2 Things About this match up that should make you nervous...

[253hawk]

Only thing that makes me nervous is that the Patriots are a bunch of cheaters from the top down.

 

[AgentDib]

If you give the green bay offense credit for the close game you are way off the mark. Their offense was held to 22 points after FIVE seattle turnovers, including three deep in Seattle's territory. Their inability to leverage those opportunities into more points is why Seattle was even remotely still in the game in the fourth quarter.

You may be thinking about the Patriots passing game but I bet that is of little concern for most Hawk fans. Our defense is built from the back forwards and our secondary is really, really good. Historically good. I'm sure Brady will get his completions but we do a really good job of limiting big plays and can capitalize on any mistakes made in the intermediate passing game.

The Patriots rushing offense, run defense, and pass defense are all more concerning to me. If Blount gets going and keeps third downs manageable then the Seahawks offense will have to show up. Further, our offense just demonstrated that it is perfectly capable of having an off-day now and then. Turnovers are very uncharacteristic for this team but it is very unlikely that the Hawks could overcome another flurry of them if they did occur.

 

[Scottemojo]

It's been a long time since Seattle had a home game in a dome.

 

[dumbrabbit]

It's the Super Bowl. I don't care about matchup problems. I'm just happy to be watching the Hawks play one final game.

 

[Rainger]

You lost all credibility when you posted your reason number 1 and then cherry picked the info to try to support your failed position. You can't start the season and the win loss by starting at week 6.

Seattle faced Rodgers twice Rivers Manning and Romo of the top "10" qbs. They only lost 1 of those games and none of those Qb's had good stats against Sea.

NE only faced Manning Luck Stafford and Rivers and they also lost 1 of those games.

So that is a wash. But ask yourself this. How many GOOD Defenses did NE play? The answer ??? 4 games 3 teams. How many did they lose? The answer 3

How many good defenses did Seattle play? The answer 11 games 6 teams. How many did they lose? The answer 3

So NE lost 3 of 4 to a good D Sea 3 of 11. Do the math.

Seattle played more good QB's and played more god Defenses.

 

[hawkfan68]

My biggest worry is what the Patriots will do to bend the rules..... and then get away with it. :sarcasm_off:

 

[WendellWent]

It seemed like every Quarterback we played had monster games against us. I really don't think it matters who it is. This defense Just gets it done.

I would say the patriots had better worry about ours.

Gawd, posting from my new phone is bollocks. Had to edit that mess at home

Uh...what QB had monster games against us?

 

[Sports Hernia]

The OP is Nervous, bro!

Yep, the OP is just like the donks trolls last year that said Seattle wasn't going to stop the Best GD Offense ever.
I expect the Pats fans to have the same "deer in the headlights" look after SB 49 that the Donks fans did after SB 48. 8)

 

[LTH]

First of all I get tired of reading Greenbay's O didnt play well and thats the reason Seattle was able to win the game... Thats untrue... GB scored 22 points against the best D in the league on the road yeah that 22 points could have been a lot more but lets remember Seattle has the best D in the league and greenbay learned that again...the reason GB lost that game was because Seattle has a clutch offense and they got it done when they had to... The fact that the national media or GB fans wants to take that away from seattle is a misrepresentation of the truth... :roll:


The keys to the game are the same as it is almost every week

1. stop the run

2. Put pressure on the QB- thats the other thing that gets me people think because Seattle doesnt lead the league in sacks that they dont put pressure on the QB... they do put a lot of pressure on opposing QB's in the form of hurries and harassment just not as many sacks...

3. Get the beast going


4. Dont turn the ball over...


if the Hawks do that it doesnt matter what NE does...



LTH

 

[hawknation2015]

I can't say I'm worried too much about your passing game. That would actually have to rank as the least of my concerns, given that we have one of the best pass defenses in league history. And it's not just the L.O.B. It's our LBs, who are great athletes, extremely disciplined, and above average in coverage. It's our DEs, who explode off the ball faster than your offensive line has seen all year. It's the whole package.

