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Super Bowl 2015: Seattle Seahawks preview

By Patrick Schmidt

January 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll greets quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the second half in the NFC Championship game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll greets quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the second half in the NFC Championship game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Seattle Seahawks look to be the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since their Super Bowl opponent, the New England Patriots, and here’s how they got here.

Super Bowl 49 features the no. 1 team from the AFC in the Patriots and the No. 1 seed from the NFC as the Seahawks look to become the first team to repeat since the Patriots won back-to-back titles in 2003 and 2004.

Securing the top seed in the NFC didn’t look like a reality after the Seahawks dropped to 3-3 six games into the season after back-to-back losses to the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Rams, but the heart of a champion prevailed as they regrouped to win nine of their last 10 games.

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The Seahawks closed the season with a six-game winning streak, and coupled with their two wins in the postseason, have won eight in a row and haven’t lost since Nov. 19 when they lost 24-20 at the Kansas City Chiefs.

Pete Carroll’s formula to get back to the Super Bowl is the same formula he used last year to win his first Lombardi Trophy and put him in elite company of coaches who won a national title in college and a Super Bowl in the NFL.

Jan 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to throw the ball against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 18, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) looks to throw the ball against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Seahawks rode Marshawn Lynch to the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense with an average of 172.6 yards per game and were boosted by the legs of quarterback Russell Wilson, who rushed for 849 yards on 7.2 yards per attempt.

Wilson didn’t have gaudy passing statistics, the Seahawks had the No. 27 passing offense, but when he needed to make a play with his arm he was able to find Doug Baldwin or Jermaine Kearse for a clutch reception when necessary.

But their ground control offense was the perfect complement to the No. 1 total defense and scoring defense.

Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas had All-Pro campaigns for the second year in a row and are the face of the Seattle defense as half of the Legion of Boom secondary that could feature the x-factor in the game in strong safety Kam Chancellor who will be matched up against All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowski.

As dominant as the Seahawks defense was this year, they also were No. 1 in pass defense and No. 3 in rushing defense, they had trouble defending the tight end.

The Seahawks allowed 11 touchdowns to tight ends this season, tied for the third-most in the NFL this year. They had only allowed 10 over the last two seasons combined and face the best in the league today in Gronkowski, who may retire as the game’s best to play the position.

Seattle’s ability to contain Gronkowski is the No. 1 concern for Carroll and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, but No. 2 is slowing down LeGarrette Blount who is coming off a 148-yard, three-touchdown game against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship Game.

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Seattle Seahawks 53-man roster prediction before training camp /

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    • Blount became the first player with multiple three-touchdown games in postseason history and his seven career postseason rushing touchdowns are the most in Patriots history. The Seahawks didn’t miss Red Bryant too much during the regular season, but this could be the matchup where they miss their former defensive lineman who signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after winning the Super Bowl last year.

    The counter trey look the Patriots run out of the double tight end formation will attempt to get the Seahawks out of position and attempt to seal the edge to get Blount into the second level.

    Bobby Wagner had an All-Pro season at middle linebacker and he and his teammates will need to get penetration to disrupt Blount and the run game because he isn’t a shifty back who can avoid would-be tacklers.

    Wilson is the youngest quarterback to start his second Super Bowl, but this is a game that figures to be decided by the running backs and there may not be a better back in the NFL than Lynch.

    He may not like speaking to the media, but his play has spoken volumes after leading the NFL in yards after contact this year and no player has scored more rushing touchdowns than Lynch since the 2010 trade that brought him to the Emerald City from the Buffalo Bills.

    After he was limited to 59 yards on 14 carries in the NFC Divisional Round win against the Carolina Panthers, Lynch went Beast Mode in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers with 157 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries and added a 26-yard reception.

    If Lynch posts a similar stat line in the Super Bowl, the Seahawks will repeat as Super Bowl champions.

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