Talk about an interesting way to take the rap.

There was plenty of blame to go around Sunday afternoon after the Seattle Seahawks were roughed up at home 34-12 by the Cincinnati Bengals.

But none of mistakes was more glaring than the decision by coach Pete Carroll to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Bengals’ 3-yard line with 14 seconds remaining in the first half. Seattle was trailing 17-3 at the time and was out of timeouts. They needed points, and a touchdown would have pulled them within one score.

So, Carroll called for running back Marshawn Lynch to slam it up the middle. That’s what he did but while he got the first down, he was stopped short of the goalline. The Seahawks were not able to line up and snap the ball for another playing, sending them to the locker room down two touchdowns.

“We learned about what happens when a coach gets hormonal and tries to freakin’ jam it down their throat for the touchdown there right at the half,” Carroll said, according to Eric Williams of the Tacoma Tribune. “That was a mistake. It would have been a good call if we made it. But we didn’t.

“It’s a bit little tough, because I have an attitude and a personality about how I want to do it. But as we’re developing as a team, we’re not quite capable to take advantage of that yet. I have a lot of times where I’ve been in that situation, and it’s worked out. And it hasn’t a couple times here. And I don’t mind the scrutiny. It is what it is. I’m not worried about it.”

When teams stack losses, the scrutiny will follow. This decision didn’t lead to the loss on its own, not by a longshot, but people will want to see signs of growth by the end of Carroll’s second season at the helm in Seattle. He’s got a half-season or so to work on that.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune