Who will win the NFC Championship game and advance to Super Bowl XL?

If Alexander plays....Seattle(the city the Bills threatened to move to in the early 70's) goes to Detroit. If not....Carolina's D converges on Hasselbeck and makes for a long day in the Northwest.

I pretty much agree with blueraider if Alexander is around 100%. However, I've got a feeling that Carolina is really gonna buckle down since they have alot to prove without their top two running backs even though Goings is very capable. Therefore, I say Panthers by a field goal.

Kiss of Death Time Sea-Chickens....

Too much is being said of Carolina as the Road Warriors.

Chickens 21
Kitty Cats 10

BOOK IT!

Oh.My.Gawd. Now I'm worried.

There was a cool story in my Spokesman-Review this morning about the Seahawks mascot which is of course a hawk. Guess the owner and trainer is a guy from Spokane. He is on the sidelines with the bird at every Hawks game, and has just taught the hawk to fly around Quest Field. I understand there will be a contest soon, to name the bird. Just a bit of trivia.

As opposed to Thomas (his post in the AFC thread) I'm expecting a close game, and of course, a different outcome.

The Seahawks won't be able to completely shut down Steve Smith. Not gonna happen. I expect him to get over 100 yard receiving and a whole sh*tload of catches. All I hope is that they can contain him and keep him out of the end zone. Not many teams have been able to do that, but that's something the Seahawks have done to teams all year. They are not the most dominating, in your face defense and yes, you can move up & down the field on them but once you get to the red zone, they tighten up and teams usually have to settle on field goals (or missed field goals). Hopefully, this pattern stays true on Sunday.

Delhomme has proven he is a playoff Quarterback and is able to win on the road. So I’m not expecting him to...choke...like “The Mannings”. A huge loss to the Panthers is DeShaun Foster. I don't know how effective Goings will be against the Seahawk run defense, which is pretty good. They shut down Portis & the Redskins running game last week and they've had success against the run all year, with the exception of Tiki Barber.
And don’t forget that this is the unit that lead the NFL in sacks this season. I don’t expect the Seahawks to stack the line on Sunday because of the Steve Smith factor. How do you stop that guy?

Shaun has yet to prove he can run in the playoffs. But with Jones & Hutch clearing the path, I expect Alexander to have some success against the Carolina front line. I’m not cofident that Shaun will be able to gain over a 100 yards, but since Shaun gets better as the game wears on, I feel most of his yards will come in the second half. I expect him to have maybe one or two runs of 15 yards or more to keep key drives alive.
I feel Seattle should be able to move the ball against the Panters defense.

Speaking of the Panthers defense, a big blow to the Carolina will be Julius Peppers if he doesn't play. The Seahawks can throw the ball and have more balance than the Bears or Giants so Pepper will be a big loss. Ken Lucas used to be a Seahawks so they are familiar with his play. If you key in on Alexander, they can send 3 or 4 capable receivers at you. If you key on the receivers, that leaves Alexander free. I read somewhere that most of Alexander’s big plays were out of a 3 or 4 receiver set. The Seahawks won’t beat you with the long ball. They just don’t have the deep threat that other teams have. The receivers are, however, finding ways to get open this year. They can nickel & dime you down the field with Engram, Jackson & Joe J. But a HUGE factor this year is that they are not having the "dropsy's" like they have in the past. The Seahawks can throw Engram, Jackson and Jurevicius and Hackett at you, or have three outs and throw to TE Jerramy Stevens (who I feel will have key catches) down the middle. Engram needs to make more plays this week. Jackson had a huge game last week, but he is still not completely 100% and Jurevicius has been here before so his experience should be helpful. Peter Warrick is probably their fastest receiver, but he has been used very little and have used Hackett more.

Matt Matt Matt. Matt had a “Matt” moment last week. It was the play where he was being chased out of the pocket and when he was in the grasp, he spuns around and flung the ball downfield. No no no. I know you were trying to throw the ball out of bounds, but damn it, if you are going to do that, make sure the ball goes out of bounds. That one was a lame duck downfield and he was lucky he wasn't picked off. This is all new to Matt so if he is off his game, the Seahawks will not win the game because Delhomme has not shown that he will be off. And I don't think they can win the game solely on Alexander's running. They need the balance.