 

[BlueBlood]

I wonder how many Patriots fans realize Seattle was a better offense team than New England in total yards? All despite play better defenses. The defense gets all the credit.

 

[OneLofaTatupu]

Your #1 point is just silly. This defense has more than proven themselves against elite QBs.

Actually the Seahawks are only 3-2 against top level quarterbacks this season...(counting this last weekend)

Keep up your attitude just like the Broncos did last year, we like that.

 

[Ambrose83]

Nothing makes me nervous, we will stop the run, the ravens did and we are a much better D... the pats are a passing team.... no qb on the planet will beat this defense passing 45+ times.... not going to happen. Justin forset got over 100 yrds.. lynch and wilson will get more then enough. Run the ball, dont turn the ball over and hit 3-6 big passes. That is how we win..... ask yourself... have you guys played a d anywhere near this fast or that hits as hard?

 

[ZagHawk]

Lost me at schedule comparison.

I think if the Seahawks swapped divisions with the Patriots they'd get an easy 5/6 wins every season too.

 

[Vancanhawksfan]

Hey Hawks Nation! I know most of you probably didn't read my introductory post so I'll once again state that I am in no way here to Troll you guys. I love talking football in an objective sense and find the "takes" of the opposing teams more interesting than the homerism on Pats sites. That being said, there was a thread created for 2 reasons the Pats make Hawks fans feel confident, I just wanted to play Devils Advocate for a moment if you will... I'm interested in what educated responses I can get back on these two topics.

That being said here are my top two reasons that I believe the Seahawks fans should pump the brakes a little..

Reason #1: Lack of quality passers testing the Seahawks defense.

To me this is one of the most overlooked aspects going into the Super Bowl. Reviewing the Seahawks schedule they have not faced a decent quarterback (not here to discuss Kaeperdick) since Week 6. Furthermore in Week 6 that quarterback was Tony Romo who went into Seattle and beat you guys. Even in the two playoff games you have played, Cam Newton isn't scary and Aaron Rodgers was at most 60%. Let me put it out there:

Week 6: Tony Romo
Week 7: Austin Davis
Week 8: Cam Newton
Week 9: Derek Carr
Week 10: Eli Manning
Week 11: Alex Smith
Week 12: Drew Stanton
Week 13: Colin Kaperdick
Week 14: Mark Sanchez
Week 15: Coin Kaperdick
Week 16: Ryan Lindley
Week 17: Shaun Hill
Divisional: Cam Newton
Conference: Aaron Rodgers

There is the list... not very impressive. Now some of those guys I am sure you will debate if they are good or not (i.e. Kaperdick, Manning) but you cannot argue they are in the top 1 or 2 tiers of QBs in the NFL. They are no Rivers, Romo, Rodgers, Peyton, Brady, Roethlisberger, Wilson.

To me I see that the Seahawks defense has absolutely FEASTED on crap quarterbacks. Specifically towards the end of the year when Bobby Wagner game back. There was a lot of noise I heard that when Wagner got back, the defense solidified. I'd say it was bound to solidify based on the insane talent of that defense combined with a tomato can quarterback schedule.

The ONLY respectable quarterback you guys have faced since the Week 6 loss is Aaron Rodgers this past week. I don't have to remind you that a hobbling Rodgers had his team in position to win that game with 5 minutes left and most likely would've too if Mike McCarthey was not possibly the WORST game manager in football. (I am not taking anything away from that Seahawks comeback, that was incredible. Just because the Packers gave the game away, the Seahakws still needed to step up and take it, and they did. So mad props you've earned the Super Bowl.)

But a hobbling Aaron Rodgers is not even near what he would've been if he had full mobility. That mobility is what separates Rodgers from the rest of the crop of elite QBs. Now you guys face a healthy, rested, motivated and fired up Tom Brady who was told in Week 4 by the NFL that his best days were behind him. He has risen to the occasion and finished the season at an elite level. Against the Ravens he was nearly flawless in the divisional round (besides the stupid interception where he locked on Gronk).

