Playoff-bound Seattle Seahawks know getting home-field is the bigger goal for them

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll reacts after the Seahawks beat the New Orleans Saints 34-7, in an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Scott Eklund) (The Associated Press)

Seattle Seahawks' Bobby Wagner greets fans after the team beat the New Orleans Saints in an NFL football game, Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, in Seattle. The Seahawks beat the Saints 34-7. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) (The Associated Press)

SEATTLE – Pete Carroll gathered his team in the locker room and finally offered some congratulations.

For the first time all season, Carroll felt he could acknowledge the Seattle Seahawks earning something tangible when they routed New Orleans 34-7 on Monday night to become the first team in the NFL to clinch a playoff spot.

And as Carroll described on his weekly radio show Tuesday morning, the accomplishment was met with a collective "golf clap."

Even at 11-1, with the best record in the NFL and a 14-game home winning streak, the Seahawks remain unsatisfied, at least until they have clinched what's most important to them: Home-field advantage in the playoffs.

The blowout of the Saints gave Seattle a two-game lead in the home-field race with tiebreakers in hand.