Admittingly, I'm cherry picking but...

[entropyrulesall]

This stat alone makes me feel confident for this game. From Grantlands' weekend picks (already talked about here: http://seahawks.net/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=61767).

The 2012 Vikings played outside four times and lost all four games: at Washington (lost by 12), at Seattle (lost by 10), at Chicago (lost by 18), at Green Bay (lost by nine).

Ponder's best game happened in Washington (352 yards, 2 TDs, 2 picks), although he had Percy Harvin at that point (11 catches, 133 yards). In Week 9 at Seattle, with Harvin hobbled, the Seahawks held him to 63 yards on 22 pass attempts (you read that correctly), sacked him four times and picked him once.

If Ponder can do that against the Skins D, what can Wilson and the Hawks do? We do have a comparable (in terms of production) RB to the Vikings. Now the Vikings did lose the game but Ponder did have 2 picks.

With a QB who can pass and run using play-action and the occasional read-option, coupled with a tenacious, Beasting plow of a back, I see us putting plenty of points up.

The Skins only hope is to outscore us in a shootout (will be tough) or to control the ball with their run game (easier) and limit our possessions. I see us staying with our fundamentals on D, Cover 3, high safety, rover safety in the box. Our linebackers are key because they are the weak link and most important for covering the read-option.

I think we will be successful even though RG3 has impressive numbers against single high safety, Cover 1/3. Earl Thomas is the most important man on the field for our D on Sunday. It he can defend the middle third it will allow our LBs to limit the gains from the read-option. If they want to clog downfield for a 12 play, 65 yd drive that ends in a FG, so be it. That's huge for us. Limit them to FGs even if they impose their will on offense.

I predict that one team will play the way that THEY always play and the other team will probably compromise their fundamentals in an attempt to stop them. I feel confident about a Hawks win but my prediction is whoever wins will do it by 10+.

Both teams have young QBs who are agile, accurate, tough, perfectionist, studious, intelligent, and leaders of men.
Both teams have explosive offenses.
Both teams play time-control, patient offenses.
Both teams RUN, RUN, RUN the football.
Both teams have creative defenses with vulnerabilities.
Both teams have veteran, Championship winning (I know PC in College) coaches.
Both teams have rabid, loud fan bases.

Something has to give! I believe it's as simple as stopping Alfred Morris and making Bob Griffin try to beat us anyway he can. He hasn't played a team with THIS type of secondary that can ALSO defend the read-option reliably. Morris is the wild-card this wild-card weekend. Stop him and we go home victorious.

Go Hawks!

 

[RiggoReincarnated]

I see your point, but saying our defense is that bad now is akin to saying your passing attack is what it was at the beginning of the season. We also held Adrian Peterson to 79 yards in this game and have played basically the season without our 2 starting safeties. The guys back there aren't great, but they've improved over the course of the season.

The rest of your synopsis seems spot on though. I think whichever team runs the ball better will win this game and ultimately tire the other defense/set them up for passing plays.

 

[entropyrulesall]

Riggo, has your D improved to the degree that our passing game has? Honest question. I know you guys get C. Griffin back but not a ton about your D other than Haslett has been very creative with his blitzes.

Could your D stop your Offense in a game? Because that's what both teams are going up against. And our D stifled our offense in training camp.

 

[RiggoReincarnated]

Riggo, has your D improved to the degree that our passing game has? Honest question. I know you guys get C. Griffin back but not a ton about your D other than Haslett has been very creative with his blitzes.

Could your D stop your Offense in a game? Because that's what both teams are going up against. And our D stifled our offense in training camp.

Haslett called a great game last week. As for stopping our offense, I think it would be tough. The key for both teams is going to be the run game, stepping up in the red zone, and getting TDs rather than FGs.

I have more confidence in the defense at home than on the road simply because of the crowd noise. If we were playing at Atlanta, I'd say we would definitely need a shootout to win...but at home down the stretch we've been pretty good. Dallas had the number 3 passing attack in the NFL and we limited them to 200 yards in the air...and that was our supposed weakness.

That said, I'm nervous about this game and feel it could go either way. In the end its going to come down to the battles in the trenches and which team is able to avoid 3rd and long situations the most. It could be a long day for us if Wilson gets alot of 3rd and 2s to convert.

 

[Ozzy]

I do think the Skins defense has played better but I give our offense the advantage in that matchup. We have played 6 top ten defenses and have lost only one of those games. Wilson has also been very good against Blitz packages this year statistically which is Washington's best chance to slow down an opposing defense because of limitations personel wise. Lots of things can happen within a game but on paper I think Seattle wins by 10. Nothing would shock me at this point though.

 

[rdskns4eva]

Our defense on this 7 game win streak has been the exact opposite of what it was during te first 9 games. We still give up yards, but we get key stops when we need them and multiple turnovers.

If we want to win this game, we're going to need to win the turnover battle agaisnt a team that doesnt turn the ball over.

 

[AROS]

All I know is this game should be a blast to watch.

 

[drastik]

Ponder had those stats because the vikings were down by 20 in the 4th quarter and Ponder had to throw the ball over 50 times if I can recall correctly.

The Redskins bottled up AP (he had one decent run that boosted his final stats to mediocrity) and made the Vikings one dimensional, almost daring Ponder to win it for them.

In the end, Ponder's performance was much, much worse than his numbers indicated.. including throwing a pick-6.

 

[AbsolutNET]

Both teams are hot and have a lot going for them. Its also the biggest test for both teams in a long while. I think the Hawks have a better team, but traveling to DC evens it all out, imo. I've been a Hawks fan way too long to expect a road playoff win, but I expect it to be a close one. Anyone who thinks we are going to roll is high on a drug the Hawks don't deal very often. Whoever gets the turnovers and doesnt give up first downs via penalty are going to be the ones who win. I have a feeling that the loser of this one is going to be whoever shoots themselves in the foot. RG3 and Morris will make some plays, and as long as Lynch is consistent and Russell plays like Russ, I like our chances. But, the Skins are on a roll and I think are capable of throwing us off our game at home.

 

[entropyrulesall]

Not to toot my own horn, because any analysis by me was a regurgitation of what I've read on great Seahawks sites,

But Hawks by ten!!! Reimposed their will and played THIER game after getting a wakeful call for the first quarter.

 

[GeekHawk]

Entropy certainly ruled the 'skins...

 

[entropyrulesall]

Entropy certainly ruled the 'skins...

Scientists at the University of Munich just announced results of an experiment in which they went below Absolute Zero! (In the microkelvin range for you nerds).

It could result in futuristic entropy-absorbing machines. Literally machines that can get energy from cold!

Seeing as we already have our own futuristic anti-entropy machine, I nominate this the Russell Wilson Effect.

http://scitech.foxnews.mobi/quickPage.html?page=43765&content=86135175&pageNum=-1 (ignore foxnews URL, their science news reporting is occasionally solid)

Entropy: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropy