Peyton and Company, beware: there are some ballHawks in Seattle that have you circled on their football calendar.
If there’s anyone left who can derail the Indianapolis Express, it has to be the Seattle Seahawks. And if the Hawks don’t knock the Colts off in a few weeks, they just might do it several weeks after that -- in Super Bowl XL.
The Seahawks annihilated trhe Philadelphia Eagles, 42-0, in Philly, on national television, and surely the wakes must be already underway in the City of Brotherly Love. The Eagles, defending NFC Champs, were officially laid to rest by Seattle on a snowy night that was symbolic of the storm that has surrounded the Eagles all season, really. It hasn’t been very peaceful in Philadelphia, football-wise, and perhaps it was best that the Seahawks put the Eagles out of their misery quickly and decisively. The Eagles finished 0-4 on national television, and their record in the national media wasn;t much better, with the Terrell Owens situation leading the way.
No, it’s all about Seattle now -- Mike Holmgren’s bunch is a nifty 10-2 -- and how the torch has been passed cross country in the NFC. The 12-0 Colts visit Seattle in Week 16, and if things continue this way, it will be a meeting of titans that the league hasn’t seen in the regular season in years. Think of it: the 14-0 Colts visiting the 12-2 Seahawks. A possible Super Bowl preview. Seattle maybe being the 1972 Dolphins’ last hope to ruin a perfect season, because Indy’s last game is at home against the Cardinals. Christmas weekend, no less. Happy Holidays to pro football fans everywhere.
The Seahawks destroyed the Eagles with their defense, returning two interceptions for touchdowns, and their offense, which doesn’t get the publicity as the one in Indianapolis, but which is every bit of efficient, really. This team can play some football, and it’s nice to say that about someone other than the Colts or the Patriots or the Steelers. Or the Eagles.
The NFC sometimes gets treated like the NFL’s redheaded stepchild. The Patriots have had a lot to do with that, of course, though they never seem to win the Big One by anything more than an Adam Vinatieri field goal. Every season the preseason favorites seem to come out of the AFC, save perhaps the Eagles, but we all know what has happened to them. And, frankly, it’s been difficult to make much of a case for anyone else in the NFC, because everyone else is either unproven in the playoffs, shaky at too many positions, or just plain mediocre.
But the Seahawks are not only not shaky and not mediocre, they are poised and primed for this opportunity -- a chance of a lifetime to win the whole enchilada. As far as being unproven in the playoffs, that may be a valid critique. But don’t forget, if they go up against the Colts, they’ll be playing another team that hasn’t been able to win the Big One, or even the conference championship. And even if the Seahawks are unable to halt the Colts’ streak, and Indy finishes 16-0 (I think I just heard the ’72 Dolphins collectively clutch their chests), isn’t it more important to finish 3-0 in the postseason?
The Seattle Seahawks have the talent and the coaching to do it. No joke.
3 comments:
I wasn't sure Seattle's defense was good enough to win the NFC, but last night was a statement. And if anyone didn't know just how good these guys were, they provided a definitive demonstration.
The game being in Seattle might be another factor tipping in the Seahawks' favor. I'll be really ticked if regional coverage gives us another game besides Colts-Seahawks in two weeks.
I agree that Philly team was a shell of the team that took the field in Sept.
Seattle has the best chance of beating the Colts and I think they will because by that game Indy will have wrapped up the division and home field advantage.
I agree that Philly team was a shell of the team that took the field in Sept.
Seattle has the best chance of beating the Colts and I think they will because by that game Indy will have wrapped up the division and home field advantage.
Post a Comment