Special Teams. Oh my. The Special Teams cannot afford turnovers like they did last week. Jimmy Williams has been yanked and I think they are putting Engram back there to return punts…or at least signal for a fair catch. Just catch & hang on to the freaking ball is all we ask. Josh Brown has been solid kicking field goals.

Last week the punters were crucial for both teams and they will be cruicial again this week. But, I have no confidence that the Seawaks would be able to contain the Panthers if the Panthers were to begin drives deep in Seahawk territory. Christ, they had the Redskins seomthing like 4th and 16 on the Seawhawk 15 and gave up the first down. Bend, but don't break. If Carolina, on the other hand, can pin the Seahawks deep, and they are able to stop Shaun and set up 3rd & long for Matt, the Panters will be in much better shape than the Seahawks would if they were in the same situation.

The Bears were in a similar situation last week where they started almost every drive in the first half deep in their own territory, were not able to move the ball, and gave Carolina excellent starting field position. That cannot happen this week if the Seahawks want to win the game.

Weather is forecast to be cloudy with 30% chance of rain. Winds are 5-10 mph, but the winds inside the Stadium (the stadium is built a couple of blocks off the sound) is very tricky and kickers have underestimated the swirling winds at Qwest. But this is Seattle and the weather can change at the drop of a dime. So I’m expecting rain to be more like a 65% chance with winds at 10-15mph.

All in all, I think the Seahawks will be able to move the ball against the Panthers. Not a huge day for Alexander, but effective.

Final score prediction: 24-21 Seahawks.

Regardless of the outcome, I’m just happy the Seahawks are in the Championship Game. I wasn’t even living on the “mainland” the last time the Seahawks were in the championship game. I was still in Hawaii and my favorite teams were still my childhood favorite 49ers in the NFC and Broncos in the AFC. I didn’t become a Seahawk fan until I moved here in 1988.

I’m not painting my face or any part of my body blue. But I will say:

GO SEAHAWKS

[ January 19, 2006, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Mariner Duck Guy ]

2 words

John Fox

Key to the game.

[ January 19, 2006, 11:14 AM: Message edited by: PhillyFan ]

Ahh...the coaching angle. But is it Fox, or is it his Defensive or Offensive coordinators that will be the key?

JOHN FOX

See Gints, See previous Supe run.

Kitties 20
Hawks 17

How many years in a row does this make that the NFC South is represented in the conference championship? 4? Haven't they been represented since the NFL went to the new division?

[ January 19, 2006, 12:42 PM: Message edited by: Cadillac ]

By Skip Bayless
Page 2


Please let this sink in like Seattle rain on my "Wanted" poster.
I love the city of Seattle, despite its seemingly daily drizzle. I love the Pike Place Market and the Seattle Aquarium and the postcard vistas that surround you from atop the Space Needle.
Not only does Seattle have the best seafood and coffee, but the best major-league baseball park (Safeco Field) and the best NFL stadium (Qwest Field). I wouldn't mind living in Seattle, which just might be an even better San Francisco. For me, Seattle is nirvana, and I don't mean the grunge rock band of the late, great Kurt Cobain.

