New England Patriots at Seattle Seahawks: Early Super Bowl Preview for Seattle

If there was ever a time for the Seattle Seahawks' now eight-game winning streak to end, it was at the 5:04-mark of the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers. Down 19-7 in the game, Russell Wilson threw his fourth interception of the game, and it appeared we would have a Packers/Patriots battle in the Super Bowl.

According to Pro Football Reference, Seattle's chances of winning the game dropped to 0.1 percent after the errant pass from Wilson. As we all know, that sliver of hope was enough for the Seahawks to cap off a 28-22 victory and a second consecutive trip to the Super Bowl.

The reigning champions somehow finagled their way into the NFC's top seed for the playoffs, winning nine of their last 10 games after a 3-3 start to the year. Following their first-round bye for the playoffs, a familiar opponent traveled to town in the Carolina Panthers.

The teams had played one another in Carolina each of the last three years, with Seattle coming out victorious on each occasion by a combined score of 13 points. This margin of victory was wider, with Seattle winning 31-17, but the game was every bit as close as the previous three.

The score was close through three quarters but, as has become the norm for Seattle of late, a fourth-quarter surge was all it took to take the victory. The Seahawks have outscored their last five opponents in the fourth quarter 74-13. Through the first three quarters, they outscore their opponents 55-45.

While the team would love to enter the closing quarter of a game with more assurance of a win, the Seahawks' formula has produced the results they desire in thrilling fashion. With the big game set to be played on a neutral field, the Seahawks opened as two-point favorites on Odds Shark. However, things have fluctuated heavily, as the line has since swung to New England being favored by 1.5 points.

Injuries

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The Seahawks suffered key injuries to major parts of their secondary and defense during the team's NFC Championship Game: safety Earl Thomas and cornerback Richard Sherman, perhaps the two biggest cogs on the NFL's premier defense. 

Head coach Pete Carroll didn't shed any light on the status of either player, but he lauded them for the effort each put forward to close out the game:

"

It's worth mentioning again the effort that those guys put out. OK, we don't even know what happened to them yet. We don't know the results of the injury. Both those guys were in dire straits for, could they play? And they didn't flinch. Not for a second.

"

The two stud defensive backs don't appear to be in danger of missing the Super Bowl, but it is a situation to monitor.

Hot and Cold

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Every team has its heroes and its goats in a game. When the playoffs roll around the increased magnitude of the game can put a spotlight on these players. The teams that can get more heroes than goats on a weekly basis are the ones that typically get to punch a ticket to the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks are fortunate enough to have more than their fair share of playmakers, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite a horrendous performance from the team's typically stable quarterback, the team was able to pull out a win. Let's look at who's been hot and cold for Seattle.

Hot

Center Max Unger has missed the majority of the season with various injuries. While Unger was out due to injuries, the Seahawks' reserves struggled mightily in the overview.

Unger has had a strong presence on the Seahawks offensive line since returning to the lineup, proving to be a strength on running plays and performing much better than his replacements in pass protection. He'll have two weeks to continue his healing and to prepare for NT Vince Wilfork of the Patriots.

On the other side of the ball, Richard Sherman has been strong overall throughout the regular season, but his play has stepped up to another level in the playoffs. He's allowed three receptions on seven targets for 51 yards and intercepted two balls, according to Pro Football Focus. 

One of the more underrated parts of Sherman's game has been how well he performs in run support, but he consistently makes tackles in the open field. On plays where he cannot get to opposing running backs, he has done a solid job of breaking down in space and holding containment.

Cold

QB Russell Wilson had one of the worst—if not the worst—outings of his career against the Green Bay Packers. Wilson had a Jake Delhomme-like effort in the game, throwing four interceptions and nearly fumbling away the ball on another possession.

The third-year pro hit a bit of a rough patch toward the middle of the season, where he struggled with accuracy and failed to play up to his ability. While this may just a lapse, it can be looked at in two lights. You can worry which quarterback will show up in the Super Bowl or be happy he had this clunker before the big game.

Storylines

You Mad, Bro?

This isn't really a big part of the game, but we all like to stir up some things for fans to discuss before the game, and two weeks leaves plenty of time to handle such frivolities. The last time the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks played one another was in 2012, at the beginning of Seattle's rise.

There's nothing better than a bit of a war of words between two star talents on opposing teams, on opposite sides of the ball. Following the Seahawks' 24-23 victory of the always-heralded Patriots, Richard Sherman ran up to Tom Brady and said the now famous line, "You mad, bro?"

Brady claims to have not heard what was said, nor does he seem to care, but the banter provides good fuel for a matchup to watch. It's not often there's a star battle between guys on the opposing side of the ball, but Brady will actually throw against Sherman. We'll have to wait and see who's mad in a few weeks.

Dynastic Battle

In the salary-cap era, it's been more than tough for teams to build a dynasty. The fact that the Seahawks were the first Super Bowl team to even win a playoff game the following years since their next Super Bowl opponent had done the same in 2003 and 2004 is a statement. 

The Patriots have been the era's only dynasty, winning the championship three times in four years and appearing in five Super Bowls over the last 14 seasons. They are also the most recent team to win back-to-back Super Bowls. It's very fitting for these two teams to face each other.

On the line is perhaps the beginning of a dynasty in Seattle or an addition to the legacy created by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady for New England.

What to Expect

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The Packers may have exposed some vulnerabilities in Seattle's offense. The Packers, surprisingly, finished with the 10th-best pass defense during the regular season and were able to play almost exclusively in man coverage against Seattle.

Though Russell Wilson had a less-than-stellar outing, his receivers failed to break away from coverage for the majority of the game. None of the team's tight ends were able to make an impact and, as a receiving collective, there were too many dropped balls from receivers and tight ends. 

Because the Packers were able to stay in man coverage, they were also able to stack the line of scrimmage, albeit the strategy failed. Where this becomes a problem is that New England has Darrelle Revis and former Seahawk Brandon Browner at corner. 

The two talents excel in man coverage, especially Revis, and should give the clever Bill Belichick increased flexibility in his play-calling ability if Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse can't get open. Defensively, the Seahawks do what they do for the most part.

That may be oversimplified, but Seattle doesn't make many adjustments on that side of the ball from week to week. Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski poses the biggest threat, as Seattle has had its fair share of problems with tight ends early in the year.

Still, the most effective way to play against Seattle's defense all season has been to run the ball up the gut. The rushing attack hasn't always been there for New England, but since adding LeGarrette Blount back to the roster midway through the season, the team has improved.

Early Prediction

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The gambling lines swinging nearly four points in the opposite direction of the original seems to suggest a lot of people focusing solely on what they've seen from each team most recently. That's probably not the best idea for for these teams or this season in general.

It's been tough to get a read on most teams this year, but these two have been the most consistently dominant. 

Russell Wilson has never played as poorly as he did against the Packers, and the Seahawks still won the game. In the end, you have to just look at the parts that make up each of these teams to make a decision. 

These are two very well-coached teams set to play in a game that will likely come down to execution. Ultimately, the stability and dominance of the Seattle defense is too overwhelming for me to predict against at this stage.

Prediction: Seattle 29, New England 26