They are the defending champions. They have the best defense in the NFL. They have a beast of a running back. And they have a quarterback who you just can’t count out. The Seattle Seahawks came into the NFC Playoffs as the #1 seed with a 12-4 record. Since week 8 the Seahawks are 11-1 and having help their opponents under 10 points in 6 of those games. Seattle dominated an over matched Carolina Panthers team in the NFC Divisional round winning by a comfortable 31-17 margin. They followed with a disappointing performance in the NFC title game being outplayed much of the way. But they made big plays when it mattered most and now they are back in the Super Bowl.
Seattle’s opponent? Well they’ve also been here before. They have a vastly underrated defense, a power running game, and arguably the best quarterback and head coach in the history of the league. The Patriots also came into the postseason as the top seed in their conference with a 12-4 record. The Patriots have only lost 1 game, a road game at Green Bay, in which the starting quarterback played in the 2nd half(yes, they lost to the Bills in week 17 while resting a fair amount of key players). Either way, New England has scored at least 34 points in 9 of those 14 game, including both playoff games. They’ve also held opponents to no more than 20 points in 8 of those games. Sure there is a “controversy” over PSI in footballs but lets be honest, the Patriots could have used a greased pig and still beaten the Colts that night, I mean it was 45-7.
So put it all together and we have what looks to be a great Super Bowl. As fans we are all looking forward to seeing Tom Brady vs the Legion of Boom: Rob Gronkowski vs Kam Chancellor could be worth the price of admission alone. Then you add the big, physical styles of Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas matching up with the small, agile Julien Edelman and Danny Amendola. Also LeGarrette Blount vs Bobby Wagner and thats just when New England has the ball. On the other side you have Marshawn Lynch vs a trio of underrated linebackers and Darrelle Revis vs whoever he wants to shut down for the evening. A pair of interesting match ups(that could determine the outcome more than any other one) exists with Patriots Defensive Tackle Vince Wilfork vs Seahawks Center Max Unger and Patriots Defensive Ends Rob Ninkovich and Chandler Jones vs Seahawks Tackles Russell Okung and Justin Britt. Bill Belichik and Tom Brady are looking to win their 4th Super Bowl in 7 tries placing them at the forefront of the greatest of all time debate. But to do that they have to beat arguably the best team they have played in any of their 6 previous Super Bowl experiences who is seeking to begin their own dynasty. The only thing that is certain is the 2 best teams will meet in Arizona to decide who reign’s supreme.
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