Richard Sherman believes young core gives Seahawks bright future

The Seattle Seahawks were the class of the NFC for the better part of three years, and it's easy to lose sight of the fact their core members are all in their mid-to-late 20s.

Seattle failed to reach the Super Bowl for the third straight season, losing 31-24 to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Trailing 31-0 at halftime, the Seahawks scored 24 consecutive points, but couldn't overcome the massive deficit.

Despite the harrowing defeat, the Seahawks remain optimistic they'll be back atop the conference for the foreseeable future.

"We're far from done," Richard Sherman said Sunday to ESPN's Rich Cimini. "Guys are just entering the prime of their careers. We can be special for a long time."

Two years ago, the Seahawks were the youngest team to win the Super Bowl. They've since been surpassed by last year's champion New England Patriots.

With a core of players who belied their relative youth to date, Sherman and company have every reason to believe they'll contend for a Super Bowl for the rest of the decade.

"I think people get confused sometimes and think our quarterback is 38," Sherman said. "He's 26 or 27, not 38. Bobby Wagner is 25. We've got a young core. I think people have been astounded by what we've been able to do with our young core."

The cornerback added he was disappointed in the result, but remains confident about his team's chances next year.

"No, we didn't win the Super Bowl," Sherman said. "I'm sure some teams would define this as a success. We had a chance to be special again. We didn't get it done, so obviously we're disappointed. ... We didn't get it done, but we've got our heads high."