50 DAYS OF RUSSELL.

Russell Wilson is a few days away from playing his 51st game as a Seattle Seahawk. As a region, have we taken the time to appreciate the previous 50 game days with Russell Wilson as our starting quarterback?

Older fans will remember the high-flying underdog days of 70s Jim Zorn or 80s Dave Kreig. My personal recollection begins with the drearier Rick Mier, rotating Gelbaugh/McGwire/Friesz 90s followed by the hired gun services of Warren Moon, Trent Dilfer or Jon Kitna years. 

As decent-to-great as Matt Hasselbeck was through the Holmgren era 2001-08, the Mora year and into the first Pete Carroll season in 2010, he was never the darling of Seattle, the heart of a team, a national superstar like Russell Wilson. He would not have been in 2 out of every 5 national commercials like Russell is this year. 

The Russell Wilson era has brought a national spotlight unprecedented in Seahawk History. Even the 2005 team that was 3 or 4 penalties from a Super Bowl earned barely a passing mention in the media during fat Jerome Bettis' storybook ending. Wilson's arrival has coincided perfectly with the rise of The Legion Of Boom, the prime of Marshawn Lynch, and the new Nike uniforms for a perfect storm of national prominence.

Wilson has been so unique, so different, dynamic and exciting. Across the league, the searches have commenced for the next short, smart, hard working athletic QB but there isn't another Russell, he breaks the mold.

And so, a day before our 51st gameday with him, let us take a moment to reflect on the previous 50 days we lined up with Russell Wilson as our starting quarterback. We have witnessed 10,300 passing yards, 1,934 rushing yards, 75 passing TDs, 11 rushing TDs, only 25 interceptions on 1,254 attempts and an impressive overall record of 37-13. 

The Beginning.

9/9/12 @ Arizona. We officially meet our short little 3rd round pick who beat out 2011 starter Tavaris Jackson and big name free agent Matt Flynn for the opening day start. The game was conservative but Russell drove us down at the end of the game with a chance to win in the red zone that ultimately came up short. This would prove to be an uncommon site.

9/16/12 vs Dallas. In Russell's first home game, the Seahawks handled Dallas at home. While the Seahawks were nowhere near a powerhouse yet, the game was defined by 90 and 87 yard touchdown drives in the 2nd half. A kind of confidant, consistent football feeling not felt in Seattle since the glory Alexander/Jones/Hutchinson years.

9/24/12 vs Green Bay. The Prime Time Monday Night Game most famous for the Fail Mary and for the beheadings of the replacement referees. Lost in the chaos was Seattle's first defensive powerhouse performance and Russell's great play to drive the field, elude a sure sack and throw the Infamous Golden Tate TD in the first place.

The Star Turn.

10/14/12 vs New England. And on the 6th day, there was light. With Tom Brady on his way to 395 yards, the Seahawks were forced to spread the formations and let Russell loose for the first time. He responded with 293 yards, 3 TDs and 0 Ints (compared to Brady's crucial 2). With 1:27 left in the game, Wilson hit the game-winning 46 yard Sidney Rice post route.

12/2/12 @ Chicago. This is the game that most fans point to as the first time they accepted Russell Wilson as their savior. At 6-5, there were no guarantees for the underdog Seahawks with a short rookie QB. With 3:40 remaining and down by 4 points, Wilson led a drive 97 yards to the end zone. He completed 6 of 8, rushed for 19 yards and hit Tate for the go-ahead TD with 32 seconds remaining. The twist? Seattle's defense gave way and allowed a field goal to send the game to OT. All Wilson did was do it it again. Wilson & the offesne, drove another 90 yards. Wilson rushed to convert a few 3rd downs and completed another game-winning TD to Sidney Rice.

12/16/12 @ Buffalo. In the awkward, dead air of a Toronto stadium, Russell Wilson showed off his wheels. He ran 9 times for 92 yards and 3 TDs, added another TD and 205 yards passing as the Hawks blew out the Bills.

12/23/12 vs San Francisco. A prime time to shine, Sunday Night Football in the heating Sea/Sf rivalry. Wilson was just one of the many Seahawk bright spots going 15 for 21 with 4 TDs as Seattle decimated the eventual Super Bowl losers 42-13.

The Chained.

9/30/12 @ St. Louis.
10/7/12 @ Carolina. 
10/18/12 @ San Francisco.
10/28/12 @ Detroit.
11/25/12@ Miami.
12/30/12 vs St. Louis. 
During the bulk of his rookie year, Wilson was efficient in what he was asked to do and turned the ball over only 10 times. Pete Carroll and the coaching staff kept things conservative. We threw the ball less than any other team in the league. The Seahawks were #32 in the NFL in passing attempts at 25.9 attempts per game compared to the NFL average of 35.4 attempts per game. We relied on Marshawn Lynch and a talented defense that admittedly was still trying to find consistency. Sometimes it paid off with hard wins in Carolina and at home vs St. Louis to end the year. Sometimes it wasn't enough in the tough road losses at San Francisco, Detroit, St. Louis and Miami. 

11/4/12 vs Minnesota.
11/11/12 vs NyJets.
12/9/12 vs Arizona. 
Then there were the days where rookie Wilson was hardly needed. The Seahawks defense and running game was so red hot late in the 2012 season as to relegate Wilson to the sideline by the 4th quarter, watching from the sideline as the backups killed the clock on the blowouts.

The Unchained.

1/6/13 @ Washington.
1/13/13 @ Atlanta. 
When the blowouts ceased and the playoff pressure was placed on the young Wilson, he responded with two convincing, nearly legendary comebacks. Down 14-0 early in the Washington game, the burden was on Wilson to continually drive the field and register his first playoff victory. Then, down 20-0 at halftime in Atlanta, Wilson did exactly what the traditional pundits had specifically said he could not do; play from behind and play catch up with his arm. Wilson led 4 touchdown drives in the 2nd half and racked up a career high 385 yards. Only to be overshadowed in the end by every Seattle fans' least favorite 31 seconds. 

As he was walking off the field in Atlanta, Wilson said he was already excited about next year's team. That excitement has certainly proven warranted. The 2013-14 Seahawks have been among the elite teams of the NFL and Russell has been their QB every gameday, looking to go "1-0 this week, because every week is a championship week".

The Headliners.

9/8/13 @ Carolina. In the 2013 season opener, what would soon be revealed as the formidable Carolina front 7 stifled Marshawn and the running game. In a defensive struggle, the game was on put on Wilson's arm and he came through with 320 yards and the game winning TD.

9/29/12 @ Houston. J.J Watt and his bloodied nose kept Wilson in check for most of the game while Arian Foster dominated the game for the Texans. Fortunes turned, assisted by a Richard Sherman pick-6, the game was put on Wilson's legs and he came through with 75 rushing yards in the 4th quarter and OT alone and set up the game winning FG.

10/17/13 @ Arizona. In case any one thought Russell was just a running QB who only excels at home, Russell delivered a Thursday Night masterpiece in Arizona, 18 for 26 and 235 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs. 

12/2/13 vs New Orleans. ESPN was shell-shocked when Russell and the Seahawks D spoiled their 'Game Of The Year' against the Saints on national TV with another 3 TD, 300 yard game and slew of clutch runs. If there was any time Russell's name was floated into the MVP conversation it was after this game. 

9/21/14 vs Denver. In what would have been a much more thrilling Super Bowl, Peyton Manning tied the game at the end of regulation with a whirlwind drive for a touchdown. The Seahawks won the coin toss to start overtime, and Wilson led a downright cold-blooded, 13-play drive to the end zone, nullifying Denver's redemption storyline. 

10/6/14 @ Washington. The Seahawks had a lackluster middle of this 2014 season but on Monday Night Football in Week 5, the game was won by Russell Wilson. He was the difference in the game, accounting for the bulk of the first downs, 201 yards in the air, and 122 yards on the ground.

10/19/14 @ St.Louis. The Rams and their bag of tricks took this game in the end but Russell's 300 yard passing, 100 yard rushing performance is the ONLY such performance in NFL History. 

The Duds.

10/28/13 @ St. Louis. It was a different story in St. Louis, 51 weeks earlier. Though the patchwork offensive line and Rams D-line surely deserves a share of the blame/credit on this day, Russell was unable to move the ball at all except for one great Golden Tate play. The defense truly bailed him out and saved this 14-9 win.

12/22/13 vs Arizona. The Seahawks won 14 straight home games with Russell as QB until this day. While it can be argued Arizona QB Carson Palmer had the worse day (4 interceptions), Russell was still on the losing end and did nothing to inspire confidence in the passing game, going 11 for 27 and barely managing 100 yards. 

11/2/14 vs Oakland. Never has Russell looked worse. Some throws were incredibly inaccurate and some of the decision making was uncharacteristically poor.  What happened on this particular day is a mystery, even Russell said "I just didn't think I played well for whatever reason, and I usually know why". In typical Raiders fashion, they still lost this game.

11/16/14 @ Kansas City. In this recent game, Jamaal Charles ran all over the defense. Lost in that headline was the fact that Russell and the offense had three legitimate opportunities to drive the field and win the game, and failed all 3 times.

Duds aside, the real genius to this list is the sheer amount of decent Wilson performances about to follow. Wilson has had a few headliners and a few duds, all QBs do. Not many have the steady resume Wilson has. At times he has lacked weapons on the outside, and sometimes Marshawn & the Defense have been so good he hasn't had to do as much but the true greatness of Russell Wilson is his consistency as... 

The Juggernaut Manager.

9/2/13 vs San Francisco.
9/4/14 vs Green Bay. 
When Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman and the defense showcase their dominance in prime time, Russell remains the calm, steady hand that keeps the chains moving on the other side. It must be maddeningly frustrating as an opposing fan in a big game, with the Seahawk defense crunching down, to see Russell miraculously escape the pass rush into wide open turf or whirling to his left, hitting receivers down field to give those crucial sparks and back breaking 3rd down conversions, all the while making very few mistakes. 

11/23/14 vs Arizona.
11/27/4 @ San Francisco.
12/07/14 @ Philadelphia. 
The same formula applies to the three most recent games. The symbiotic relationship between the returning elite Seahawks defense and Wilson's improvisation brought the Seahawks from 6-4 on the fringe of playoff contention to 9-4 and a game behind a limping Arizona for another division win.

9/22/13 vs Jacksonville.
11/10/13 @ Atlanta.
11/17/13 vs Minnesota.
12/15/13 @ NyGiants.
12/29/13 vs St. Louis. 
Wilson ran right with the 2013 Seahawk pack as they decimated lesser teams on their way to the #1 seed in the NFC. Wilson's stat lines in these drubbings; 76 for 113, 1,027 yards, 10 TDs and only 2 INTs.

10/6/13 @ Indianapolis.
12/8/13 @ San Francisco.
9/14/14 @ San Diego.
10/12/14 vs Dallas. 
The other guys get paid too. It's just the truth. Wilson played well in these games, the defense wasn't atrocious. Sometimes the other team just comes up big; Andrew Luck and T.Y Hilton's deep bombs for the Colts, Frank Gore's gut-punching 51 yard run, Phillip Rivers' efficient day for San Diego and Demarco Murray's 4th quarter clinic for Dallas just plain beat the Seahawks. The NFL a is a tough league. All four of these days, Russell had the team within reach of a win, but you can't go 16-0 every year. 

10/13/13 Tennessee.
11/3/13 Tampa Bay.
10/26/14 @ Carolina.
11/9/14 vs NyGiants. 
The ugly wins, the Russell Wilson specials, whether they are coming back on the 0-8 Bucs after being down 21 or are grinding out games until separating in the 4th quarter. The defense's relationship of 60 minute violence and the steady consistency of Wilson's decision making has been a wining combination. Russell Wilson may not break the eyeballs on the stat sheet, but he is the Quarterback of a team that has won a lot of games. 

The Super Bowl Run.

1/11/14 vs New Orleans. Wilson didn't have a great statistical day (9/18 with 103 yards) but yet again he didn't need to. Wilson's contribution as a running threat and safe decision maker kept the Saints off balance and Marshawn's 140 yard, 2 TD day did the rest. There was little urgency on offense as the offensive star power of the 'Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles Saints' were shut out through 3 quarters and desperately clawed back to a 23-15 loss.

1/19/14 vs San Francisco. In the classic NFC Championship, Wilson and the Seahawks met their toughest foe of the 50 games documented here. On this day, the 49ers were a freight train powerhouse on a hot streak at the right time, and they undoubtedly had vengeance on their mind. Russell fumbled the first play of the game but redeemed himself with a mistake-free remainder of the game and the famous 4th-and-7 Touchdown to Jermaine Kearse.

2/2/14 vs Denver. Wilson's Super Bowl performance is under-appreciated. The trials and failures around Peyton Manning (in-arguably one of the greatest QBs of all time) and the domination of Seattle's defense (in-arguably one of the greatest defensive performances of all time) rightfully held the headlines. However, Wilson was rock-solid, converting 3rd downs in the 1st quarter and driving the 43-8 dagger in further with touchdowns in the 2nd half, Wilson was 18 for 25, 206 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs and will forever be the first Seattle Seahawk Quarterback of a Super Bowl Champion. 

SUPER BOWL 48

Seattle Seahawks, 43 Denver Broncos, 8

In New York City's surprisingly mild February weather, the Seahawks were bigger, faster, stronger and the 12th man was louder. In retrospect, it seems obvious now that the Seahawks defense wouldn't allow the record-breaking yards after catch that the AFC had allowed to Denver's WRs. The All-Pros in the secondary (CB Richard Sherman, S Kam Chancellor, S Earl Thomas) would be the only team Denver faced so far to require no help and thus be able to release a fully-staffed pass rush on Denver's depleted offensive line for essentially the first time all season. Seattle did not have to confuse the mastermind Peyton Manning, they overpowered the historic passing game and exposed that the rest of the team was not up to a Super task.

From the first snap over QB Peyton Manning's shoulder for a safety followed by two interceptions converted into touchdowns, the Seahawks dominated the first half. Seattle's suffocating defense did not allow a first down on Denver's first three drives while QB Russell Wilson made the key throws on 3rd downs to keep the Seahawks' offense moving.

The key stretch of the half was undoubtedly Denver's 2nd quarter response to S Kam Chancellor's interception that led to a RB Marshawn Lynch goal line TD that put the Seahawks up 15-0. This was the window that Manning and his record-setting miracle show finally got the ball moving on the Seahawks, albiet slowly. Notably missing were the big runs after the catch, or the huge holes for RB Knowshon Moreno. It was tough going- 14 plays to go 48 yards- but Manning was moving the chains. That is, until on the drive's 15th play when DE Cliff Avril got around an overmatched T Orlando Franklin and hit Manning's hand forcing a legendary, wobbly duck up into the air, caught by LB Malcom Smith and returned for a touchdown, 22-0.

If there was any hope the Broncos #1 All-Time offense would erase the 22 point deficit it was shattered instantly. The 2nd half kickoff was returned off a bounce for a touchdown by none other than the dynamic but injury-maligned "x-factor" WR Percy Harvin. Even up 29-0, the Seahawks D never relented, they forced two more fumbles and Wilson parsed out red zone darts to a spinning and unwinding WR Jermaine Kearse and ping-pong ball WR Doug Baldwin.

This was a nostalgic 1980s Super Bowl blowout after a decade of thrillers. A call back to the old days of NFC dominace. Remincient of Washington's 1987 thumping of Denver 42-10 or San Francisco's 1988 thumping of Denver 55-10, right down to the orange jerseys and look on John Elway's face.

Sorry, television audience, today was Seattle's day. A Super Bowl set aside for the 12th man to bury the demons of Super Bowl XL, the Supersonics departure, the Mariners 116-win season and failure to reach the World Series... today was that day.

Seattle pulled back the curtain on the Denver Broncos and the state of the inferior AFC. Thomas, Sherman and Chancellor were a force in the secondary that Denver had not yet seen. It unleashed the dogs DE Michael Bennett, DE Chris Clemons and DE Cliff Avril on Peyton Manning. Without a balanced, steamrolling offense, the rest of Denver was exposed as a below-average team depleted by key injuries. Peyton Manning will be called a choke-artist but throughout his career, his only crime has been dragging teams further than they should have gone.