Shaun Alexander and the Seahawks racked up wins against NFC weaklings like the Rams. (Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
But now, alas, I'll be ground like coffee if I ever set foot in Seattle again, because I cannot tell a lie.
I would rather eat fish eyes than see Seattle's Seahawks in my beloved Super Bowl. The Sea-frauds have had the luckiest road to the Super Bowl this side of a fast food contest winner. I'm convinced they're the destiny-driven product of the NFL's easiest schedule and weakest division, the NFC West.
If this Seahawks team were still in the AFC West, it wouldn't have made the playoffs, let alone have won a bye week and home-field advantage all the way to the Super Bowl.
I'm sorry, but the Emerald City has a cubic zirconia football team.
Yet now I just know the Seahawks are going to eliminate the team I picked to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Now they're going to beat yet another team they have no business beating. Now -- right on schedule like the Puget Sound ferry -- my Carolina Panthers have lost running back DeShaun Foster to a broken ankle and, quite possibly, defensive end Julius Peppers to a shoulder injury.
On the way to Seattle, my Panthers might as well have crossed a black cat's path.
For them, the loss of Foster and Peppers took the air and joy out of their 29-21, 434-yard shattering of the Bears and their vaunted defense Sunday at Soldier Field. Peppers, the volcanic Mount Rainier of NFL defensive ends, is listed as questionable for this Sunday's game. But (bad sign) he hasn't practiced this week.
Playoffs Coverage
• NFC: Panthers at Seahawks• AFC: Steelers at Broncos
Even if he tries to go, he'll no longer be unblockable.
Raindrops keep fallin' on my head.
I keep trying to delude myself into believing I'll be OK with my third-string back. Sure, when the going gets tough, the tough get Goings. Give me my tough, smart little overachiever, Nick Goings. Little? Heck, he weighs 225 pounds. Last season he had five 100-plus-yard games -- three of them on 30-plus carries.
Go Seahawks!
All week long, I've heard Skip Bayless rip the Seahawks on "Cold Pizza." Today, on Page 2, he explains why Seattle is a joke and would soil the sanctity of the Super Bowl if it reaches the big game. Well, on behalf of Seahawks fans everywhere, here's my retort: • Seattle has played 17 football games that counted this season. Of those 17, the Seahawks won 14. They lost one in overtime after a field goal hit the upright at the end of regulation (Oct. 2 at Washington), one when they pulled Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander and most of the starters at halftime (meaningless season finale at Green Bay), and one when they fell apart in the final minutes of a close game (season opener at Jacksonville). • The Seahawks scored the most points in the NFL (452) and outscored their opponents by 181 points, which trails only Indianapolis (202) for widest margin of victory in the NFL. Those teams had by far the widest scoring margins. • Yes, Seattle did play what is statistically the league's fourth-easiest schedule with an opponents' winning percentage of .457 (better only than Eagles at .453, the Cardinals at .449 and the Rams at .445). But the Seahawks dominated their schedule like no NFL team outside of Indy. • Skip continues to pick apart the Seahawks' wins over Dallas and the Giants. Remember, however, Skip, that the Dallas game was tied and headed for overtime when Drew Bledsoe threw that pick, and Seattle had just seized the momentum with a TD in the final minute. The Giants' victory came because of inept kicking -- but so did Seattle's loss at Washington, so isn't that a wash? • As Bill Parcells is fond of saying, "You are what you're record says you are." Seattle has won 14 of the 16 games it "tried" to win this year. That's not too shabby.--Kevin Jackson For more on feeling Super hopeful in Seattle, click here.
But who am I kidding? He doesn't have DeShaun's slash and dash. He can't make the Seahawks pay with 40-yard touchdown runs the way DeShaun could. That means the Seahawks will get away with triple-teaming the baddest little man on the NFL planet, Steve Smith.
And that means my quarterback, Jake Delhomme, who's 5-1 in postseason games with a 108.5 rating (10 TD passes vs. just two interceptions), will let his hyper energy turn into frantic frustration and force up a couple of killer picks. That means my team's resolve will finally crack during their third straight playoff road trip -- this one a six-hour flight. That means …
… the Seattle Seahawks ARE GOING TO PLAY IN THE SUPER BOWL.
What's next, Milli Vanilli as the halftime entertainment?
Now Seahawks owner Paul Allen has hit the lottery twice -- co-founding Microsoft and lucking into the easiest road to Super Bowl fame since Janet Jackson's. Think about it: Allen's Seahawks played only four teams in the tougher AFC. They opened in Jacksonville, where they were predictably thumped 26-14. Then, right on schedule, they got to play the Texans and Titans as they were crumbling. Finally, Indianapolis played its junior varsity when it visited Seattle in Week 16.
Of Seattle's division opponents, St. Louis went 6-10, Arizona 5-11 and San Francisco 4-12.
And in their NFC nondivision home games …
The Seahawks survived Atlanta 21-18 when Michael Vick was banged up in the fourth quarter; survived Dallas 13-10 when Drew Bledsoe threw an inconceivably stupid late interception -- to somebody named Jordan Babineaux -- that set up a 50-yard field goal as time expired; and survived the New York Giants 24-21 in overtime when Jay "I've Lost My" Feely missed three field goals that could have won it.
The Seahawks' most impressive performance came on a Monday night in Philadelphia, when they won 42-0 -- while the no-Donovan, no-T.O., no-heart Eagles of Mike McMahon turned the ball over six times. But that night, much of America woke up and realized the Seattle Seahawks had sneaked up and stolen the NFC after playing the easiest schedule since the strike year of 1987.
And I'm supposed to look forward to them turning my Super Bowl into William Hung winning "American Idol"?
Please, no.
Don't let Shaun Alexander play in my Super Bowl. He won the NFL MVP mostly because of a Charmin schedule and because he ran behind the NFL's best left side of an offensive line. Tackle Walter Jones and guard Steve Hutchinson I do greatly respect.
But not Alexander.
For years, his reputation around the league has been that he'll turn soft when called upon to get the hard yards. He did nothing Saturday to erase those doubts. Early on, he turned what looked like it might be a short touchdown run into an unforced fumble -- whoops, I dropped it.
Then, after a fairly routine collision, he appeared to be woozy. Soon, the team announced he had a concussion. Maybe he did. But it's unusual for a concussion victim to come out of it 20 minutes later and be cheering his team from the sideline while not offering to return and help win a playoff game.
It looked suspiciously like Alexander wanted no more part of a Redskins defense that will ring your bell. The following Monday, he told reporters that he had been ill the week before the game and had taken some medicine on game day that made him "loopy." Yes, very suspicious.
His teammates must have been thrilled with him. They appeared to play even harder without him -- or in spite of him.
But Seattle outlasted the Redskins 20-10 mainly because they held Clinton Portis to just 41 yards on 17 carries. The Redskins' offense went as Portis did, and Saturday, he appeared to be going nowhere fast because of two shoulders he banged up at Tampa Bay in a wild-card win. Portis tip-toed instead of attacked.
Give the Seahawks a little credit. But mostly blame that equivalent of a street fight in Tampa that also cost the Redskins defensive end Renaldo Wynn. During last Saturday's game in Seattle, they also lost fill-in guard Ray Brown, which forced them to use backup center Cory Raymer at guard, which was a disaster.
Has Kurt Cobain's ghost had anything to do with all this?
I still say coach Mike Holmgren's Super Bowl legacy was mostly a product of Brett Favre's offense and Reggie White's defense.
I still say quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, living on borrowed time, got away with three more wild throws against the Redskins that could have been game-changing interceptions.
I still say the NFL's most overrated team belongs to the world's most underrated city. I'll miss it.


