history of ball.”

Of course, it turned out much crazier than it appeared it would be when Seattle led 17-3 early in the fourth quarter. A safety, a Denver interception to set up a TD and an incredible 80-yard drive by Peyton Manning in the final minute tied the game at 20-20 and forced overtime.

“What drama, though,” Carroll said. “Wasn’t that cool, when you think about it? It was a beautiful football game."

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson led the team on an 80-yard TD drive in overtime to win the game. Wilson is now 7-0 in his career against four elite quarterbacks -- Manning, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers, New England’s Tom Brady and New Orleans' Drew Brees. Wilson has thrown 14 TD passes and only one interception in those seven games.

“He’s one of those guys,” Carroll said of Wilson. “He’s as good as those guys and he can do it. There’s nobody he can’t play with and hold his own.”

The Seahawks won the Super Bowl 43-8 seven months ago and dominated the Broncos. But Carroll felt he saw more from his team Sunday because of how competitive the game was.

“The defensive film is lights out,” Carroll said. “We felt really in control. On the last [Denver] drive, they ran one route four times and we didn’t adapt to it. It was two big plays they out-executed us. But before that, they hadn’t done anything. We had been in total control of that game on defense.”