KEY PLAY: The key play has to be the LB Malcom Smith's interception return. Denver was only down 15-0 at the time and was moving the ball. The credit for the interception should at least partially go to DE Cliff Avril who hit Peyton's arm on the play. In reality, there are too many key plays to count in a blowout; Percy's icing in the cake return, Chancellor's interception, Kearse and Tate's ping-pong ball touchdowns, the first-play safety, etc. The essence of a key play is a turning point, and the Seahawks really had the game in hand the entire time.

MVP: I know it's wrong to go against the actual awarded Super Bowl MVP LB Malcom Smith. Smith was involved in a few key plays but not truly in the Top 5 of defensive performances of this game.

The MVP for me is S Kam Chancellor.  One day the record books will lose the true context for Peyton Manning's Super Bowl record 34 completions and Demarius Thomas' Super bowl record 13 receptions. Those records should be factored on Chancellor's legacy too. It was not garbage time stat-padding, it was a symptom of the Denver WRs fear of Chancellor's shadow and the short passing game with little yards after catch that Denver was forced to resort to.

WHY THE SEAHAWKS WILL WIN

This week, I have been annoyed at the national media preferring the Broncos in such large numbers. Normally, I might prefer the underdog role. I wasn't proclaiming any victories against San Francisco, because I believe that team could have beaten us. I don't see Denver on that same level, this Denver team should be the underdog.

Anybody close to the Seahawks with a sense of NFL perspective knows this is something special in Seattle. The media just loves offensive numbers, loves a fantasy football star, they love to select the Broncos in Madden on the Xbox and marvel at all the broken records, but this Denver offense is not the only element of this Super Bowl. The favorite in this game should be the Seahawks. And what follows are 8 reasons why.


#1 DEFENSIVE DEPTH - The statistics and accolades are there. The Seahawks defense has allowed the fewest points, the fewest yards, created the most turnovers, and has an All-Pro secondary. Still, the national media just can't quite put a finger on what makes this defense so much better than anything Denver has seen. They chalk it up to superstars Sherman, Thomas and Chancellor, throw in some lip service to a "pass rush" and call it good. They are missing the real greatness in this defense.

The real reason Seattle is so good on defense is roster depth. They boast four starting-caliber linebackers for three positions, a murderers row of 6 or 7 defensive run-stuffers and pass-rushers, and incredible depth at cornerback. All told, the Seahawks roster depth is astounding. These players are powerful, fast, strong and disciplined. The Seahawks enlist a solid 15 -16 starting-caliber, if not above-average, players rotating in to fit their strengths. As Marshawn Lynch said; "We got some dogs".

BONUS: You may be wondering why Seattle just so happens to have all these great defensive players. If they can do it, why don't other teams also just load up on defensive talent? The reason we have these players is #1) because they drafted exceptionally well and #2) because they can afford them. With superstars Sherman, Thomas III and Wilson all on rookie contracts, there has been plenty of money to keep the defensive roster over-stocked.

#2 DEFENSIVE SCHEME (OR LACK THEREOF) - Both the Broncos and Seahawks have made it to the Super Bowl not by out-smarting but by over-powering opponents. The Broncos become the highest scoring team in league history by forcing teams to pick their own poison. The receiving corps of Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Wes Welker and Eric Decker have simply been too much speed, power and talent for most teams to cover. Those defenses have to concede somewhere and no concession goes unpunished under the watchful eye of the great Peyton Manning. If a defense over-commits to the pass, Peyton checks to the running game which then finds conveniently little resistance.

This formula, the basis by which Denver wins games, is going to seriously be put to the test against the Seahawks defense, specifically the secondary. This is one of the only defenses equipped to manage Peyton's weapons without sacrificing the pass rush or players defending the run. Seattle does not rely on complex zones or blitz packages, they have the personnel to win individual battles and challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage. There are no fancy schemes for Peyton Manning to decode, the pressure will be on the receivers to dominate a secondary that, so far, has been the ones doing the dominating.

#3 BRONCOS OFFENSIVE LINE ISSUES - If Seattle's secondary is able to do what no other team has done and slow Peyton Manning's receivers down. We will be treated, on a national stage, to the actual state of the Denver Broncos' offensive line. Let's get one thing straight right away, the reason Peyton Manning isn't sacked that much is Peyton Manning. He makes the quickest decisions, has the fastest release, and is too efficient for most defenses to attack in the pass rush consistently.

But when this line is expected to hold that extra second or two, without their two best players (T Ryan Clady and C Dan Koppen are out for the year), things could get difficult. The Broncos are trotting out a 3rd-string center, a backup left tackle and struggling G Zane Beadles into the Super Bowl. They will be going against the massive Red Bryant, Brandon Mebane, and Clinton McDonald, against the relentless Chris Clemons, Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett. These players have had to share statistics, tackles and sacks, so they haven't received their due attention. If Peyton requires extra time, we will see the extent of this mismatch.

#4 - PEYTON'S RECORDS MEAN NOTHING HERE - National media, I understand. I really do. I love offense. I root for it every year. I rooted for the late 90's Vikings, the Manning Colts and the high-flying versions of the Patriots.

The Broncos scored 606 points. A record. So they seem unbeatable, after all this is a game of points, is it not? I hear Denver personalities trot this doozey out all the time: "you aren't going to beat the best offense in the history in the league". Well, sorry guys. Good offense, even historically good offense, is routinely beaten in the playoffs, especially lately. Let's look at the top 5 ALL-TIME offenses, prior to this season.

The 2007 New England Patriots - Lost in Super Bowl 42, scoring only 17.
The 2011 Green Bay Packers - Did not win a playoff game, scoring only 20
The 1998 Minnesota Vikings - Lost NFC Championship, 20-27.
The 2012 New Orleans Saints - Lost Divisional Round, 32-36.
The 2011 New England Patriots - Lost AFC Champoionship, scoring only 13.

These are the previous "Best Offenses Ever", and they are 0-1 in the Super Bowl. Hardly a ringing endorsement.  Statisictally, it may even be more of an inditement of those teams' defenses, rather than a statement of future Super Bowl Glory.

And If we expand our sample size to the Top 15 scoring offenses of all-time? 8 of the top 15 scoring offenses missed the Super Bowl entirely. Another six of them lost the Super Bowl. The only top offense to hoist the Lombardi trophy was #9 the 1999 St. Louis Rams. 1 out of 15. Those are different teams, different years, and different players, but my point is that you can't say having the most points in regular season history is any indicator of Super Bowl success. These historically high-scoring teams lose in the playoffs all the time.

#5 - PERCY HARVIN - Seattle spent the entire offseason implementing a playbook around their new superstar, WR Percy Harvin. Unfortunately for Seattle, Percy has seen only six quarters of football as a Seattle Seahawk. He will look to add four more in the Super Bowl.

Percy Harvin could very well rack up yardage and make the highlight-reels, it's possible. The sure thing  though is that he will have to be accounted for. Put plainly, Denver doesn't have the personnel (only a few teams like San Francisco or Caroloina do) to focus on Percy Harvin and Marshawn Lynch. They require too much attention and something will have to give.

#6 - DENVER'S DEFENSE - Seattle has played 7 out of their last 8 games against top 10 defenses. The only non-top 10 was the formidable pass rush of the St. Louis Rams. Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Pete Carroll would never admit it, but they must feel relieved to go into the biggest game in franchise history against a significantly lesser defense than they have seen in months.

One year ago, Denver's defense was a strength. Since then, they have lost their two best players, DE Elvis Dumervil to the Ravens and LB Von Miller to injury. They have also lost their two most crucial unsung heroes to injury in top CB Chris Harris and leading tackler LB Wesley Woodyard.

Through the injuries, Denver's defense has managed to stay tough against the run all season but has been atrocious against the pass. In the postseason they have drawn fortunate matchups against the 'run-the-ball-over-and-over-without-Ryan-Matthews' San Diego Chargers and the shadow of New England's seriously hobbled offense. These injuries are likely to catch up with them in the Super Bowl against Seattle's marquee rusher and improvisational quarterback.

#7 - THE NFC IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN AFC - I don't know how any honest soul could watch the AFC and NFC Championships back-to-back and think the AFC participant should be the favorite to win the Super Bowl. The AFC game was powderpuff football compared to the NFC game. San Francisco and Seattle played a much faster, infinitely more physical, and more disciplined game.

This point is less about the statistics and more about the "eyeball test". I can tell you what I saw when I re-watched the playoffs on Game Rewind, I saw San Francisco, Carolina, New Orleans and Seattle as the four fastest, strongest teams in the NFL. The speed, power and overall depth of rosters was overwhelming. To be fair, Denver was clearly the best team in the AFC. I still do not think they would defeat any of the four divisional NFC teams.

#8 - RUSSELL WILSON - Two months ago, Russell was in the conversation for MVP but he has become a handoff machine for a much more conservative Seahawk offense. This is the way Seattle chose to play, to rely on the run game and defense and put little pressure on their passing game. It has kept Seattle's pass protection issues out of sight against the vicious defenses they faced at the end of the season and into the postseason. Still, Seattle fans (and Chicago, Arizona and Atlanta fans too) should know what this guy can do.

Wilson is a 5'10" 3rd round draft pick in only his second year. I don't blame other fanbases for not seeing it, for not sensing what kind of spark this guy can provide. I didn't understand Ray Lewis, Maurice Jones-Drew, or even Tom Brady until it was national news so I give you a pass.

Wilson is calm, cool, and clutch. He will escape, he will dazzle, and a great performance out of Russell will be impossible for Denver to overcome. Sunday could very easily become the day Russell Wilson writes his name into the NFL history books.

-----

None of this is to say that football isn't football. Let's face it, a bounce here, a bounce there, a call or two in the wrong way and entire games can change. My main point here is that the Seahawks should be the favorites. Peyton Manning will be the best player in the game, but at least 15 of the top 20 are Seahawks.

They should be favored and I hope they prove it on Sunday. Go Hawks.

-miles.

The Farewell 10 (2013/14)

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (11-6)
It's hard to shake the heartbreaking fashion in which the Chiefs season ended, losing their star player on the first drive, building a 28 point lead anyway, and then losing anyway. But the 9-0 start, Coach Andy Reid's arrival and the star turns of RB Jamaal Charles and QB Alex Smith energized Kansas City for a comeback season.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (10-7)
Coach Chip Kelly had a great offense in a weak NFC East and saw WR DeSean Jackson and RB LeSean McCoy return to form. QB Nick Foles emerged with amazing efficiency. All season, there were nice, bright, shining lights on those guys but the Eagles' D was exposed as the weakness as soon as the playoffs began.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (11-6)
The Cincinnati fanbase was dealt an illusion of progress this year; 8-0 at home, an AFC North title. Yet the result was the same, an exit in the wildcard round. It was the loss of dominating DT Geno Atkins mid-season that really precipitated the Begnals' decline from elite to middling. QB Andy Dalton had a rollercoaster year with a lot of highs, but a lot of lows. This team is built to win now, and Dalton was awful in the playoff game.

GREEN BAY PACKERS (8-8-1)
This season, the Packers seemed cursed. Green Bay faithful watched every injury possible including the collerbone of franchise QB Aaron Rodgers. While rookie of the year RB Eddie Lacy was able to keep them afloat in the games he wasn't injured, the Green Bay D is still a weakness and Rodgers wasn't quite at full form. The dramatic 4th-and-8 blow to the the Bears for the weak NFC North division title will have to be enough for this season.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-6)
After a strong 5-0 start, many thought we would see a Vengeance Tour from reinstated Coach Sean Payton. The tour trains never left New Orleans. QB Drew Brees and the determined Saints were a convincing 8-0 at home but struggled in almost every away game, especially Seattle. The defense gained promising young pieces like S Kenny Vaccaro and DE Cameron Jordan, but the facts are facts, they had trouble winning on the road this season

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (12-6)
Almost everyone accepts without question that WR Reggie Wayne's ACL injury was the disaster for a team that, with Wayne, beat Seattle, San Francisco and Denver. While I do agree that Wayne is a great WR and important piece, the Colts D and skill players were being carried all year by 2nd-year QB Andrew Luck. It was sort of a 1980's-Elway-carrying-Denver dynamic happening here. Luck needs more help.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (12-5)
With a stacked D led by LB Luke Kuechly, the Panthers were able to take physical control of games. This aligned with Coach Ron Rivera's decision to trust a smarter QB Cam Newton and the Panthers soared through the regular season to the 2nd seed. However, they were shocked at the speed of the playoffs. The Panthers are strong on both sides of the ball, you get the feeling they will be back someday.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (10-8)
The Chargers never take the easy road. QB Philip Rivers had his best season in quite some time. RB Ryan Matthews, WR Keenan Allen formed key pieces around him. S Eric Weddle led an improved defense. Their late season success and playoff run makes you wonder why they struggled so much early. The Chargers have had so much skill and talent roll through their franchise in the 2000s, but they are yet to put together a full season.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (13-5)
With tape, glue, injured rookie WRs and practice squad specialists, Coach Bill Bellicheck and QB Tom Brady again carried the Patriots to the AFC Championship. Brady had a serious lack of weapons this year, and the defense took far too many key injuries. The 2010s Patriots have been strong but continue to come up short, one way or another.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (14-5)
In QB Colin Kaepernick's first full year at the helm of the powerful, deep 49ers roster, things started well, plummeted down in the fall, gathered momentum in the winter to a break-neck SB-favorite speed and crashed into the brick wall/Seattle Seahawks. They bullied Green Bay and Carolina in the playoffs but their dominating late-season run was cut short with "The Tip" by Richard Sherman. That's just the way it happened.

Sunday 1/19/14 (AFC/NFC)

Denver Broncos, 26 New England Patriots, 16

So maybe the odds were a little more stacked against the Patriots than we were willing to admit. QB Peyton Manning and his blue-chip weapons man-handled the rag-tag collection of Patriots to a 26-16 game that was far more one-sided than the score admits. WR Demaryius Thomas was dominant with 7 recptions for 134 yards, and TE Julius Thomas had 8 for 85. The Broncos offensive line kept Peyton Manning clean as a whistle. The Broncos defense shut down the Patriots running game, last week's Patriot hero RB LaGarrete Blount was held to six yards on five carries. It was all Denver on this night.

In hindsight, It really says something about Coach Bill Bellicheck and QB Tom Brady's historical ability to overcome personell issues that the media coverage up to this game was universally unwilling to call this game for the Broncos. The offense had their two emerging rookie recievers hobbled and was missing their main weapon TE Rob Gronkowski. The defense was missing essential pieces including Vince Wilfork, Brandon Spikes and Jarod Mayo. When CB Aqib Talib went down after a brutal block from former Pat WR Wes Welker, the jig was up. The Broncos moved the ball with ease, and had their way with a limited Patriot offense.

KEY PLAY: In a game with no turnovers, and a Denver offense racking up more yards than any Bill Bellicheck Patriot team ever have up, the Broncos defense was the big surprise. Near the end of the 3rd quarter, New England went aggressive on 4th-and-3, down 20-3, hoping to even out the game, until DT Terrance Knighten came through with a massive, pounding 10-yard loss sack.

MVP: WR Demaryius Thomas was bigger, faster and stronger than the Patriots' secondary (especially without Talib). He sliced past, and bowled through various Patriot arm tackles all game. Honorable mention certainly goes to his quarterback who truly spread the ball around masterfully but Thomas was the main target, the Patriots could not account for him.

Seattle Seahawks, 23 San Francisco 49ers, 17

The pundits could not have been more correct about the nature of the Seattle/San Francisco Slugfest. Everyone and their mother avoided calling another home blowout by Seattle. Everyone knew the game would be close, it would linger hard-fought in the trenches and end in thrilling fashion. The 49ers and the Seahawks delivered exactly that. A Classic Slug-fest.

LB Aldon Smith sacked, stripped and recovered a fumble from QB Russell Wilson on the very first play of the game. This gave San Francisco the ball at their own 15 but they went 3-and-out had to settle for a field goal. The tone was set. The entire first half was a defensive slugfest and ended 10-3 in San Francisco's favor. The difference was QB Colin Kaepernicks electrifying 58-yard run that set up a 1-yard, 4th down thump by RB Anthony Dixon.

In the second half, the give-and-take ensued. The Seahawks pounded straight through with RB Marshawn Lynch while Kaepernick worked from the outside, breaking containment for first downs, and a jumping dart to WR Anquan Boldin just over S Earl Thomas. Seattle responded with a gutsy 4th-and-7 to WR Jermaine Kearse. QB Russell Wilson caught Aldon Smith inexplicably offisdes with a hard count on a 4th down of a NFC Championship game (really, Aldon?) and took the free play, his own amazing throw to Kearse to give Seattle the lead.

In the 4th quarter, both defenses clamped down again. Two Kaepernick turnovers in 49er territory could have spelled doom, but San Francisco's defense allowed only 3 points. Thus, San Francisco, with 3:32 to go, 3 timeouts, down 23-17, needed only a touchdown to win. They moved the ball slowly but surely, converting a 4th-and-2 to RB Frank Gore, and a 11-yard strike to TE Vernon Davis to put them in the red zone with 0:30 on the clock. Every pundit and their mother nodded their head "I told you so" they nodded "this game would be close".

KEY PLAY: The key play has to be the final play. QB Colin Kaepernick made the same fatal mistake he made in the Super Bowl, he locked in on WR Michael Crabtree, felt the pressure from DE Cliff Avril and the ball was tipped by CB Richard Sherman into the hands of LB Malcom Smith. Kaepernick was stripped or intercepted on all 3 of his 4th quarter possession.

MVP: Former Stanford WR Doug Baldwin was the difference in this game. 106 receiving yards, including an improvised 51-yard bomb to set up Seattle's first points and a crucial kickoff return counter-punch to the San Francisco 33 after San Francisco had went up 17-10.

Championship Weekend 2014

New England Patriots (13-4) @ Denver Broncos (14-3)

The Chargers were still walking dejectedly off the field in the background and there was already a reporter with a microphone to QB Peyton Manning's face asking about the significance of his rivalry with QB Tom Brady. The look at Peyton's face was priceless, but he rattled off the boilerplate "well, it's not Peyton vs- Tom it's Broncos -vs Patriots" answer. True, but he knows, this is big.

It is true that this is a Patriots -vs Broncos game. These Patriots are not the seasoned champions generally associated with the Manning/Brady rivalry. In fact, there are no Patriots on the active roster that have a Patriot Super Bowl ring besides Brady. The Broncos, clearly, are an entirely different team to this rivalry than the usual Colts. Truly, the other 88 players are playing just a normal AFC Championship between #1 and #2 in the AFC.

But doesn't that just make the rivalry all the more interesting? Here are in-arguably two of the top five QBs in NFL history meeting a full 10 years after the Colts/Patriots 2003 AFC Championship. Since then, they have combined for 3 Super Bowl wins, 3 Super Bowl losses, 7 MVP awards, and have traded the passing touchdown record from Manning's 48 TDs in 2004, to Brady's 50 in 2007, to Manning's 55 this season. Everything around them has built up, fallen down and rebuilt but here they are, yet again, with two entirely different rosters competing at the very top of the AFC and a chance to solidify themselves as the best QB in NFL History.

I know some will bristle at that, maybe muttering 'Joe Montana', 'Terry Bradshaw' or 'Brett Favre' under their breath right about now. Really though, this is a chance at best QB in NFL history for both of them. A Super Bowl victory by Brady or Manning would make overwhelming cases. It would give Brady 4 championships, two other appearances, and much better stat-lines and longevity than the other 4-time champs (Montana and Bradshaw). For Manning, a 2nd championship with another team would sit impressively beside the 5 MVP awards. This game will provide one with that shot.

The game is about the two quarterbacks, it just is, whether you like it or not. These are guys who get teams to the Super Bowl. And there is only one thing that is clear between  the Broncos or Patriots., Neither team is going  to the Super Bowl without a big performance from their Hall-Of-Fame Quarterback.

KEYS FOR NE: After all the hyperbole I just wrote about legendary quarterbacks it's hilarious to come back to keys of the game and talk about the running backs. It's true though. I don't know if it will be RB LaGarette Blount, or if the Patriots will unleash another weapon in typical Patriot fashion. If there was a game for DE Chandler Jones to emerge this would be it. Nobody is going to cover all those receivers for very long and a pass rush is the formula to victory.

KEYS FOR DEN: In their previous OT loss in New England, the Broncos offense was about as hindered as it had been all season. In the bitter cold, they relied on turnovers and RB Knowshon Moreno to an early lead and collapse late to lose in OT. This game will need to involve WR Demaryius Thomas, WR Wes Welker and TE Julius Thomas much more. The Broncos main advantage will be in these players in the skill positions on the outside.

San Francisco 49ers (14-4) @ Seattle Seahawks (14-3)

The two best teams in the NFL play two weeks before the Super Bowl. It's hard to argue with the power, strength and speed these two young teams have. In the last two years a red-hot rivalry has exploded on the west coast. These teams dislike each other intensely. They have split 2-2 in the last two seasons, each won the division once, and will now meet in the NFC Championship for a shot at the Super Bowl.

Coach Pete Carroll and Coach Jim Harbaugh do not like each other. They may respect each other, they may even admire the other's success but as Pete Carroll added after another coachspeak session about respecting your opponent "...but we are not friends". From their 'whats your deal?' Stanford and USC days, they are epic contrasts in sideline style. Harbaugh will throw his tempter tantrums at the referees throughout the entire game and Carroll will cheer, smirk, and smack his Bubblicious. It will make for good TV between plays. During the actual plays we will see two very similarly built teams.

Both teams are young, absolutely bursting with speed and talent on defense and offense, Before and throughout the season they have made convincing cases as the top two teams in the league. The reason is their overall roster depth and their under-rated skill players. Two of a dying breed, the workhorse backs, RB Frank Gore and RB Marshawn Lynch will wage war on the formidable front sevens. Two of the new age, QB Colin Kaepernick and QB Russell Wilson will look for the big game-changing plays through the air, or on the ground. The top two defenses in the league will search, stretch, scratch and pummel for a big turnover or stop.

The nature of the last four games has been knock-down, drag-out, wars in the trenches but both teams have enough firepower to open it up if they need to as well. Seattle's offense has struggled for the last month while San Francisco's has been red hot. Then again, San Francisco;s offense has been absolutely slaughtered in Seattle 16 total points in their last two trips. The lack of momentum on Seattle's side, the deafening noise jamming San Francisco's side. I'm willing to chalk these two factors to a draw.

KEYS FOR SF: QB Colin Kaepernick likely will need a quick start to take Seattle's crowd down a notch. Although he has insisted it is "not that loud" and that the team simply "didn't execute", he has been visibly rattled and thrown 4 interceptions to 1 garbage-time touchdown. The 49ers are up against their younger selves, they don't win without a big game from Kap.

KEYS FOR SEA: Fans, media, pundits alike are worried sick about the offense. It's the way we are. Fantasy football, offensive records, Madden games, they all revolve around what the offense is doing. With these kind of eyes, the 9-yard reception is worth a thousand times more than the 9-yard pass defended. CB Richard Sherman, S Earl Thomas, LB Bobby Wagner, DE Red Bryant, these are names that are just as important as running backs, quarterbacks or wide receivers. This is one of the best defenses of all time, and this is their biggest stage so far to prove it.

Sunday 1/12/14 (Divsional)

San Francisco 49ers, 23 Carolina Panthers, 10

San Francisco continues their bid as this year's hot team in the post-season, dispatching Carolina swiftly -  bullying, mocking, and pounding over a previously hot Panthers team. The Panthers pressed early and seemed to wear down late. After the game, QB Cam Newton admitted the postseason pace was a bit of a shock. Without WR Steve Smith (who aggravated his previous injury), the Panthers offense was overwhelmed by the 49er Defense.

In the 1st half, the 49ers were given three huge breaks; an awful unnecessary roughness call with a tipped ball in the air to continue the first drive, a missed 12-man in the huddle call on a touchdown before the half and a head-butt personal foul called against the Panthers but later uncalled against WR Anquan Boldin.

Coach Jim Harbaugh has built an impressive team and bad calls & temper tantrums aside (Harbaugh literally ran on the field waving and flaying his arms like a child at one point) the 49ers steamrolled the Panthers in the 2nd half. QB Colin Kaepernick took awhile to get going, but made enough plays with his arm and his legs. The backbone was another under-hyped performance from RB Frank Gore, 92 total yards in this slugfest.

KEY PLAY: 3rd down and 1 with 12 minutes left in the 4th quarter, the Panthers D was primed for a stand and a swing of momentum. Instead, RB Frank Gore burst through for a 39-yard run to the Carolina 27-yard line. In a game full of defensive stops and short yardage stands, this conversion was huge.

