NFC Championship Game

The NFC Championship game occurred last Sunday in a noisy CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks hosted the Green Bay Packers, both well fairing teams for all of 2014’s season and both having some of the most loyal fan bases in the league. Unlike the AFC Championship game being an utter blowout, the NFC game was a very competitive one. So competitive in fact that it went into overtime. Ultimately, the Seahawks were victorious, finishing the game with a final score of 28-22.

The Packers got off to an early lead but Seattle was able to make a resilient comeback after halftime. The Seahawks were down 12 points with only 5 minutes of play remaining in the game. The team struggled with turnovers for a good portion of the game. Quarterback Russell Wilson scored a touchdown and then running back Marshawn Lynch scored too. The Packers kicked a field goal, tying the game and sending it to overtime. The game winning play occurred when Wilson connected a pass with wide receiver Jermaine Kearse for a Seahawks touchdown, less than 4 minutes into OT play.

Following the game on Sunday, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said he will likely think about this game for the rest of his career. He admitted this was a missed opportunity and was also reported to have said that the Packers were the better team in the game. With 5 Seattle turnovers and up until the 4th quarter, this was in fact true. Rodgers completed 19 of 34 passes and has been playing with a calf injury throughout the playoffs.

The Super Bowl will be held a week from this Sunday at the University of Phoenix Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks will face off against the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots have plenty of years of experience in the big game, however, Seattle is a generally young and hungry team, looking to go for a back-to-back championship reign. 34 players on Seattle’s 53-man roster were part of the Super Bowl team last year. With both teams playing hard in their respective conference championship games, this is likely to be another great matchup.