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.

Seattle Seahawks

Earlier this week, ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters predicted records for all teams in the upcoming NFL season, which kicks off this Thursday night. The Green Bay Packers will face off against the Seattle Seahawks who were ranked 1st in these predictions, with reporters forecasting a 13-3 season that will be good enough to clinch the NFC West division and likely beyond. The Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVII and many fans and analysts alike have not expressed much surprise at the thought of them repeating this victory for the 2014-2015 season. The team is young, talented and surpassed constant doubt last season to dominate.

Last year’s Seahawks Super Bowl squad was the 2nd youngest team in NFL history to be named champions, with the roster’s average age a mere 26.4 years old. The team may be young in general, but is stacked with top tier talent including WR Doug Baldwin, CB Richard Sherman, who were former Stanford teammates under current San Francisco 49ers head coach, Jim Harbaugh and went on to win the 2011 Orange Bowl in college; QB Russell Wilson and veterans - RB Marshawn Lynch and WR Percy Harvin who are also key players for the Seahawks. These guys know what they’re doing as does head coach, Pete Carroll who came to the Seahawks from USC in 2010 where he had spent 9 years as the head coach, producing 53 NFL draft picks during his tenure.

In preseason play, the Seahawks faced minor challenges, finishing 2-2. The Seahawks lost to their previous Super Bowl opponent, the Denver Broncos as well as the Oakland Raiders but were able to defeat the San Diego Chargers and Chicago Bears. Wilson completed 33 of 42 passes and the team is considered to have an impressive offense, keeping 7 wide receivers and 3 tight ends on their final roster.

With a stacked roster and hungry passion supported by the NFL’s loudest crowd, also known as 12th Man, the Seahawks are a fierce contender for repeating a Super Bowl victory and at the very least, advancing far into the playoffs. Kickoff for their season opener is on Thursday, September 4th at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC.