The Seahawks Are Super Bowl Champions

By Marshall Cherrington

No words can describe what this means to the city of Seattle, the first professional sports championship in 30 years. The Seahawks absolutely destroyed the Broncos in a matchup of the number one defense and number one offense on Sunday night. Did anybody think it would be that big of a blowout? No way. And that's what makes it so awesome. The Seahawks, again, did something nobody though they could do. Many people around America didn't even think they would win the game. Want proof of that? Just look at this ESPN poll:

I don't have much else to say right now other than we finally did it. The Seahawks are Super Bowl Champions. Let that sink in right now. But just know that there are more on the way.

Takeaways will be up tomorrow most likely and there should be a Wednesday Wanderings this week. Until then 'Hawks fans...

Seahawks vs. Broncos: Prediction Time

The Super Bowl is finally upon us. We've prepared you guys all week leading up to the game with in-depth analysis, positional breakdowns and key matchups to watch for. Each writer here at Seattle Sports Soup has paid close attention to the media surrounding the big game and has watched all the big time outlets predict the game. Now it's our turn. Here are out Super Bowl 48 predictions.

Marshawn Lynch could be the difference in the game.

Sports Illustrated

Marshall Cherrington, Editor-In-Chief
The Seattle Seahawks are in the freakin’ Super Bowl. Now even though there is no way I am going to pick against them, if I was a neutral observer, I would still pick the Seahawks. Jackson did a great job with his series of statistical analysis articles and you should go read them all. It’ll give you more insight into what this matchup really looks like on paper. Anyways, I think the Seahawks overall have a more skilled roster than the Broncos. This is one of the main reasons why I think the Seahawks are going to win. With the cold weather, there could be some injuries and that does not bode well for the Broncos. If one of their starters goes down, it might not be good news for Peyton Manning's team. The Broncos are already playing with multiple backups starting and digging further into the depth chart probably doesn't sound to appeasing to Broncos fans. Another reason I think the Seahawks are going to win is because they matchup so well against the Broncos. The best position group on the Broncos, besides QB, is the wide receiver core. The best position group on the Seahawks? The secondary. Great matchup right there. Jackson broke down the matchup, position group by position group yesterday in his Super Bowl preview and somehow the Broncos came out on top, winning 6 position groups to 5 position groups. I think that is horrible analysis by Jackson, but he’s provided enough good analysis that he gets a free pass this time. In every position group that the Broncos are better than the Seahawks in, the Seahawks aren’t far behind when it comes to talking about skill level. In every position group that the Seahawks are better than the Broncos in, the Broncos are clearly behind. I think this gap in talent will play a big part in the game, but there’s one position group where the Broncos have a huge advantage. Can anyone guess? Yeah, that would be the quarterback position. I think the game will come down to Russell Wilson leading the team down the field to kick a field goal to win it. What a story that would be. Not the defense for once. Should be a fun one to watch. 
Seattle 30, Denver 27

Jackson Safon, Senior Writer 
Prediction time! I am going to put my official score prediction as 27-23, a slight change from my prediction before of 27-24. The Seahawks are going to win for a couple of reasons. First, they are the only team in the entire NFL, possibly in NFL history that can match up with all of the Broncos weapons. The Legion of Boom is physical, talented, and disciplined, the three most important characteristics when playing the type of defense that the Seahawks do. Additionally, the ‘Hawks are very balanced on offense, which will allow them to control the clock. As the Chargers showed, to beat the Broncos, the most important thing to do is keep Peyton Manning off the field. The Chargers time of possession was almost 39 minutes. While I do not think the Seahawks necessarily have to go that far, controlling the clock and controlling field position with their balanced offense will be a key to their success. With all the talk about statistics in this game, myself included, I believe the game could boil down to three stats: Turnovers, red-zone efficiency, and explosive plays. Explosive plays have become an official stat in the NFL, and they consist of runs over 12 yards and passes over 20 yards. I believe the Seahawks will have to win two of those three stats, and possibly all three in order to win the game. The Seahawks had the best turnover differential in the league and the best red-zone defense. But the Broncos have the best red-zone offense, and a quarterback that has only thrown 11 interceptions in almost 800 attempts, if you include the playoffs. It will no doubt be a fantastic game, but I believe Russell Wilson will make just enough plays and the defense will force a turnover or two which will lead the Seahawks to a victory. 
Seattle 27, Denver 23

Kevin Calderhead, Staff Writer

If the Hawks are going to win Super Bowl XLVIII, it’ll be because of their defense. Seattle cannot afford to get into a shootout with Peyton Manning’s number one offense. Thankfully, the Seahawks’ number one defense has the ability to combat the Denver powerhouse.

It would be fair to say that the Seattle defense has more depth than the Grand Canyon. I’ll start with the defensive line: Avril, Bennett, Irvin, Mebane, McDaniel, Bryant, McDonald. This defensive line needs to get to Manning, and quick, because Manning gets the ball out faster than any other quarterback in the NFL. It won’t be easy; Denver also had the best pass protection in the league this season. But because of the depth, the D-line can stay fresh the whole game and give us a pretty good shot at pressuring Peyton.

I also like the matchups we have in the secondary; Denver’s Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas and Eric Decker up against Seattle’s Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Byron Maxwell. Throw in Thurmond and Lane and you have a shutdown secondary.  It is guaranteed that there will be some Legion of Boom highlights on Sunday. Don’t forget that our linebackers have done a pretty good job of stifling opposing tight ends this year as well. If Manning gets pressured and all his receivers are covered, hopefully the Hawks’ D can force some turnovers.

Moving on to the offensive side of the ball. Russell Wilson has to have an effective game through the air in order to depart a victor. He has to establish the pass to open up the running game for Beast Mode, Robert Turbin, and not to mention himself. Russell has to play smart and not force throws to well covered receivers, which he is perfectly capable of doing.

Oh yeah, that’s right. PERCY HARVIN. Having Percy back gives the Hawks an automatic special teams advantage on kickoffs, and he’s a huge addition to Golden Tate and Jermaine Kearse at receiver. And a note to Russell on what I mentioned in the last paragraph: Go ahead and throw to Harvin when he’s covered. He’ll probably catch it anyways.

           

The Hawks have all the tools to win this game, it’s only a matter of whether they execute or not. I say they do. 
Seattle 31, Denver 27

Lukie Crowley, Staff Writer 

First of all, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Lukie Crowley and I am a senior in high school at Overlake NOT Redmond but I still support the Mustangs being from Redmond. I will be writing here every so often and am excited to be welcomed in by Marshall and Jackson beyond our Twitter conversations. Now let’s get to the business and Go Hawks.

There has been talk all week and throughout the season about the Broncos having the best offense in the NFL and the Seahawks having the best defense. A classic matchup in which it seems surreal, as firstly it is rare to see the two #1 seeds advance to the Super Bowl but secondly the #1 offense and defense colliding with each other is a dream come true for all fans. In my opinion, defense always overpowers offense and history tends to agree with me. Chase Stuart from Football-Perspective.com provides some excellent research on this subject (h/t to Steve Rudman from Sportspressnw.com):

There have been 10 Super Bowls with the #1 offense and defense facing each other or the ones with greatest difference in scored vs. allowed). Eight have been won by the defense.

Year	Offense (Average PPG)	Defense (Average PPG Allowed)	Result/Winner
1966 (First SB)	Chiefs (32.0)	Packers (11.6)	GB/Defense
1967	Raiders (33.4)	Packers (14.9)	GB/Defense
1968	Jets (29.9)	Colts (13.4)	NYJ/Offense
1969	Vikings (27.1)	Chiefs (12.6)	KC/Defense
1971	Cowboys (29.0)	Dolphins (12.4)	Dal/Offense
1984	Dolphins (32.1)	49ers (14.2 blegh)	SF/Defense
1991	Bills (28.6)	Redskins (14.0)	Wash/Defense
2001	Rams (31.4)	Patriots (17.0)	NE/Defense
2002	Raiders (28.1)	Buccaneers (12.3)	TB/Defense
2007	Patriots (36.8)	Giants (21.9)	NYG/Defense

Now the Broncos averaged 37.9 PPG throughout the season (!!!) higher than any of the Super Bowls that were noted here and the Seahawks allowed 14.4 PPG. After looking how the matchups have gone in past SB’s I believe the Seahawks will win based on the stout defense. Everyone (including Colin Kaepernick) http://t.co/rzxyLgxFoO seems to the nickel corner is a weak point in the defense but I think Walter Thurmond will step under the pressure. I think he will have an INT and make a big play with Zach Miller (Who Jackson seems to hate) having 2 TD receptions. But all in all Russell Wilson will have the biggest game in the biggest game of his life, and will be named Super Bowl MVP. After careful consideration, my prediction: Go Hawks! 

Seattle 27, Denver 17  

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well. Keep checking back for more updates!

Seahawks vs. Broncos: A Statistical Analysis Part 2

By Jackson Safon

Time for part two. We left off having done some analysis on both the Broncos’ and Seahawks’ offenses, with the conclusion being that the Broncos are much, much better on that side of the ball. Obvious, right? Yes, but there is a lot more to it, and I highly advise you to go read part one before continuing on here. I will wait.

Did you do it? Good. Next on the docket is looking at the games the two Super Bowl teams had in common this season, as those would naturally be good games to compare performance in.

The Seahawks and Broncos actually played five of the same opponents this season, Jacksonville, Houston, Indianapolis, Tennessee, and the New York Giants. Interestingly, they played the same teams at home and on the road. Even more interesting, in the five common games, both teams went 4-1, with their lone loss being on the road at the Colts. Because the Seahawks and Broncos had the home and away games against the same teams and they had the same record in these five games, comparing the performances is very interesting.

First up is the games against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It was a week three game for the Seahawks and a week six game for the Broncos, both teams played at home. In each of these games, the home teams dominated, with the Seahawks winning 45-17, and the Broncos winning 35-19. While these scores are pretty similar, after looking deeper it is clear the Seahawks played better in their game against the Jaguars. The Seahawks completely dominated their game, and even brought in their reserves in the third quarter. The Broncos however were only up by two at the half, and didn’t have the game in hand until much later. In their games against the Jaguars, Russell Wilson and Peyton Manning had the same completion percentage and amount of interceptions, but Wilson actually threw two more touchdowns. Neither team was able to get the running game going very well, but the Seahawks ended up averaging 7.1 yards per play to a measly 5.7 for the Broncos. In the first of their common games, the Seahawks outplayed the Broncos in all facets.

Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson had very similar games against Jacksonville. The only difference? Wilson threw for two more touchdowns. 

Herald.net

Another of their common games was against the Houston Texans, and this is an interesting one to examine because of the Texans’ third ranked pass defense, by DVOA. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks passing game really struggled, to the tune of 123 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Manning on the other hand, shredded the Texans’ strong pass defense for 400 yards and four touchdowns. The Seahawks were only three of fourteen on third down and averaged 4.7 yards per play, well below their season average. The Broncos defense played better as well, holding the Texans to 13 points, while the Seahawks let up 20 in one of their worst defensive performance of the season.

Both teams lost to the Indianapolis Colts in Indy this season, so I figured this would be one of the most interesting games to examine. Manning was virtually flawless as he was all season, throwing for 386 yards, three touchdowns and only one interception, but the rest of the offense wasn’t as successful. Knowshon Moreno only rushed for 40 yards and averaged less than three yards per carry. Additionally, the Broncos were five of sixteen on third down which was well below their season average. The Seahawks offense was even worse on third down, converting only two of their twelve attempts. It seems the main cause for the loss of both teams was the defense, or lack thereof, as the Colts scored 34 against the ‘Hawks and 39 against the Broncos.

These two teams played two more common games against the Titans and Giants, but the narrative was pretty much the same. Over the five games, the Seahawks averaged 27.8 points compared to the Broncos ridiculous 39.4. The Seahawks defense however significantly outplayed the Broncos’ unit, allowing only 16.8 points per game compared to the Broncos defense that allowed 24.4. The biggest disparity however is one Seahawks fans have harped on all year, third down efficiency. The ‘Hawks converted only 27% of their third downs in the five common games, while the Broncos converted 40%. Both of these are below the season averages, but the ‘Hawks will need to boost that number if they want to win the Super Bowl.

