SEATTLE -- Cornerback Richard Sherman insisted there was never any thought that his injured hamstring would keep him from playing Sunday in the Seattle Seahawks' home opener against the San Francisco 49ers.

"No," Sherman said afterward, without hesitation. "No."

Maybe to Sherman there wasn't, but to coach Pete Carroll, there definitely was.

"That was amazing that he played in that game now," Carroll said during his weekly radio show with 710 ESPN Seattle on Monday morning. "He was resolved that nothing else but that was going to happen. Let your guys that listen to you know: 99 percent of guys would never have played in that football game, but he just willed it somehow."

Sherman played in all 49 of the Seahawks' defensive snaps in their 12-9 win, making five tackles and recovering a fumble following Bobby Wagner's interception.

Sherman has now played in every one of a possible 98 regular-season games since his rookie season in 2011. His streak of 92 consecutive regular-season starts is the fourth-longest among active cornerbacks. Sherman has also started all 12 of Seattle's playoff games since he was drafted, including Super Bowl XLIX, when he played with ligament damage in his elbow after hyper-extending it in the NFC Championship Game.

It's a feat that often gets overlooked, as Sherman reminded everyone Sunday night.

"One day you guys got to give me credit," he joked. "I’ve been playing every game for seven years. Until I miss one, just go ahead, just give me the benefit of the doubt."

Sherman missed the first two days of practice last week and then was listed as a limited participant on Friday. He assured Carroll, "I'm good." But Carroll still wasn't sure until pregame warm-ups Sunday.

Sherman downplayed the severity of his hamstring injury and implied that it was only listed on the injury report because "we've just got to mention everything." He joked that he'd show up on the injury report this coming week with a hangnail. Carroll, though, said team doctors were marveling that Sherman was able to play based on what tests had revealed about his injury.

"That's resolve," Carroll said. "He wanted to play for his club and his fans and for himself, he wanted to prove that he could do it and he did."

And so Sherman's consecutive games streak remains intact, even if he never had any doubt that it would.

"I take a lot of pride [in having never missed a game]," Sherman said. "We work hard and I feel like I owe it to my teammates. Those guys battle for me and I promised them I will play every game and I'll give them everything I’ve got. So until my body fails me, I’ll be out there every play."