You have to love the NFL, don’t you? Who would have ever thought it was possible to spend this much time and effort discussing the properties of an inflated football? While “deflategate” is a very real issue in the league right now, and I’m certain we haven’t heard anywhere near the last of this, let’s try to avoid the topic for the moment and focus on this important time of the league year. I’m not ready to defend or condemn the Patriots. There simply isn’t enough information available. In the interim, it’s all about February 1st.
Patriots Versus Seahawks is About More than One Game
The fact is, we have the New England Patriots versus the Seattle Seahawks as the Super Bowl XLIX match up, and it should be a great contest. Before releasing a comprehensive preview of the big game next week, it’s important to take a look at what brought us to this important moment.
For the Patriots, it was an interesting season. They enter the Super Bowl with a 14-4 record on the year, but after one month of play, an accomplishment such as this one seemed out of reach. The Pats stumbled to a rather uninspiring 2-2 start, capping off the September slate with a blowout defeat at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. For a brief moment, it looked like the Patriot empire was in trouble. Fourteen games later, that moment seems like a long, long time ago.
With a record of 12-2 since October, Bill Belichick’s crew looks elite once again. The only two defeats this club has suffered in that time frame were a 26-21 nail-biter versus the Packers at Lambeau Field, and a Week 17 contest with the Bills that saw Tom Brady and several other starters resting for much of the afternoon. In short, the Patriots have been nearly flawless. They enter Super Bowl XLIX with a ton of momentum (in spite of the recent controversy), and will look to win a fourth championship of the dynamic Belichick-Brady era.
Standing in the way of this momentous accomplishment, is the team looking to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since the aforementioned Pats did it a decade ago; the Seattle Seahawks. The ‘Hawks have a chance to accomplish what very few football organizations have, especially in the modern era, by winning the big one once again. After one of the most exciting comeback wins in NFL history in the NFC championship, this team is primed for greatness.
The path they took was at times, just as topsy turvy as the Patriots’ September, but like their Super Bowl opponents, the ‘Hawks righted the ship in a big way. After the Percy Harvin trade went down, rumors of discontent surfaced, and controversy ran amok, especially as the team suffered a disappointing 3-3 start. Doubters thought the team wouldn’t be able to stick together, and were prepared to add the Seahawks to the long list of Super Bowl winners who disappointed the following year.
That was a mistake.
The ‘Hawks came roaring back, going 11-1 since that time, and solidifying themselves as the current cream of the NFC crop. This is a team that thrives when faced with adversity and takes great pride in proving people wrong at every turn. Sunday, February 1st presents a very intriguing match up because as was the case last year when the Seahawks faced the Broncos, the over-riding theme will be an elite offense versus an elite defense. Brady and company will face off with Earl Thomas’ crew in what will ultimately be the game’s deciding clash.
But there’s more to this story than offense versus defense. This one is a little more personal than last year. There’s bad blood between these two teams, dating back to an October 2012 contest that saw the ‘Hawks edge out a narrow 24-23 victory over the Pats. Since that Week Six face off, the Seahawks have been an organization on the rise, with a 6-1 playoff record and a Lombardi trophy to show for it. Success has been the hallmark of John Schneider and Pete Carroll’s regime, and don’t kid yourself, this has not gone unnoticed by the Patriots.
Simply put, the Seattle Seahawks present the greatest threat to the New England Patriots’ status as the dynasty of modern football that we have seen to this point. On Sunday, February 1st, the old order could change and the Patriots will do everything in their power to keep that from happening. There is much more than a single Lombardi trophy on the line here (although that should be more than enough). It’s just a week away, folks.
Check back next week for a comprehensive preview of the biggest game of the season. Thanks for reading, everyone.
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