           

Another of the more interesting points of comparison between the two teams is the place where most football pundits say games are won and lost: the trenches. Offensive and defensive lines are the start to every single play in football, and the team that owns the line of scrimmage has a great chance of coming out with a Super Bowl victory.

Denver’s pass protection was the best in the league, allowing a league low 20 sacks, and boasting a league best adjusted sack rate (DVOA), of 3.7%. The Broncos were first but where were the Seahawks? Dead last. They were middle of the pack in terms of sacks allowed, but that is mostly because of the man under center, Harry Houdini himself. The Seahawks were last in the NFL in adjusted sack rate. First and last. Not a good sign for Seattle. That may trouble some fans, but others could say “But what about run blocking? We can make up for it there.”. Wrong. The Broncos actually had a better run blocking offensive line by DVOA. It wasn’t a lot better, but it was better.

Defensive line play is the flip side to this, and if either team can dominate on the defensive line, they can totally disrupt an offense. This was shown to Seahawk fans firsthand this season, as Robert Quinn, Chris Long, and the Rams defensive line were in the Seahawks backfield seemingly every play in both games they played, resulting in the Seahawks barely averaging over 20 points in those two games. More bad news however Seahawk fans, as the Broncos have the third best defensive line in terms of run stopping in the NFL. They were ninth in rushing yards allowed, but after DVOA adjusts for schedule and everything else, the Broncos defensive line ranks third. Not good news for the Seahawks’ 13^th ranked run blocking offensive line. There is a light at the end of the tunnel however, as the Seahawks crush the Broncos in pass-rushing defensive line. The Broncos are in the bottom half of the NFL in terms of adjusted sack rate, which is the statistic of choice to rank defensive lines. Although the Seahawks only had three more sacks than the Broncos, they were seventh in the NFL in adjusted sack rate. This will be a HUGE storyline to watch, as being able to get pressure against Peyton Manning without blitzing is one of the few ways to disrupt his timing.

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well. Keep checking back for more updates!

Takeaways: Seahawks Dominate the Giants

By Jackson Safon

Yesterday the Seahawks went on the road to play a team that has nothing to lose at a 10:00 AM start time. Generally that is a recipe for disaster, but the Giants simply aren’t that good and the ‘Hawks were too much for them. The Seahawks won 23-0 and it should’ve been a lot closer to 40-0, but a win is a win and a shutout is nothing to cry about. This win moves the Seahawks to 12-2, which includes 6-2 on the road and a fantastic 4-1 in 10:00 AM starts. Those are two categories that many ‘Hawks fans were worried about going into this season but Russell Wilson and the Seahawks have silenced all of the doubters.

1. Defense was dominant

There will be people out there who say the Seahawks defense was only dominant because the Giants offense is terrible. Part of that is true, but it is very difficult to shut out an NFL football team for a number of reasons. The Seahawks went into New York and held the Giants offense to 25 yards rushing and only 156 yards passing. Not to mention the five interceptions, yes five, and the four sacks. The Giants only had 12 first downs in this game and a few of them came when the game was already in hand. Absolute domination by the defense as a whole, but a special shout out to Byron Maxwell who has played lights out since taking over for the injured Brandon Browner.

2. Offense was…good enough

The Seahawks put up 23 points and scored on five different drives, but this was not nearly the offense we as fans are accustomed to seeing. Russell Wilson only averaged 7.6 yards per attempt and Marshawn Lynch averaged under three yards per carry. The Giants defense is no joke but the offensive performance was still not where it has to be going forward.  Doug Baldwin and Marshawn Lynch had good receiving days, but Golden Tate uncharacteristically missed on three potential deep balls. Obviously the offense played good enough to win this game but the unit needs to perform better as a whole going forward.

3. Special Teams is consistently the best

Reuben Randle had the first punt return against the Seahawks in months, and his return of four yards bumped the total allowed by the ‘Hawks to 19. In other words, the Seahawks punt unit is having one of the best seasons in the history of the NFL. Furthermore, Steven Hauschka continues his fantastic season, knocking in all three of his field goals. Hauschka has been so good that the only field goal he has missed was the one the ‘Hawks had blocked in the Colts game. Just an unbelievable year.

