Seahawks' Kam Chancellor played through torn MCL in Super Bowl

After suffering a knee injury in a practice session leading up to the Super Bowl, Seattle Seahawks star safety Kam Chancellor ended up playing the biggest game of the year while dealing with an ailment much more significant than the team originally indicated.

As Chancellor explained on the Seahawks' official website Wednesday, the original diagnosis for his injury was a torn MCL.

"There are some people that get injured and can't even play this game, can't even play a game," Chancellor said. "So you've got to be grateful for how you're feeling at the moment. Shoot, my injury happened two days before the game and they told me I wasn't going to be able to play. They told me, 'Torn MCL and bone bruise.' I was mad. I was frustrated. But at the end of the day, I was able to play."

Chancellor managed to contribute at a high level despite the ligament tear, finishing the game with 10 total tackles.

Fellow defensive backs Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas also played through fairly significant injuries of their own and head coach Pete Carroll shared some praise for the toughness of all three.

"It was an extraordinary effort from guys who played through unbelievable issues," Carroll said. "That was a heroic thing that those guys did to play. They wanted to play for their teammates and they did exactly that, and they did it in great fashion."

Though the Seahawks weren't able to come away with a second consecutive Super Bowl win, dropping a 28-24 decision to the New England Patriots, the three All-Pro defensive backs fighting through their injuries gave them a chance.

For as long as the Seahawks can keep their strong secondary together, the team should continue to field one of the NFL's most dominant defensive units overall.