At his Monday press conference, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll revealed that defensive end Chris Clemons tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his knee during Seattle's 24-14 Wild Card victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday, ending his season.

"He will have to have surgery," Carroll said. "So we'll miss him, which is a big loss for us in a lot of ways. Chris has been a great football player. He's been just a symbol of consistency for the years we've had him. He's been a great leader for us, too, and just a tough dude."

Clemons, who recorded a team-best 11 1/2 sacks this season, will be sorely missed when the Seahawks travel to Atlanta to face the NFC's No.1 seeded Falcons on Sunday.

The 31-year-old started all 16 regular-season games for the Seahawks in 2012 and in addition to leading the team in sacks, he recorded 40 tackles and three forced fumbles.

01/07 20:14:52 ET