Steven Hauschka is a Pro-Bowl caliber kicker.

Seahawks.com

4. Penalties

The Seahawks had 8 penalties for 50 yards. The yardage total isn’t terrible, but the penalties show a lack of discipline that is almost never present in Super Bowl champions. I have no doubt the Seahawks have the potential to make it to the Super Bowl, but lack of discipline is one of the things that could possibly derail them.

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well. Keep checking back for more updates.

Five Wishes on My Seattle Sports Christmas List

Well like everybody says, it's that time of the year again. Christmas is just around the corner, and I mean JUST around the corner, and most people are in that cheery type of mood again. Teams in Seattle have had their ups and downs this month, most notably the down of the Huskies, and the ups of the Seahawks, but in the end aren't all Seattle sports kind of bipolar in these kinds of ways? Christmas has ups and downs just like Seattle sports, the downs of gaining weight from all the great food, but the ups from getting presents, getting a break from school, and celebrating the life of Jesus Christ. Every year I look forward to Christmas, as I think many other people do as well, and always wonder what gifts I could be receiving. I usually make a list (even though I'm almost in college) and put my favorite desires on this list. Well this time I'm making the list a little bit differently. I'm creating a list of what 5 things/events I want, or want to occur, in Seattle sports that are within the realistic spectrum (so probably not a World Series championship for the M's). Here are the five items on my list.

1. Seahawks winning the Super Bowl

First off, I think this wish has a very realistic shot of happening. The Seahawks have been one of, if not, the hottest teams in the NFL the past couple of weeks and Russell Wilson just proved it again with an enormous win over the 49ers. Wilson had the highest QBR in week 16 out of every quarterback in the NFL, posting a 97.6 rating, and I think this goes to show how high of a level the Seahawks (and Russell Wilson) have been playing at the past couple of weeks. I mean it's crazy to think that they have outscored their opponents 150-30 the past three weeks. It still kills me to think we had losses against the Rams, Cardinals, and Dolphins. If we played them all again right now, I would have to believe that we would outscore all of them by at least 150-0 or some score around there. That's how good the Seahawks are playing right now (and how bad the other three teams are). The Seahawks will face the winner of the Dallas and Washington game in the first round of the playoffs and I believe that the Seahawks can go on the road and beat either of those teams. Nobody wants to play the Seahawks right now and if I were in the NFC, I would have nightmares of Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson (as long as Sherman's appeal goes as he said it went). The Seahawks will face a tough opponent if they win their first round playoff game, but they have faced at least 2 of the teams in the NFC playoffs before this season. The Seahawks will be prepared and if I was an opponent, boy would I be scared. This would be an awesome late Christmas present in February.

Wouldn't it be nice to see this on the cover page of the Seattle Times once again, except this time having Russell Wilson on it?

http://cdn102.iofferphoto.com/img/item/125/193/793/LbTD.jpg

2. Seattle Arena is built and the city gets an NBA franchise within the next 5 years

I know, I know some of you may be asking how this is not number one on my list, but at the current moment, the Seahawks are tearing it up, if you haven't been watching. Also, there are years in the future where I can wish for Seattle to get an NBA franchise. I've learned that you always have to be patient. Anyways, I think that if the city of Seattle attained an NBA franchise within the next five years, it would energize every sports fan in the city. Well duh it would, but I mean that this event would probably boost ratings and attendance for every team in the city. People would get excited about the general scent of Seattle sports, maybe as strong of a scent that would catch the east coast's attention. Probably not though, knowing the east coast. Gotta love that east coast bias! But back to the point. With the construction of the Seattle arena, not only could an NBA franchise come to the city, but an NHL franchise could follow just as easily. Therefore, this would make Seattle one of the biggest sports cities in the nation, as long as the teams have success, and could even rival towns such as Boston (that only comes with HUGE success though). The acquisition of an NBA franchise has its positives up front, but has even more positives behind the smokescreen, such as the ones I just explained above. This would definitely make my Christmas a whole lot merrier.