Classic stuff by Skip.

Ummmmm.....who was that team from the NFC last season??? That #81 dude with a busted leg played for them right???

Dallas....correct???

[ January 20, 2006, 08:21 PM: Message edited by: blueraider ]

He's talking about a team from the NFC South being in the NFC title game, not the Super Bowl. The last 4 years Tampa Bay, Carolina, Atlanta and Carolina have been in the NFC title game.

As for tomorrow...Seahawks 23, Panthers 20.

yikes my bad, gotta learn to read:).

I find this an unimpressive stat. There are 4 divisions in the NFC and 2 get represented in the conference championship game, so you got a 50% chance every year of making it. If you want to go that route, the NFC East was represented 5 years in a row 2000-2004

Whereas SEattle has scored first, I'm stilling expecting my Panthers to clean this up ohhohohohoh no interception. A sea of blue.

Still, go Carolina.

Oh man, this is getting hard to watch.

So far Seattle is dominating! Hello, Carolina? Game time was 6:30...well, 3:30 local time in Seattle...

[ January 22, 2006, 04:32 PM: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

It's like they're not able to think out there, so many errors. I really wonder if the fans and their noise is affecting the Panthers, insofar as they can't get comfortable, are rattled.

The worse part of the game is that it's too cold to see Ed Hochuli's arms...
Go Seahawks!

Best game I have seen Seattle play in many weeks. GO HAWKS!!!!

LOL!! I love it. Yep them guns do bulge out pretty well.

Or Jake Delhomme's!

The saddest part of Carolina not making it to the Super Bowl? No more chances to see Jake Delhomme.

