NFL week 14 preview and predictions
The Armchair Quarterback’s Take Of The Week
The Seattle Seahawks Are Going To Win The Super Bowl
Monday night the Seattle Seahawks dismantled the New Orleans Saints 34-7. That result moved the Seahawks to 11-1 and dropped the Saints to 9-3. The only other NFC team with 9 or more wins is the Carolina Panthers, and they are now tied with the Saints in the NFC South. That means with four games to play, the Seahawks have a two game lead on home field advantage with head to head wins against both of those teams. That means that Seattle would have to lose three of it’s last four games to lose home field. Short of being decimated by injuries, that’s not happening. The road to the Super Bowl in the NFC will go through Seattle.
Granted, the NFL is an “Any Given Sunday” kind of league, but the Seahawks beat the Panthers in Carolina and completely destroyed both the 49ers and Saints in Seattle. Those are the three best teams that Seattle would likely have to face in the playoffs. There are no sure things in the NFL, but the Seahawks look like about as safe of pick to make the Super Bowl as any team in recent history. They are the most complete team in the NFL, boasting a great defense, great running game, and now with the continuing emergence of Russell Wilson, a very good passing game. You throw in one of the most intimidating home field advantages in pro sports, and it’s not looking good for the rest of the NFC.
The next question then becomes, if they make the Super Bowl, would they be the favorites to win it?
At this point, there are two front-runners in the AFC: the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. These are both very good teams that have legitimate championship aspirations. However, both of those teams rely heavily on their quarterback to succeed. Seattle obviously relies on Russell Wilson too, but it’s their defense and running game that are the foundation of the team. Wilson and the passing game are like the icing on the cake.
Any other year, you would almost always pick the team with the best QB to win, but this year the Super Bowl is in New York. There is a very good possibility that this year’s Super Bowl will be played in very cold conditions. That makes passing the ball more difficult, especially if there is wind or precipitation involved.
The worse the conditions, the better off a team that is built off their defense and rushing attack will be. Also, it’s not like the Seattle passing game is a weakness. In fact, you can make a strong case that Wilson has been the third best QB in the NFL stats wise behind Peyton and Nick Foles. The only category where Wilson isn’t up there with the league leaders is yards per game. Wilson simply doesn’t have to put up that many yards because of his run game and defense.
I’m not a bandwagon jumper by nature (I’m basically permanently planted on the Chiefs bandwagon). I’m not one to just buy into the hype of whatever team is the flavor of the week in the national media. However, if you really look at the best teams in the NFL and how they match up with Seattle in the playoffs where the games will all be held in Seattle or in the elements in New York, it’s hard to deny how well things are lining up for the Seahawks.
The more I think about it, the more I think that if I was forced to bet my house on either Seattle or the field to win the Super Bowl this season, I think I’d take the Seahawks.
Am I overreacting? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below (cue delusional fans saying that their favorite team is going to win it all).
Now on this week’s game predicitions……………