3. The Mariners sign or trade for a superstar, or big power hitter

Everybody knows the Mariners need offense. The M's got some offense in their trade for Kendrys Morales this past week, but they still need a lot more. Like, a whole lot more offense. Some trade names that have been thrown out there in recent weeks are Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies and Andre Eithier of the Dodgers. Both of those players would be hard to pry out of their respective team's hands and it would take one or more of the Mariners' big pitching prospects. However, I would give up one of those prospects for either of these bats. There are some other power bats that could be attained through trades, but I'll leave it to Jack Zduriencik to find out exactly who he wants. However, Raul Ibanez won't cut it, at all. After or if we sign or trade for a power bat, I think the Mariners should sign Michael Bourn. He would set the table nicely for the big power hitters and would always bring his stellar defense to the situation. An outfield of Michael Bourn, Franklin Gutierrez and Michael Saunders would be a very athletic and effective group. Either way, the Mariners need to make some more moves to improve their offense and Jack Z knows this. I also think he might know that it would make my Christmas a little bit better. Actually, probably a whole lot better. Hopefully Jack Z makes a move for not just me, but for all of Seattle soon after Christmas.

Andre Eithier could bolster the Mariner's offense in a big way.

http://www.dodgersnation.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/andre-ethier.jpg

4. Keith Price returns to his 2011 form in 2013

Fresh off a Vegas Bowl loss, this wish debuts at number four on my list. The Huskies were one of the most infuriating teams I've ever chosen to root for this year as their play-calling, decision making, performance and sometimes their effort were way below what I thought they were going to be at the beginning of the season. I think the reason for why this season was so frustrating to me was because I saw so much potential in this Huskies team. Sure, the first six games were tough, but the Huskies made it out of the gauntlet with a 3-3 record. I thought the season would have ended with a 9-3 record after the first six games, but probably more realistically an 8-4 record. Well sure enough, the regular season ended with a 7-5 record and in the end a 7-6 record was pulled out from the rubble. Leading the team this year was Keith Price and I thought he was poised for another outstanding year, but boy did he disappoint big time. After talking with Scott Enyeart yesterday, I think USC fans know what I'm talking about. Matt Barkley was poised for a Heisman caliber year and in the end it turned out to really be a dud of a season for Trojan fans. For once, Trojan and Huskies fans can relate in the ways that they feel. Oh what a jolly time Christmas is, friendships and all, but back to the point. It would make me so happy if Keith Price returns to his 2011 form in the 2013 season and depending on how well his year goes, this wish could end up being the best event I ever wished for! With a performance reminiscent of his 2011 season in the 2013 season, Keith Price could lead the Huskies to contend for a PAC-12 title.

5. Aaron Gordon announces that he will attend the University of Washington

This would be absolutely huge for Lorenzo Romar and the Dawgs. The Huskies desperately need a play-maker and star player, and they would be getting just that in Aaron Gordon. The Huskies are pretty darn boring to watch this year and the signing of Gordon would give a reason to all the Huskie's fans to come storming back to Alaska Airlines Arena. I know that I sure would. It looks like Arizona is the Huskie's biggest competition for Gordon as Kentucky already has a jam packed recruiting class, as they always do under Calipari. Gordon will likely make his choice after the college basketball season as he wants to see how each team on his lost performs throughout the year. I've also heard a rumor that Gordon is waiting to see what happens with Romar, as Romar could sprint off to UCLA if Howland is fired. I found these rumors hard to believe, but if it happens, you can say you read it here first (unless you read it somewhere else first...). A kid who is only 18 years old has the chance to make my Christmas. That's how good Aaron Gordon is.

Aaron Gordon would be a huge get for Lorenzo Romar and the Washington Huskies.



Honorable Mention: A surprise 5 or 4 star recruit for the Huskies football team, Sounders making it to the MLS Cup, Huskies make solid offensive coaching hires

As you can see, I dream big. All of these events have a realistic chance of happening and if they all do happen, the city of Seattle will go absolutely nuts. But on the other side of the spectrum, these wishes could all just as easily not happen and Seattle sports fans could be left to drown in their sorrows for once again another year. Obviously, I won't get instant gratification with any of these wishes as they will happen over time, being within the next year or five years, but I can live with that. I think Seattle sports fans, such as myself, have learned to be patient over the past 10 years or so. Don't worry, we can be patient again, we would just like to have our wishes come true once in a while.

