Seahawks' Defense Finds Championship Form in NFC Title Win over Packers

The Seattle Seahawks' wild 28-22 comeback victory over the Green Bay Packers is one game fans on either side won't forget for a very long a time.

We can point to the turnaround Russell Wilson made when it mattered the most. We can focus in on the specials teams' error delivered by Packers backup tight end Brandon Bostick. But lost in all of that is how well the Seahawks defense played.

This game wasn't easy. Those thinking the Seahawks would blow out Green Bay like they did in Week 1 of the regular season were sorely mistaken. Anytime you have to deal with head coach Mike McCarthy's schemes and quarterback Aaron Rodgers' execution, nothing is a given.

Usually it's easy to pick up on Seattle's defensive dominance. The Seahawks smother rushing lanes, destroy wide receivers in coverage and bait quarterbacks into making the wrong decisions. This time, it wasn't that simple.

Thanks to Wilson's four interceptions, the defense was put in a bad spot from the first quarter on. However, it continued to do what it's done all season: get stops when it matters the most.

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Wilson's first turnover came with 10:37 left in the first quarter. An interception by Packers rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix set his team up with brilliant field position. Had it not been for a silly taunting penalty on defensive lineman Mike Daniels, Rodgers would have started from Seattle's 4-yard line.

Doing its best to keep points off the board, the defense held Rodgers and the Packers offense to just 18 yards on five plays, resulting in a chip-shot field goal for Packers kicker Mason Crosby.

That drive was the theme of the night. When put in an uncomfortable situation, this defense was able to stand tall and limit the damage. Most defenses in this league wouldn't be able to keep their team in the game like that—especially going up against an offense like the Packers.

Arif Hasan, editor-in-chief of Vikings Territory took to Twitter after the first half of action to praise Seattle's defensive efforts:

It may have felt like a lot of points and yards for the Packers, but it really wasn't. The box score shows that even with great starting field position throughout the contest, the Seahawks defense surrendered one touchdown.

Think about that. The Packers offense was averaging 386.6 yards per game during the regular season, and it was scoring 30.4 points per game.

Against the Seahawks, the Packers were held to 306 total yards of offense and 22 points.

Handing out grades for the game, Bob Condotta of the The Seattle Times rewarded the defense for keeping the game within reach. As he gracefully said, the D "never let the game get away from them."

One of the most compelling numbers to come out of this game was the Packers' yards per pass. That number was a lowly 4.9. Compared to Green Bay's season average of 8.3 yards per passing play, that was a huge win for the Hawks.

Scott Eklund/Associated Press

There's been so much chatter about defensive coordinator Dan Quinn becoming a head coach somewhere this offseason, including ESPN.com's Vaughn McClure's latest article. Let's just say his audition tape got a lot stronger with his team's performance versus the Packers.

It's always been about scheme and talent with the Seahawks. Names such as Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor and Bobby Wagner have banded together and formed a nucleus of destruction. And it's that nucleus with Super Bowl-winning experience that has stayed intact.

There are so many storylines that will emerge from this movie-like NFC Championship Game, and they are all equally riveting. For my money, the whole dominance narrative by the Seahawks defense has to be atop that list.

In the biggest game to date of the team's season, faced with the worst situations, the defense did what it had to do in order to facilitate a Seahawks victory.

Seahawks wide receiver Jermaine Kearse—the man who caught the game-winning touchdown in overtime—said it best, per the Seahawks' official Twitter account:

Pete Carroll's club is now off to Arizona to defend their crown in Super Bowl XLIX. If the defense plays anything like it did in the NFC title game, there's a good chance the Lombardi Trophy will once again be hoisted in the streets of Seattle.

Unless noted otherwise, all game scores and information come courtesy of ESPN.com.