FOXBORO –– Mike Holmgren made it known long ago that this would be his last season coaching the Seattle Seahawks.

But suffice it to say he expected the year would turn out a little bit better than it has.

Seattle enters Sunday’s game against New England with just two wins, and has been dealing with injuries from the outset, particularly among its wide receivers. Yet Holmgren is not about to use those as an excuse; his team was 10-6 last year and won its wildcard playoff game before losing in the divisional round to his former team, the Packers, in Green Bay.

So Holmgren, who has named Seahawks’ assistant head coach Jim Mora as his successor, will have his final season in Seattle be his third with a losing record in 17 years as a head coach.

“It’s been an unusual year right from the get-go,” Holmgren said on Wednesday during a conference call. “But I’ve been very proud of the players. The guys that have been left standing are going like crazy; we just haven’t been quite good enough.”

Seattle has lost five straight games, including a three-point loss in Washington two weeks ago and a two-point loss in Miami on Nov. 9. Against the Dolphins, the Seahawks had the ball in the closing minutes but could not convert on fourth-and-long.

Holmgren acknowledged that it’s a new feeling for many of his players, and himself, to suffer through so many losses. With 172 career wins, Holmgren is the leader among active NFL coaches.

Deion Branch is one of those players not used to losing. The former New England receiver was traded to Seattle before the 2006 season, after being part of two Super Bowl championships.

“It is difficult. [But] no one has given up. At these times, one guy can just be a cancer and just mess up the rest of the season. We are still going into our meetings every day; no one has been late, no one is getting fined for doing anything stupid,” Branch said. “We are still taking the initiative to take each game one game at a time and to go out and win. It’s a bright future. It can’t get any worse than what is going on right now.”

A devotee of the West Coast offense who got his start in the NFL under the great Bill Walsh in San Francisco, Holmgren has three Super Bowl rings, two from his days with the 49ers and one with the Packers. In 2005, he took the Seahawks to their first Super Bowl, where they lost to Pittsburgh.

Bill Belichick has coached against Holmgren, 60, since the latter was with San Francisco and Belichick was an assistant with the Giants.

“I have a great deal of respect for Mike … he’s had a tremendous career,” Belichick said this week. “He’s been a great coach, as an offensive coach and head coach. He’s had a lot of success in the different programs that he’s been involved with.”

Holmgren’s intention is to take at least one year away from coaching. The grandfather of five is looking forward to spending time on his motorcycle and getting “recharged.”

While his announcing that this season would be his last ended any potential speculation or distraction, Holmgren believes there are some who think it might be a reason Seattle has struggled.

That is a notion he disagrees with.

“The players have responded to me the same way they always have. It’s just too bad that we’re having the season we’re having because then it opens up some questions about how we’re doing this [transition],” he said. “A lot of these players have been with me a long time; I’ve been here 10 years. They know how I operate. They know my emotions and I don’t think I’ve changed this year. I’m a demonstrative guy, I’m an emotional coach, and the players know. I had a good meeting with them at the beginning of the year and they’ve been super about it.”

smanza@projo.com