[ January 22, 2006, 05:57 PM: Message edited by: MIB ]

Alexander the Great goes to Detroit Hawk City!

Meet you in Detroit Steelers!

I really didn't expect the domination that Seattle is having over Carolina, but when Delhomme has a passer rating in the single digits what do you expect. Where is the Panther defense?

It should be good matchup in two weeks with the Steelers.

thank goodness tennis is on ESPN2. that was just distressing.

For a while Carolina had Alexander under control, but they couldn't stop Hasselbeck and couldn't do anything on offense. A blowout was quite unexpected. Congrats to Seattle.

Very happy for the puckman! wink

As much as I am sad to not see any more of Jake this season, it is nice to see a team who has never made it to the Super Bowl finally make it. Too bad, though, that they have won the right to get dominated by the MIGHTY PITTSBURGH STEELERS!

Congrats to the Seahawks. After seeing Carolina's performance, I thought: How bad are the Giants and Bears?

Oh. My. Gawd.

Wow. I am so proud of the Seahawks today. They came out ready to play and with something to prove.

Never in my wildest imagination did I think they would dominate Carolina. I thought the defense would bend but never did I imagine them completely shutting down Smith & Delhomme. I knew they would be able to stop the run but wow, to totally shut down the Panther offense was amazing.

Shaun did what Shaun has been doing all year. You think you have him, but you blink and the next thing you know, he has over a 100 yards. I thought the Seahawks would be able to move through the air since the Bears were able to get some big plays via the air last week.

I am very happy they used Jerramy Stevens. I thought that one of the keys in the game would be Stevens having big catches...and he did.

Hasselbeck was freakin' amazing today.

Ok. Wow. I'm still in shock that they are going to the Super Bowl. It's been a long wait. Ok, time to go drink.

Detroit 'Hawk City.

GO SEAHAWKS

Wow!!!!

I still remember a cold wintry day in Orchard Park some 15 years ago....the Bills were hosting their first AFC title game ever(actually since the merger) and by the end of the day the Bills were going to the Super Bowl for the first time in their 31 season of existence. A day I'll never forget, that first time to the Show........

the memories of that day were recreated right in front of my eyes on my tv set from a place far, far away as another rowdy, boisterous stadium filled with fans carrying the weight of 30 years without a shot at the title or even an opportunity to see a game of this magnitude in front of their own eyes.

To see the 'Hawks dominate in similar fashion made it all the more chilling and emotional to see and made the memories of my own experience that much more vivid.

Way to go Seattle, best of luck in Detroit and I hope your team doesn't suffer the same fate mine did in the Super Bowl.

I'm happy for the long-suffering Seahawks...a much more convincing win over the Panthers than I expected. But I hope to see more of Joe Jurevicius in the Super Bowl; I think Hasselback threw the ball to him just once. I don't dislike the Steelers (glad they beat the Broncos and I applaud their terrific post-season play) but will be cheering for Seattle.

I have to admit I was totally shocked at the game's outcome. I really thought the Cats were the better team. This was only the third time I'd seen Seattle play this year. My question for you Seahawks fans is was the blowout a fluke or are they that good? I know they had the best record in the NFC, but all the pundits said they had an easy schedule and their record was somewhat of an aberration. They played their asses off today so congratulations.

Tell you what Clemson, the more games Seattle played this season, the better and the stronger they looked. They were shaky last week against Washington for sure, and I think they were thinking about their playoff record up until that point. But, that had to be the most impressive performance from the Hawks I have EVER seen, and thats going back to 1976 when the team first began!! They said they had a plan for Carolina and everybody was convinced to a man, they could get the job done, and boy did they.
The headlines in the Spokane Spokesman-Review this morning in large caps said:

FANDEMONIUM!!!!!!

Congrats to the NFC for not giving us even one remotely interesting playoff game. Snoozefest.

YEAH THE BEST GAME PLAN EVER...

Or maybe it was carolina down to their like 5th string RB. Peppers being hurt... etc

Just sayin...

It doesn't matter, PF, because Pennsylvania's only REAL pro football team--the Pittsburgh Steelers--is gonna win Super Bowl Extra Large!

Holla!

and a total shut down of Steve Smith(barring a flag that was picked up).....just sayin'