MVP: WR Anquan Boldin jawed with the cornerbacks and got away with multiple personal fouls that were inexplicably not called. He was also the entire passing game for San Francisco (136 of 196 total passing yards) and the difference in the game.

Denver Broncos, 24 San Diego Chargers, 17

QB Peyton Manning would never admit it, but he had to feel some relief after winning his first playoff game since the 2009 season and first with the Denver Broncos. I would imagine the Broncos, who paid a pretty penny for Manning two years ago, breathed significant a sigh of relief as well. The Broncos rolled through the Chargers. They built a nice 17-0 lead for 3 quarters, and when Chargers unlocked their potential by opening things up for QB Phillip Rivers who sliced and diced down the field cutting the lead 17-7 in the 4th, Manning and RB Knowshon Moreno led a emphatic rebuttal drive to keep the Chargers at bay, capped by Moreno's 3-yard TD run.

Although WR Keenan Allen (6 rec, 142 yards and 2 TDs) might have a long career of terrorizing the Denver Broncos ahead, it was too little too late. LB Shaun Philips and the Broncos D held the Chargers to 259 yards, a nice sign for a beleaguered unit consistently put into the 'weakness' blurb in the Broncos media breakdown.

KEY PLAY: With 3:51 remaining in the game 24-17, the Chargers hot off another Keenan Allen touchdown and with 2 timeouts, it would have fit the narrative so well if Peyton Manning had gone 3-and-out when it counted. Even after all the records and hype, they would fail to get it done when it mattered. That almost happened. After a false start, a 2 yard loss and an incomplete pass, the Broncos faced a 3rd-and-17 and the prospect of giving the ball back with 3 minutes to play. Instead, Manning re-wrote the storyline with a 21-yard sideline dart to TE Julius Thomas. The Broncos ran the ball well, Manning converted another 3rd down to Thomas with 2:12 left and the Broncos held the ball to win the game.

MVP: The offense was held under 400 yards for the first time all year, but QB Peyton Manning was 25 for 36 and two touchdowns. Truly, it should have been four, two balls hit receivers in the chest, one intercepted, one settled for a field goal. He engineered the final two drives, the TD drive to put them back up 17, and the final drive to eat the clock. Manning even gained 25 yards drawing five different Chargers into encroachment, catching them listening to the 'omaha' snap count signal.

Saturday 1/11/14 (Divisional)

Seattle Seahawks, 23 New Orleans Saints, 15

The weather in Seattle alternated from stormy downpours to blue sky sunshine and back again as the Seahawks were able to handle the Saints and fend of a furious, wild comeback attempt.

In the end, the Saints out-gained the Seahawks 409 yards to 277 but missed two field goals, lost a fumble and had zero points through the first three quarters.

QB Drew Brees, WR Marques Colston and the slew of Saint pass-catchers didn't really get the ball moving until the 4th quarter, already down 16-0. They chipped away with a touchdown drive and 2pt conversion, 8-16.

Unfortunately for New Orleans, K Shayne Graham missed a chance to add 3 more late in the 4th quarter and RB Marshawn Lynch placed the sluggish offense on his back with a 31-yard run, a stiff-arm harkening back to that fateful 2011 wild card game.

When the blue skies had returned the Saints were in desperation mode. They needed two touchdowns with 2:40 on the clock. Amazingly, they got one with 0:32 on the clock and subsqueqently recovered the onside kick. No miracles were to be had on this day. A trick play with an illegal forward pass ran the clock and Seattle breathed relief, and advanced.

KEY PLAY: In a vision right out of the Seattle offseason QB Russell Wilson pump faked to WR Percy Harvin, the entire Saints D bit and RB Marshawn Lynch was handed the ball in space, he pounded through the exposed Saints secondary for his 1st touchdown of the game. With the elements pounding down, a 10-0 lead was crucial.

MVP: RB Marshawn Lynch is the perfect compliment to the tough, physical Seattle D. Lynch bashed the Saints for 140 yards and 2 TDs, once again he not only produced and set the tone but delivered the knockout punch.

NewEngland Patriots, 43 Indianapolis Colts, 22

The New England Patriot run game has been impressive this year, nostalgic memories of the early Brady years. A bullying offensive line broke the Patriots backs (primarily RB LaGarrete Blount this time) for 234 total rushing yards. The Colts D was over-matched, and consequently the Colts offense pressed a little too hard.

QB Andrew Luck actually played fairly similar to the Kansas City game. He was lightning in a bottle on a few brilliant throws but other times looked rattled and forced into a few bad throws, four of which were intercepted (he threw three bad interceptions against KC, a forgotten stat). This time, there was no rhythm to be had for a comeback as Luck sat mostly on the sidelines watching the Patriots run the ball for touchdowns after his interceptions. After the game, Luck shaved the "neard" on his face and said he felt like a "lost puppy", not having expected to lose. Everyone knows we have not seen the last of Andrew Luck.

On the other end of the spectrum, QB Tom Brady was efficient with 198 yards, content to hand the ball off for Blount and RB Stevan Ridley's combined six rushing touchdowns. The Patriots ran the ball 46 times and passed 25, a far cry from the 2007-2012 pass-happy group that has come short of two Super Bowls.

KEY PLAY: Only 29-22 to start the 4th quarter, RB LaGarrete Blount's 73-yard touchdown run set the nail up and LB Jamie Collins' interception on the next play hammered it down.

MVP: RB LaGarrete Blount, 166 yards and 4 touchdowns, delivers one of the more impressive postseason performances thus far. The announcers mentioned a few times that he was "running with purpose". Normally, that phrase sounds cliche' but watching Blount run in this game, I find it to be an appropriate description.

Divisional Weekend 2014

New Orleans Saints (12-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (13-3)

The Saints march into Seattle for the 3rd time in three years. Previously, they have suffered through the "Beast Quake", a wild-card loss in 2012 and the Monday Night Massacre this season in week 13. QB Drew Brees was held to 147 yards, his first time under 200 yards since 2010 and lowest total since 2006.

Besides the previous two matchups, QB Russell Wilson, RB Marshawn Lynch, S Earl Thomas and CB Richard Sherman, a stormy forecast, and the 12th man in full form, the Saints pre-game woes are made worse by the impending return of WR Percy Harvin. This is an unprecedented nightmare for a team; a superstar returning for the playoffs after only one game with a new team.

That's the thing though, these are pre-game woes. Coach Sean Payton and the Saints will be heavy underdogs but they are coming off the first playoff road victory in franchise history, their backs are against the wall with a talented roster and a future Hall Of Fame rin Drew Brees.

KEYS FOR NO: The pundits are ablaze about the Saints defense and ability to run the ball in the Wildcard game but let's be real here, because this is a place to be real, Drew Brees will need a career-defining masterpiece to pull this one out.

KEYS FOR IND: Seattle will need to move the ball on offense. They have struggled to do so since November. Lynch and WR Golden Tate looked pretty worn down by the end of the season. The week of rest and addition of Harvin (even in a diversionary role) should help get the chains moving.

Indianapolis Colts (12-5) @ New England Patriots (12-4)

The bad blood between New England & Indianapolis didn't just magically vanish when Peyton took to the hills of Denver. The Colts and Patriots fans still bear the scars and grudges from 10+ years battling at the top of the AFC.

The rising stock of QB Andrew Luck makes this game interesting. QB Tom Brady won't be around to duel Luck for a decade, but for this game it is on. Luck is clearly the heir to Peyton, a once-in-a-generation prospect drafted by Indianapolis #1 overall. Like Peyton, he still goes into New England as an underdog no matter his previous heroic, awards or statistics. The ever-present reason for that; Tom Brady and Coach Bill Bellicheck.

There is more to the game than quarterbacks of course. Both teams have lost crucial offensive skill players and defensive cogs.

The Patriots have waited patiently while their young WRs acclimated to the NFL and their running backs have dealt with fumbling issues. Even after multiple key defensive injuries, New England holds the #2 seed in the AFC. It's just the Patriot way.

For the Colts, RB Trent Richardson has struggled after the blockbuster trade from the Browns in Week 3. LB Robert Mathis has enjoyed a late career surge.

KEYS FOR IND: The Patriots have a long history of taking away a team's top weapon. That weapon for the Colts is an emerging WR T.Y Hilton. The task will be to Luck and Coach Chuck Pagano to get the ball effectively to Hilton. If not, will another skill player step up?

KEYS FOR NE: RB Lagarette Blount and RB Shane Vareen need to keep that clock moving. The Colts D has already played poorly enough to eliminate themselves once in this playoffs, the Patriots want to keep that D reeling and on the field.

San Francisco 49ers (13-4) @ Carolina Panthers (12-4)

Two 'New Age' Quarterbacks. Young, fast, and sleek with rocket arms and massive fame. Two 'Old School' defenses with strong front sevens, vicious pass rushers and roaming linebackers.

While both teams boast strong running games and opportunistic passing games, these are two frightening defenses that had great seasons. For the Panthers, LB Luke Kuchely should be DPOY while the 49ers boast one of the top Linebacking cores ever; LB Patrick Willis, LB Navarro Bowman and LB Aldon Smith. On the line, while San Francisco has wiley old DT Justin Smith, Carolina has beasts up front DE Greg Hardy and DE Charles Johnson to supply the pressure and DT Star Lotuleli plus the middle. I list these names to illustrate the power that will be on the field Sunday, all these players are current, former or likely future All-Pros.

So what kind of game will this be? Will it be similar to the 10-9 thump-fest from Week 10? Or will these defenses and running games cancel each other out and put it on the arms of QB Cam Newton and QB Colin Kaepernick?

KEYS FOR SF: In week 10, Kaepernick was awful. This time he will have WR Michael Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis and a hot hand. That passing game needs to get off the ground.

KEYS FOR CAR: Riverboat Ron, Coach Ron Rivera needs to stay aggressive. These 49ers have been clutch in their last three games (Falcons: pick-6 to win, Cardinals: FG drive in final 0:25 of game, and last week's games in Green Bay). The Panthers have no playoff experience, with Cam playing in his first playoff game, they don't want this coming down to the wire.

San Diego Chargers (10-7) @ Denver Broncos (13-3)

The Chargers trek up to the mountains after a conservative dismantling of Cincinnati last week. Fresh in their minds is their Week 15 win at Mile High Stadium in which QB Peyton Manning looked human and WR Keenan Allen lit up the Denver D and entered his name onto the Rookie of the Year ballots.

It has been well documented, the struggles of Peyton Manning in the playoffs. With every MVP award (he is a lock for his 5th MVP this season) the pressure mounts on him to improve  his 9-11 overall record in the playoffs, to add to his one title. Amazingly, after his 55-touchdown (NFL all-time record), 5,477 yard (NFL all-time record) season, it would be a legacy-defining loss to go one-and-out in the playoffs. It would justify the entire narrative. It is a strange place, this sports media world.

KEYS FOR SD: A replay of the Thursday Night game in Denver is unlikely, especially without Allen and RB Ryan Matthews at full health. I hate for every single 'key' to be the Quarterback play but… I'm sorry, it's true. QB Phillip Rivers has had a great season and will look to shock the world, or at least Denver.

KEYS FOR DEN: I would say the offense with the most points and yards in the history of the NFL can be relied on for some scores but to avoid the disaster that was last year's divisional loss, the defense will need to be decent. Not great, not championship-caliber even, just decent.

Sunday 1/5/14 (Wildcard)

San Diego Chargers, 27 Cincinnati Bengals, 10

The Team of Destiny moves on. The San Diego Chargers inexplicably keep the 'Eagles Home Opener' theory alive. The Chargers, a team that needed to win their final two games and for Baltimore and Miami to lose their final two to gain the sixth seed. They were rewarded with a trip to Cincinnati where the hosting Bengals were 8-0… until tonight. Do the Chargers have that look and that feel of destiny? Or was this a darker destiny, the Bengals playoff destiny. Coach Marvin Lewis drops to 0-5 and the Bengals add another year to their 23 year drought.

The 'Eagles Home Opener' theory is fairly the self-explanatory, the team that plays against the Eagles for the first regular season game in Philadelphia… wins the Super Bowl. The 2009 Saints, 2010 Packers, the 2011 Giants, the 2012 Ravens and… the 2013 Chargers. Stands up to scrutiny for me.

So that's the why, but how?

The answer is simple. Cincinnati turnovers. Turnovers of the most inexplicable and frightening variety. Terrible throws, rookie fumbles inside the 5, the Bengals are now 0-3 in the playoffs under QB Andy Dalton's watch, he played awful a 3rd year in a row. Meanwhile, San Diego played efficiently and effectively the entire game.

KEY PLAY: San Diego let Cincinnati beat themselves, 0-4 turnover ratio. Besides two horrendous decision interceptions from Dalton, the key plays were RB Giovoni Bernard's fumble on the 2 yard line and Andy Dalton's inexcusable head first fumble, in which he fumbled, un-touched, into the waiting arms of S Jahleel Addae.

MVP: Perhaps the MVP of this game should just be the entire Chargers running game. The combo of RB Ryan Matthews and RB Danny Woodhead (and a big final punch from RB Ronnie Brown) converted the Bengals mistakes into a win.

San Francisco 49ers, 23 Green Bay Packers, 20

The 49ers and Packers provided the main event to cap an exciting Wild Card Weekend. In 5 degree weather, these two historically successful and currently superstar laden teams played a great game on the frozen tundra in Green Bay.

Frozen tundra is no exaggeration either, the grass was dead, brown, kicked up, and too cold to turn to mud.

QB Colin Kaepernick and QB Aaron Rodgers were still efficient. Kaepernick utilized WR Michael Crabtree and a workhorse, thankless pounding by RB Frank Gore to take what they could get and win the field position battle. Rodgers, fresh off a broken collarbone, showed gut and grit overcoming a slow start (6 total offensive yards in the 1st quarter) and making plays outside the pocket. Not insignificant was the electrifying style of RB Eddie Lacy who picked up many key first downs against the formidable San Francisco front 7.

The offenses moved the ball well, but slowly. The defenses were not overwhelmed. We entered the 4th quarter tied 13-10. The 4th quarter was a classic, Rodgers and Kaepernick traded touchdowns, then traded long, late 4th quarter drives for field goals. San Francisco ended up in the right spot.

KEY PLAY: On said final drive, Colin Kaepernick threw what was easily the worst decision of the wild card weekend, a short pass gift-wrapped to CB Micah Hyde who failed to haul it in. The drive was kept alive and capped with K Phil Dawson's field goal. The kick actually went between the arms CB Davon House. A pair of fortunate events for San Francisco, and what playoff football is all about.

MVP: Colin Kaepernick, though he almost blew the game, he is also the only QB in the league who could have gotten to the outside for the key 3rd down conversion, a 17 yard run to midfield. That performance cannot be over-looked even by this Seahawks fan.

Saturday 1/4/14 (Wildcard)

Indianapolis Colts, 45 Kansas City Chiefs, 44

I would chalk up the 89 point, 1,049 yard shoot-out as a genuine surprise. Everyone was surprised when the Chiefs took a 28 point lead without RB Jamaal Charles, and everyone was surprised again when QB Andrew Luck erased that lead and won the game by 1 point. Truly, I would characterize the entire game as 'surprising' and leave it at that.

The Chiefs lost Jamaal Charles to a concussion on the first drive of the game, but Alex Smith took to the air aggressively, hitting a 63-yard knife to WR Dwayne Bowe and a 79 yard bomb to WR Donnie Avery. RB Knile Davis, though injured in the 4th quarter, ran well. Kansas City QB Alex Smith also ran hard, improvised well, completing two improbable shovel passes when protection broke down including a 5 yard TD to help the Chiefs to a 31-10 lead at half.

Down 21 points, Andrew Luck did not spark a revolution right away. The first play of the 2nd half was intercepted, followed quickly by a Smith-to-Kniles capitalization. The score was a bleak 38-10 against the home team. But Andrew Luck continued to fire and WR TY Hilton, as he had on the first drive of the game, ran free. Hilton would finish the day with 13 catches for 224 yards.

It was still a bumpy road, after two Colts TDs brought it to 38-24, Luck again was intercepted. If there's credit to go defense in this game it's to Indianapolis' D for holding the Chiefs to a field goal after the interception and DE Robert Mathis forcing a fumble to help the Colts cut the lead even further. By this point, Luck, Hilton and RB Donald Brown were so hot the comeback seemed a foregone conclusion, culminating in a 64 yard go ahead strike to who else but TY Hilton.

