Seattle Seahawks Surging into Playoffs as NFC's Hottest Team

Each and every year, a discussion ensues that goes a little like this: "No one wants to play Team X in the playoffs." Everyone then pinpoints exactly which team they think it is. 

The Seattle Seahawks earned the distinction this year. 

A Super Bowl run is determined by many factors: a team peaking at the right time, health, matchups, coaching and catching a little lightning in a bottle. 

Everything points toward the Seahawks making another Super Bowl run after the team's 36-6 walloping of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium. 

Of course, others will argue Seattle's victory came against a team with nothing to play for in Week 17 and already gliding into the playoffs. 

However, the tune was much different earlier in the week.

"Don't think you get anything out of resting guys," Arizona head coach Bruce Arians said Monday, per AZCentral.com's Kent Somers. "We're playing so well right now, we don't want to change."

Instead, the Cardinals began to pull players at the start of the second half—notably quarterback Carson Palmer. 

By that point, Seattle had already established its dominance. The Seahawks built a 30-6 lead in the first two quarters. The Cardinals' heart might not have been fully in the game, but all of their starters were at that point.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

As Arians so eloquently stated after the game, the Cardinals "got our asses kicked," per Somers. 

What separated the Seahawks from the team they were earlier this season was the play of quarterback Russell Wilson. 

In the NFL, organizations are usually distinguished by one thing: those who have a franchise quarterback and those who don't. There is a definitive thread linking teams with solid quarterback play, their ability to play at a consistent level and making the playoffs.

On Sunday, the Seahawks quarterback became the first in NFL history to pass for 4,000 yards, throw 30 touchdowns and add 500 or more yards on the ground in one season, as noted by ESPN. 

His overall play since the week of Thanksgiving has been nothing short of phenomenal.

"It's constant progression," Wilson said, per the News Tribune's Gregg Bell. "Every [year] it's to get better. That's my mission."

Against the Cardinals, the $87.6 million signal-caller completed 19 of 28 passes with three touchdown tosses and no turnovers. 

Yes, the team took a step back against the St. Louis Rams in Week 16. Otherwise, Seattle basically destroyed its other opponents over the past seven weeks. 

The Los Angeles Times' Sam Farmer detailed Wilson's outstanding performance in one succinct tweet: 

Simply put: The NFL has never seen a quarterback quite like Wilson. At least, defenses have never seen a quarterback put up the numbers and present the type of headaches Wilson presents. 

Overall, the Seahawks offense isn't very good on paper. The offensive line is inconsistent, injured and even ineffective at times. The team is down to its third running back, Christine Michael, who the organization cut before the start of the season, only to re-sign him over three months later. Granted, Marshawn Lynch is expected back Monday, according to ESPN's Sheil Kapadia. 

Week	Opponent	W/L	Score
10	Cardinals	L	39-32
11	49ers	W	29-13
12	Steelers	W	39-30
13	Vikings	W	38-7
14	Ravens	W	35-6
15	Browns	W	30-13
16	Rams	L	23-17
17	Cardinals	W	36-6

The limitations on that side of the ball are obvious, but Seattle entered Sunday's contest ranked fourth overall in total offense. 

Wilson is leading the way, but he's also received plenty of help. Wide receivers Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett didn't put up big numbers Sunday, but they continue to contribute each week. 

Baldwin developed into a legit top target for Wilson. His performance against the Cardinals was his first without a touchdown reception since the team's Nov. 22 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers. Between those two points in the season, the Stanford product scored 11 times. 

The team's leading receiver also set career highs with 78 receptions for 1,069 receiving yards. 

Lockett, meanwhile, can damage opponents as a receiver and a returner. The rookie electrified with his performance as a punt returner Sunday, returning four punts for 139 yards to give his team good field position. He's a dynamic presence who can drastically affect the game in two of three phases. 

But Seattle has always been built around its defense. As good as the offense is this year, the defense needed to rise to the occasion after a shaky start. 

The Legion of Boom secondary surrendered multiple leads when the team was treading water and couldn't find its way above the .500 mark.

The early-season defense wasn't the one taking the field during the second half of the regular season. After the team's Week 9 bye, Seattle gave up 137 points or 17 points per game. Over half of those points came in two games—against the Cardinals in Week 10 and the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 12 game Seattle still won.

Since the start of December, the Seahawks have only given up 11 points per game. The attitude is back on that side of the football too. 

"Sometimes people forget who we are," All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman said, per Bell. 

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

The Seahawks have been the NFC's best team over the past two-plus seasons. The team made appearances in two straight Super Bowls. The defense is one of the best the NFL has seen in its storied history.

Now, add a quarterback playing at a truly unsurpassed level, a legit No. 1 receiver, a dynamic playmaker within the offense or special teams and Beast Mode ready to return to the lineup, and this Seahawks team just might be far more dangerous than the previous two incarnations to play in the sport's biggest game.

"When we hit on all cylinders ain’t nobody in the world can mess with us," linebacker Bruce Irvin said after the game, per Bell. 

Right now, no one should want to mess with the Seahawks. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.