What I am getting at is this, the Seahawks defense while elite in their own right, have not had an opposing Quarterback and offense operating at this level since October. That is a long time to go without playing a quarterback of Tom Bradys level. I think we can all agree that quarterback is the most important position in football after all. Brady is sharper and operating at a higher level than Aaron Rodgers at this point of the season (I know, Rodgers isn't playing at this point in the season for you smart asses, but you know what I mean.)

If I were a Seahawks fan, THIS would make me nervous. Especially when I name the 2nd reason....

Reason #2: Lack of 4 man pressure from the Seahawks front 4.

Piggybacking off my first point, in past Patriots losses, typically the way that Brady gets flustered is when he faces a defense that gets pressure with a 4 man rush. This is why the Baltimores, Giants, Dolphins, Jets, Bills of the world tend to have success rushing Brady. Getting pressure with the front 4 allows the secondary to take more chances and cover the entire field. It has been proven that time after time, Brady will eat up blitzes. At this point in his career he has seen it all and besides some exotic looks from the Rex Ryan crew who at this point are in Bradys head, he does NOT get beat consistently by the Blitz. To the contrary, if he knows you are blitzing it often is a benefit to Brady.

The loss of Mebane and Hill is detriment to the Seahawks success against the Patriots. in that aspect, the Pats just match up well against this type of defense (as well I guess as anyone could match up against the best defense in the NFL). I know many Pats fans who would rather face the Broncos than the Dolphins for this exact reason. They types of teams that give the Pats offense problems are 4-3 teams with an elite pass rush (a.k.a Cameron Wake). If you blitz Brady, then he will score points. If you give Brady time, then he will score points. So how will the Seahawks accomplish this?

I understand the Seahawks have the best FS and the best SS in the game. Also arguably the best CB in the game. But the Patriots receivers are many and shifty. Edelman is very underrated and all the attention will be placed on stopping Gronkowski. So in what way do you stop both of them while also not allowing Amendola, Lafell, Vereen and Tim Wright to beat you? (they have proven capable).

Patriots are a team that executes on an elite level offensively and defensively while making few mistakes (i.e. Packers). I expect the Seahawks to play better than they did against the Packers but I would like to hear some educated responses from the Hawks nation regarding these two above points. I cannot wait for this game and I think it'll be absolutely enthralling from the kickoff. Even the halftime show has my interest in hopefully there will be another wardrobe malfunction for Katie Perry haha. (May we all be so lucky).

Cheers!

Regarding point #1: How do you define "elite" passers - because this year can you even qualify Brady as "elite" statistically???

This year Tom Brady was ranked 10th in passing yards at 4,107 yds - hardly what you would consider "elite" statistically (and when you consider that he only had 56 rushing yards then his total offensive production is 4,163 yds which would not be considered "elite" overall production by many of you - at least for those people who think yardage statistics are what determines who an "elite" quarterback is. Fun fact - Wilson passed for 3,475 yds this year but when you add on his 849 yds rushing he had 4,324 yds of total offensive production. Wilson produced more yardage than your boy.)

Now take into consideration that the only top 10 defenses your boy played against this year are Kansas City, Detroit, and Buffalo - and you lost to Kansas City and Buffalo this year - then I like the chances of our #1 ranked defense in the universe against your boy's "passing" prowess. Now I'm not saying that your guy is a chump but I often wonder if his reputation from 10 years ago inflates his status in people's minds. Is Brady still really "elite" - at least when you consider his year from a statistics point of view?

Now - if you consider that the only statistic that really matters is wins and losses then you have an argument that Brady is "elite". But then how can you argue that Seattle hasn't faced "elite" quarterbacks when they've been beating every top ranked team they have been up against for the most part over the last 3 seasons?

Seattle can only play against the teams they are scheduled against. You don't like the list of "passing" QBs that they've played against this year? Sorry...can't help you with that. However, what I can say is that Seattle has beaten every QB on any list of "elite" QBs, in "passing" statistics or any other metric, that you could possibly conjure up going back to the last few years. Furthermore Seattle has beaten every QB whose team had won enough games to make it into the playoffs this year excluding Dallas.

Seattle also had the toughest strength of schedule rank in the league this year.

And Russell Wilson is 10-0 against Super Bowl winning QBs - he has NEVER lost to a QB who has been good enough to lead his team to a Super Bowl championship. And this year that includes Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Aaron Rodgers TWICE who is going to win the MVP this year - all considered to be pretty good "passers". That is 3 of the top 10 QBs in the league (both statistically and those with rings). And after the Seahawks thrash the Patriots on February 2nd then that will make FOUR "elite passing" quarterbacks they will have beaten this year.

If that isn't the Seahawks performing against "elite" quarterbacks then I don't know what is.

p.s. - here is the list of "elite" quarterbacks New England has played this year, 3 of 5 who were common opponents to Seattle this year:

Stafford
Rivers (NE beat, but Seattle lost to this year in freakishly hot conditions)
Rodgers (NE lost to, but Seattle beat twice this year)
Peyton (both NE and Seattle beat this year)
Luck

So you want to compare competition of our teams against "elite passer" quarterbacks this year? I would suggest that when you remove the common opponents, and then compare Eli and Romo to Stafford and Luck then Seattle has faced the tougher QBs. Throw in Newton and Kaeperdick versus Seattle then there is no disputing that the strength of schedule (when it comes to QBs) was far more difficult for Seattle than New England.

 

[SeaWolv]

Your #1 point is just silly. This defense has more than proven themselves against elite QBs.

Actually the Seahawks are only 3-2 against top level quarterbacks this season...(counting this last weekend)

And those two losses both happened early in the year when Kam Chancellor was hobbled and Bobby Wagner was injured (at least in the Dallas game).

Not to mention the whole Harvin locker room cancer issue the team was going through then.

 

[SeaWolv]

Your #1 point is just silly. This defense has more than proven themselves against elite QBs.

Actually the Seahawks are only 3-2 against top level quarterbacks this season...(counting this last weekend)

Everyone was saying this same thing when the Hawks were facing Manning in the SB last year. Look how that turned out.

 

[SeaWolv]

Finally, an actual well thought out post by a Pats fan.

I agree that the interior pressure will be key for the Hawks D to make the pocket uncomfortable for Brady and allow our edge rushers to create problems. Luckily the Hawks have 3-4 good edge rushers (Irvin, Avril, Bennett and Schoefield), so that if needed they can drop Bennett inside to help collapse the pocket.

To counter your first argument, the teams that have given the Hawks D problems are superior O-line teams that can match the Hawks front 7 physcially to really move the ball on the ground.

Dallas did this, and the Chiefs did this. But the Pat's O-line is average at best, and your RB's are a joke. Your best back right now is someone you got off the scrap heap. You DO NOT have an elite back that can take advantage of run space against a front 7 like the Hawks have.

That means the Hawks can commit more rushers if need be because they know the Pats have a weak sauce run game that Wagner and Kam can easily snuff out in the A&B gaps inside.

There you go, problem solved my friend.

I agree with everything you said here. I would only add that just like the Broncos last year I don't think the Pats are up to the task of how physical this D is. They are gonna come at you and hit you in the mouth every play. This is not a finesse team. This is a hard hitting gonna hurt you kind of D. The Broncos weren't up to the task last year and I believe no AFC team is this year including the Pats.

 

[NINEster]

Hey Gronkzilla,

Kaeperdick went in and toasted you guys in Gillette in December when supposedly your team never loses, in what his 4th or 5th NFL start?

When I like to highlight the awesomeness of Kaeperdick's career I like to point to that game in particular.

So thank you very much.

And when the two teams rematch in 2016, Kaeperdick will do it again.

 

[StoneCold]

Are the Patriots offense a more difficult matchup than GB's?

SC

If you can't honestly answer yes to this how do you expect to score more the GB?

SC

I realize my question is ridiculously simplistic and not as much fun as the micro examination of the matchups, which I love reading, but it really is as simple as this. And Pats fans are ignoring it because New England's offense is not better than GB. Perhaps that's why they have to cheat?

SC