KEY PLAY - Disaster and Glory literally hung in the air on a 2nd and goal when Donald Brown was stripped by S Eric Berry, the Chiefs seemed poised to recover the floating fumble into the backfield and preserve their 10-point lead (41-31 at that point). Inexplicably Andrew Luck was able to cut back, recover, and advance the ball diving through the middle for a touchdown.

MVP: Andrew Luck became a superstar today.

New Orleans Saints, 26 Philadelphia Eagles, 24

After the offensive fireworks we saw in the first game it was startling to see the Eagles and Saints much-maligned defenses bully and batter the highly-touted, high-powered opposing offenses. The first quarter was scoreless and the half ended with the Eagles up 7-6. For the Saints, DE Cameron Jordon made plays including an 11-yard sack for a loss that took the Eagles out of the red zone and led to a missed field goal. For the Eagles, two key interceptions and hard hitting play out of the line backing code provided the bite needed to tame QB Drew Brees.

In the 2nd half, the Saints offense was able to click into gear, taking their first two drives of the half for 7 points. The Eagles came to life when injuries to Saints secondary truly left WR DeSean Jackson all alone out there, lanes opened for RB LeSean McCoy and QB Nick Foles found a rhythm after a shaky first half. The Eagles took the lead with a masterful late 4th quarter drive highlighted by a desperate pass interference penalty on a streaking DeSean Jackson.

The Eagles left 4:58 on the clock, gave up a good return to RB Darren Sproles, and the "soft, dome sweet dome" Saints pounded the ball in the cold with RB Mark Ingram and RB Khiry Robinson, gaining ground and killing time. K Shayne Graham's 32-yard field goal sealed it.

KEY PLAY: The final drive was highlighted by a 13-yard run by RB Khiry Robinson, after the defensive struggle of the first half, and the quick strike offensive drives in the 2nd half, the game came down pure ground-and-pound. This was the play that broke Philadelphia's back.

MVP: RB Mark Ingram ran hard, gaining 114 total yards, many after contact. The former Hesiman winner had been criticized heavily, even by the New Orleans fan base, but he showed heart and was the reason the Saints were able to win without a Herculean effort from Drew Brees.

Wildcard Weekend 2014

Kansas City Chiefs (11-5) @ Indianapolis Colts (11-5)

Every team is happy to make the playoffs but the city of Kansas City has a decent argument as the happiest. Last year, despite 6 Pro-Bowlers including superstar RB Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs finished with the worst record in the NFL at 2-14.

QB Alex Smith and Coach Andy Reid, cast-offs from San Francisco and Philadelphia, respectively, have been the pieces to turn things around. Critics point out that most of Kansas City's 11 wins have come from lesser opponents, more optimistic types point out that having 11 inferior opponents is progress, in itself.

Meanwhile, Indianapolis has been a roller-coaster. In the first 6 weeks, they announced themselves with impressive victories against the top 3 teams in the league (San Francisco and both eventual #1 seeds, Seattle and Denver) but once they lost WR Reggie Wayne, they were dominated by St. Louis, Arizona, and Cincinnati. Pulling out of their downward spiral, QB Andrew Luck has found a rhythm, and put together a nice winning streak to end the season, including a 23-7 drubbing of Kansas City in Arrowhead just two weeks ago.

KEYS FOR KC: The Chiefs started the year as the league's most dominant defense but has had injury concerns later in the year. LB Justin Houston, LB Tamba Hali (both questionable) will need to return to early season form for Kanas City to make a dent in the playoffs. Will that frightening Chiefs D, LB Derrick Johnson, S Eric Berry, frighten?

KEYS FOR IND: The Colts dark times adjusting without Wayne are over, but now the skill position players around Luck must take another step forward, be it traded-over Brown RB Trent Richardson, RB Donald Brown, or WR TY Hilton. Somebody needs to make a name for themselves in the playoffs.

New Orleans Saints (11-5) @ Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)

The over-arching story for Phildelphia has been the emergence of QB Nick Foles. Taking over in week 6, Foles had one obligatory dud in Dallas, 80 yards and 0 TDs. Since then, he firmly grabbed the starting job from oft-injured QB Michael Vick. Foles threw 19 TDs before throwing his first interception in a genuine blizzard. He finished with 27 TDs and 2 INTs, leading a dynamic offense that has returned RB LeSean McCoy to a superstar, and WR DeSean Jackson to one of the league's top playmakers. In his first year Coach Chip Kelly can already boast a top offense in the NFL.

Of course, there is an accomplished offense on the other sidelines as well. QB Drew Brees is still among the best, especially at home. However, when the Superdome Superman Saints have traveled this season, they have done so with their Clark Kent glasses, going 3-5. The Saints have also not won a playoff road game, going 0-3 in recent history.

While these are sensational statistics, here is another; the Saints are 35-29 on the road in the Brees/Payton era (since 2006). Hardly an easy-out. Brees has been fiery in press conferences when questioned about the supposed 'road problem', this is a scary man to fuel.

KEYS FOR PHI: Philadelphia's defense is in a tough  position because of their fast-paced offensive counterparts. Preventing big plays out of WR Jimmy Graham, RB Darren Sproles and WR Marques Colston is no easy task, and they will be on the field a lot. The Eagles D will be exposed. They need to bite back.

KEYS FOR NO: The Saints are thin on D as well, though improved from 2012, the Eagles can't be too displeased with the card they drew in the first round. Maybe we are taking these amazing offense for granted, but they are going to score points, the key for New Orleans also will be the need for defensive playmakers to step up.

San Diego Chargers (9-7) @ Cincinnati Bengals (11-5)

San Diego's playoff hopes were kept alive by a convincing defeat of the record-setting Denver Broncos, followed with a shockingly unconvincing defeat of the 2nd-string Kanas City Chiefs. The Bengals needed help in OT from the referees and a fortunate missed field goal. Only the Chargers would get into the playoffs this way, QB Philip Rivers has re-emerged, while rookie WR Keenan Allen and RB Ryan Matthews have both made names for themselves.

The Bengals have been penciled in as the 3rd seed for some time now. QB Andy Dalton and WR A.J Green received a playmaking boost adding rookie RB Giovoni Bernard. The defense is just as good as it has been for the last 3-4 years and in Week 17 they dashed the dreams of the defending Super Bowl Champs, Ravens. Now, the Bengals have a home game against a 6th seed that needed buckets of help to get into the playoffs at all.

Doubt remains, not only have the Bengals not won a playoff game since 1991, these 2013 Bengals have under-performed in big spots, while the Chargers have inexplicably risen to high occasions. This will be a much better game than suggested. A pair of true wild cards, Rivers and Dalton, lead the charge/

KEYS FOR SD: San Diego rises and falls with their stars, Rivers obviously but good performances out of Keenan Allen, and S Eric Weddle will go a long way.

KEYS FOR CIN: Dalton threw 4 interceptions to Baltimore, practically giving the game away multiple times but the Bengals were the superior team. That kind of thing won't fly in the playoffs. RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovoni Bernard can help out a lot.

San Francisco 49ers (12-4) @ Green Bay Packers (8-7-1)

On this date one year ago, Packers fans gave no ill thought to QB Colin Kaepernick. One year later, he sits perched on a potential three-pack of pain inflicted upon Green Bay. In the Divisional Round last year, Kaepernick became a star with one of the most overwhelming performances in playoff history. Week 1 of this season, Kaepernick logged a 412-yard, 3 TD performance to start the Packers on the wrong foot this season, and down a wobbly path. The ire of Green Bay fans will boil to new levels if San Francisco can complete this three-peat.

San Francisco has won 4 more games, and has been generally more impressive. Howevert, the two previous meetings were in comfortable, habitable San Francisco. Whereas this game will be on the frozen tundra of Green Bay. The weatherspeople have been predicting record low temperatures and the sportspeople have been predicting the effects. It's likely that the cold will benefit Green Bay, a break that evens the playing field.

KEYS FOR SF: San Francisco need only to avoid pitfalls of playing on the road, or on the cold, because they have the better team.

KEYS FOR GB: The Green Bay offense will need to click. While the heroics of returning stars QB Aaron Rodgers and WR Randall Cobb defeated the Bears dramatically to enter the playoffs, the rest of the game was mediocre at best. The Bears don't possess a defense anywhere near the same class as the 49ers. If Rodgers clicks back to Rodgers-form, the Packers have a shot.]