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well! Keep checking back for more updates.

Marshall

Current State of the Seahawks

Pure domination. That is the best way to explain the victory that the Seahawks had over the 49ers on Sunday. The ‘Hawks dominated in all phases of the game: offensively, defensively, and especially on special teams. The offense was very efficient, scoring early and often with beast mode in full effect and Russell Wilson up to his usual spectacular ways. The defense was stout as well, only allowing six points in the first half, and zero in the second half until a meaningless, garbage time touchdown with less than two minutes to go in the game. Even the special teams played well the entire game, with a couple good returns from Leon Washington and the game-changing play, which was Red Bryant’s blocked field goal that led to Richard Sherman’s 90 yard return for a touchdown. When watching the game, my friend Joey Calabro, who you all should follow on Twitter @redmondsfinest, prophetically predicted the play would happen saying, “Red Bryant is due for a blocked field goal.” It was just pure perfection. From three points in the 49er’s favor to seven points in the Seahawk’s favor, I would say it was the turning point of the game. Instead of being a 14-6 game, it was a 21-3 game and the Seahawk’s had all the momentum. Clearly, the Seahawks dominated in brilliant fashion, and to top it all off, the game was on national television so the Seahawks might even get some recognition for their win.

Red Bryant's blocked field goal shifted the momentum towards the Seahawks way for the rest of the game.

TONY OVERMAN/The Olympian

So it’s clear that we won the game in convincing fashion, but you may ask, what does that mean for us? Well first of all, it clinches the Hawks a playoff spot and secondly, it gives us our first winning record since 2007. What’s even better is that the Hawks are now getting some national recognition. In ESPN’s newest power rankings (which came out this morning), it has the Seahawks at sixth, just behind the Patriots, Packers, 49ers, Falcons, and Broncos. Now before all of you fans complain that we shouldn’t be behind the Patriots, Packers, and 49ers because we beat them, think of the body of work over the entire season. Now the most important thing to be gleaned from last night’s victory over the 49ers is that the Seahawks are here and they are here to stay for a while. One of the recent trends in the NFL is that teams who peak at the end of the season and don’t necessarily clinch a playoff spot until week 16 or 17 are in fact the teams who make long playoff runs. Think about it. Last year, the Giants didn’t get in to the playoffs until they beat the Cowboys in week 17, and then they made a super bowl run. The year before that, Green Bay was decimated by injuries and barely made the playoffs until peaking late, and then they made a long super bowl run. The Seahawks are peaking at the right time and it seems like the kind of team that nobody wants to face in the playoffs. Plus, a top defense, top running game, and a quarterback who can make plays and doesn’t turn the ball over are things that we have, and are key components to a Super Bowl team.

The Seahawks will face the winner of the Cowboys-Redskins game in the first round of the playoffs.

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

However before we get to the Super Bowl, we will have to win three playoff games, most likely all on the road. At this point, it is almost certain that we will play our first round game against the winner of the NFC East, which will be solely determined by the Redskins and Cowboys game this Sunday. That begs the question, who would we rather play, the Redskins or the Cowboys? Personally, I don’t think it’s much of a question at all: we want to play the Cowboys. First of all, the Redskins are exactly the kind of desperate, peaking at the right time type of team that I described could make a deep playoff run. Secondly, playing against the Seahawks in the playoffs would be Tony Romo’s worst nightmare after he famously botched a snap in Qwest Field to lose the Cowboys a playoff game. So that means as hard as it’s going to be, Seahawks fans should be rooting for Romo and the Cowboys this weekend. To make my final point, the Seahawks are peaking at the right time, and with the pieces they have, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make a deep playoff run. I’m not predicting anything yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the ‘Hawks made it all the way to the Super Bowl.  

Thanks for reading and follow us on Twitter @seasportssoup! Like us on Facebook as well! Keep checking back for more updates.

Jackson