And then there were two.
On February 1, 2015, Russell Wilson and the Legion of Boom will defend their Super Bowl championship against one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to play the game in Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Both teams are coming off two completely different kinds of wins in their respective Conference Championship games, and they will go head to head in Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona. Seattle pulled off the miracle comeback in overtime to beat the Green Bay Packers, and New England was as dominant as ever against the Indianapolis Colts.
The Seattle Seahawks did the impossible against the Packers in a game in which the saying, "Never say die" could not have been more appropriate. Wilson threw more interceptions than any other quarterback in a conference final game with four, and he walked off the field at half time with a 0.0 passer rating and his team down 16-0. Proving the old cliche that "Football is a game of two halves," the defending champions rallied, and with a little over three minutes remaining in regulation, Wilson led his team to victory despite what seemed like an insurmountable deficit.
So much needed to happen for Seattle to come out victorious, but, incredibly, everything went right. A quick scoring drive led to a recovered onside kick, which saw Green Bay’s Brandon Bostick let the ball slip threw his hands and hit him square in the facemask, helping Seattle regain possession. With Seattle down 19-14, another typical ‘Beast Mode’ scoring run from Marshawn Lynch and a ‘hail mary-esque’ two point conversion saw the Seahawks take a 22-19 lead with just over a minute left.
Green Bay would head into field-goal range and convert, tying the game. With the game deadlocked at 22-22 and headed to overtime, Wilson had not connected with Jermaine Kearse throughout the entire contest. The one pass on which he did connect just happened to be the perfect throw into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. After this truly unforgettable moment and seemingly out of nowhere, Seattle has won back-to-back NFC Championships.
The Patriots, on the other hand, were dominant when it mattered most, routing the Colts 45-7. Brady completed 23 of 35 passes, three of them touchdowns, with just one Interception. This was Brady’s eighth time he had passed for three touchdowns in his career, leaving Joe Montana the only other quarterback in NFL history to have more three-touchdown games, with nine. Former Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount rushed for a very impressive three scores to cap off an offensively-balanced victory for the normally pass-orientated Patriots as they head to their eighth Super Bowl in franchise history. With the victory, Brady has now passed the great John Elway for most Super Bowl appearances ever by a quarterback with six.
These two games lead us to Arizona for Super Bowl XLIX. This game is a pick em to say the least. On one hand, Brady is arguably the greatest at his position; he has three Super Bowl rings and one of the greatest football minds in Bill Belicheck calling the plays. Brady has a great chance at a fourth title with one of the most dominating offensive weapons in the NFL in tight end Rob Gronkowski to aim for down field.
On the other hand, a great team must have the inspiring leadership and heart and soul of the defending champion Seahawks. With Wilson, who is heading for his second Super Bowl in his short three-year career, leading the way and backed by one of the most feared secondaries in decades, odds makers have Seattle as the early -2.5 point spread favorite.
In order for the Patriots to come out victorious, they will need to be almost perfect on the offensive side of the ball. Blount will need another big performance to ease the pressure from the pass-heavy Patriots. If New England is unable to establish Blount early, Brady may be forced into throwing deep down the field with a ball hawk like Richard Sherman covering the Patriots' main wide out, Julian Edelman. Play makers such as Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor have punished quarterbacks for one single inaccurate throw.
This season, the Patriots finished the regular season ranked eleventh on offense, averaging a very solid 29.2 points per game and 365.5 yards gained. The key matchup, however, is Brady and previously-mentioned target man Gronkowski against this Seattle secondary. All season long, no one in the league has been able to stop "Gronk," who is a true game changer. It will be interesting to see how the Seahawks plan to stop the big tight end because, so far, no team in the league has had the answer. On defense, the Patriots must keep Wilson in the pocket and make him throw the football. If Wilson can get out of the pocket and extend plays, it could be a long day for New England as Wilson is at his best when he is able to roll out or scramble and find his receivers down field.
The Seahawks' defense is ranked number one in the league, giving up only 15.9 points per game and 267.1 yards. These numbers essentially mean that Seattle’s offense can be bailed out if it is held to a few three-and-outs or turn the ball over. A big key to victory for the Seahawks will be getting pressure on Brady.
Given time to throw, Brady can rip the best defensive schemes to shreds. With guys like Michael Bennett leading the pass rush for Seattle, expect them to get to the quarterback and potentially force some hurried throws. Wilson is a great leader and can inspire his teammates when they need him most as shown in the NFC title game against Green Bay, but against a quarterback like Brady, Wilson needs to play like he did in those final three minutes for the entire game, or this Patriots squad will punish him. Wilson must be alot more accurate in this game as key Patriots cornerback Darelle Revis will be looking to pick off the young quarterback at any opportunity.
One thing is for sure: these are the two best teams in the NFL. With Brady looking for his fourth championship ring in six Super Bowl appearances and Wilson aiming for his second straight ring in his short NFL career, this game has all the makings of a classic. Two weeks from now, the world will be watching. Game on!