
We are down to the final four now in the race to the Super Bowl, with only three games left for the year. The AFC and NFC Championship games take place on Sunday and, with only the cream of the crop left, we can be sure of two top games coming up. With players and coaches knowing they are just sixty minutes of football away from the promised land of the Super Bowl, everything will be laid on the line come Sunday. Let’s look ahead to two of the most hotly contested matches of the year.
Green Bay Packers at Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are now in a situation they are very familiar with, having been the host for the NFC Championship game last season. On that occasion, they overcame divisional rivals in the San Francisco Forty-Niners, who pushed them harder than any team on the Seahawks run to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks will be prepared for a frenetic bout against Aaron Rodgers and his troops. The game will be a classic encounter of strength versus strength, as the Seattle Seahawks and their immense defense prepare to face arguably the best quarterback and wide receiver pair the NFL has to offer. The ‘Hawks defense has went from good to unbelievable down the stretch, with the return of previously injured players like Bobby Wagner and Kam Chancellor returning to harden the core of this defense. The Seahawks gave up just under 16 points per game and 267 yards of offense per game in the regular season, and if they can replicate those numbers on Sunday they will be advancing to their second successive Super Bowl appearance. Facing a game but physically limited quarterback, the Seahawks will surely attack Rodgers early and try to unsettle him, with his mobility severely limited by a calf injury. If they can shut down the run game and force Rodgers to bob and weave in the pocket, they will create opportunities to put him on the ground. Offensively, the Seahawks will fancy their chances of exposing that defense, with Marshawn Lynch, Russell Wilson and Robert Turbin likely getting a large number of carries against a unit not renowned for stuffing the run. With Wilson throwing the ball better than ever in recent weeks, Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse will likely get opportunities off of play-action, although Paul Richardson’s absence will be felt. Continue reading →