The Seattle Seahawks’ Road to Super Bowl 50
Wednesday, January 06, 2016
I remember a time not long ago when making the playoffs as a Wild Card was cause for dancing in the streets. However, those have become a distant memory, as Seattle has made four straight postseasons, including back-to-back Super Bowls in the last two years (winning in 2013). But this is a very different year. If Seattle wants to get back to the Super Bowl they’ll have to do it by winning on the road all the way until the end.
Winning on the road is no easy feat in the NFL. In fact, only six teams have ever won three straight playoff games on the road, then won the Super Bowl, (played on a neutral field) to take the Lombardi Trophy home. Most recently, the Green Bay Packers did it in 2010, and most memorably the Pittsburg Steelers did in 2005, against the Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle has arguably had the best home-field advantage of any team in the league these last few years, but this year the 12th man will have to travel if they want to impact games. First up, ‘Hawks, fans is a trip to Minnesota! That’s right, a return trip to the frozen NFC North where we last saw the Vikings decimated on their own field to the tune of a 38-7 loss to Seattle.
The Seahawks have opened up as five-point favorites next Sunday, even though they're on the road. History has shown, however, that it’s hard to beat a team at home twice in a season and Minnesota will surely be better prepared this time. When last the two teams met, the Vikings seemed to have a game plan that didn’t involve star running back Adrian Peterson, giving him only 12 touches that day, which was by far his fewest of any week this season.
This time around you can bet they’ll give Peterson the ball until they’re sure it won’t work, and they’ll do their very best to use him to dictate the pace of the game and control the line of scrimmage. That’s all a lot easier said than done, as Seattle’s defense doesn’t seem willing to give up running yards to anyone, not even Peterson.
The team is coming off a 36-6 win over the division winning Arizona Cardinals and were able to take their opponent to the woodshed without starting players, Marshawn Lynch, Kam Chancellor, Russell Okung and J.R. Sweezy. It’s likely all four of those players will be available for Sunday’s playoff game in Minnesota, so the Seahawks should be as healthy as they’ve been all year.
This Seattle team is a bit of an anomaly, as they’re both guaranteed to be a road team trough-out the playoffs, and probably the least favorable matchup for every other team in the NFC as well. And you guessed it, loyal-reader, they’re my pick to make it to the Super Bowl again this year.
No playoff team should ever be overlooked, even the Vikings. But the Seahawks are in a great position to get through the first round unscathed. After that they’d be headed to Carolina to take on the Panthers. And even that is probably looking a little further into the crystal ball than we should at this point. For the record, though, I can seriously see a scenario where we get a rematch of Super Bowl XL, Steelers Vs. Seahawks. Would there be a sweeter Super Bowl to win this year? I think not.
Most years I'd say you could call me a homer for picking a sixth-seed to make it to the very end. However, this road team has been there the last two years, is finally getting healthy and looks like the best team in the NFC. Just for fun, here are my predictions for the first round of the playoffs. It’s looking to be one fantastic football weekend.
NFC
Seattle 34 Minnesota 17
Green Bay 27 Washington 24 (In Overtime)
AFC
Pittsburgh 31 Cincinnati 28
Kansas City 21 Houston 17
Related Slideshow: 15 Biggest Sports Stories of 2015
Related Articles
- Seattle Seahawks Salary Cap
- Seattle Seahawks Marshawn Lynch Finally Receives $75k Media Fine
- Seattle Seahawks Shut Out Chicago Bears for First Win of the Season
- Seattle Seahawks To Russell Wilson: Here’s To Four More Years
- Seattle Seahawks: 2015 Final Act
- Seattle Seahawks-The Titantic Wake of Scott McCloughan
- Seattle Seahawks Lose Game In Overtime to Cincinnati Bengals
- Seattle Seahawks Face Criticism Over Draft Pick
- Seattle Seahawks - The Winter of Our Discontent
- Seahawks Vs. Packers: An Improbable Win
- Seattle Seahawks are a Team in Transition
- Seattle Seahawks Back-up Defense Showcase Talent in Preseason Games
- Seattle Seahawks Draftland: Where the First Round Doesn’t Matter
- Seattle Seahawks: Looming Showdown With Arizona Will Make Or Break Their Season
- Spotted In Portland: Seattle Seahawks’ Richard Sherman
- Training Camp is a Must Go for Seattle Seahawks Fans
- Three Things The Seattle Seahawks Are Doing Wrong
- WATCH: Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor Forces Game-Saving Fumble
- Which Seattle Seahawks Players Belong On The Team’s Mount Rushmore?
- Why Supporting the Seahawks Out of Solidarity is Wrong
- The Seattle Seahawks’ Newest Solution to an Old Problem
- The Seattle Seahawks Look at their Defensive Line Options
- The Leading Contenders to Replace the Seahawks’ Pro Bowl-Sized Hole
- The Grudge Match: Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers
- The New NFL Siberia: Playing Guard for the Seattle Seahawks
- The Seahawks Don’t Need an NFL Wild Card
- The Seattle Seahawks Are Back In Command
- Seahawks Get Beat in Overtime - See How the Rest of the NFL Performed
- He Said / She Said: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
- He Said / She Said: Carolina Panthers at Seattle Seahawks
- He Said / She Said: Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens
- He Said / She Said: Seattle Seahawks at Cincinnati Bengals
- Half of Seventeen is Nine: A Look at the Seattle Seahawks Playoff Odds
- Grand Central’s 12th Man Loaf Celebrates Seahawks’ Super Bowl Appearance
- Carolina Panthers Vs. Seahawks: What to Watch For
- Game Preview: Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions
- Game Review: Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions
- Game Review: Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers
- He Said / She Said: Seattle Seahawks vs. Arizona Cardinals
- He Said / She Said: Seattle Seahawks vs. Cleveland Browns
- On the Bright Side… Thoughts Through Week 6 About the Seahawks
- NFC Playoff Picture: Seattle Seahawks Are Officially Back In The Hunt
- Only One Thing Can Stop a Seattle Seahawks Dynasty in 2015
- Player Profile: Seattle Seahawks WR Rookie Tyler Lockett
- Red Robin Offering Free Burgers to Seattle Seahawks Fans
- New Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham Clicking with Russell Wilson
- New England Patriots Defeat Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in Super Bowl XLIX
- He Said / She Said: Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
- He Said / She Said: Seattle Seahawks vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
- He Said / She Said: Seattle Seahawks’ Second-Half Outlook
- Here We Go Again: Green Bay Packers Visit Seattle Seahawks
- Kam Chancellor Needs to Honor His Contract with the Seattle Seahawks
- 3 Things to Watch in the Seattle Seahawks’ 1st Preseason Game
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It