Super Bowl Matchup
Seahawks vs. Patriots
Frankly I’m amazed the Colts are still in the playoffs at all, but I guess playing Andy Dalton and Peyton Manning the past two weeks — quarterbacks with a total of 13 one-and-done playoff appearances — can do a lot for a group well below the level of the three remaining postseason teams.
The Colts have averaged an embarrassing 48-22 losing score against the Patriots since Andrew Luck was drafted in 2012. Last time these clubs played, some running back named Jonas Grey notched four touchdowns on the Colts defense. The time before that, LaGarrette Blount gashed Indy for — wait for it — four touchdowns. The Colts can’t stop the run, and any hopes of throwing their way back into the game will be silenced by all-pro corner Darrelle Revis.
The NFC matchup is more intriguing. Seattle’s defense has been dominant lately, but hasn’t played a top-tier quarterback for several weeks. Aaron Rodgers is the league’s leading MVP candidate, and he’ll be determined to prove that Seattle’s 36-16 week-one victory was a fluke, which will be incredibly disappointing to Green Bay fans, because it wasn’t.
Green Bay can’t stop Marshawn Lynch’s rumbling ground attack, and if the Packers try to stack the box against him, Russell Wilson has proven his status as both a dangerous passer and rusher. Strong safety Kam Chancellor and speed-demon Earl Thomas will be forcing Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb to evaluate their career decisions every time they touch the ball. All that without even mentioning all-pro cornerback Richard Sherman. Wilson and Brady have been on a collision course all year; no team will stand in the way of a Seahawks vs. Patriots Super Bowl.
— logantjones@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @Logantj
Packers vs. Patriots
My oh my, the Colts made it to the AFC Championship. I’ll start off with the easier match-up; the Indianapolis against New England. My mind takes me back to before the NFL was founded, to the man Paul Revere. Now that man was a patriot, and what did he ride? A horse. The same thing is going to happen in Foxboro, Massachusetts, the city where the Pats are unstoppable.
New England has both the offense and defense playing at a high level. A colt is a baby horse. Tom Brady has his weekend set for riding that horse around the town while yelling, “The Packers are coming! The Packers are coming!”
Which brings us to the next debate — if one wishes to call it so.
What stands out to you about the Seahawks this year? Marshawn Lynch snuffing his reporters? Richard Sherman fighting against fines imposed by the NFL because of Lynch snuffing his reporters?
Now, what stands out to you about the crew from Lambeau? Jordy Nelson averaging 15.5 yards a catch with 1,519 in the regular season? Maybe Aaron Rodgers passing for an NFL-best 112.2 passer rating?
The Seahawks haven’t played a real team since November, which means they’ve acclimated to a lower level. Five out of the last six games in the regular season were against the 49ers, the Cardinals, and the Rams. Not only did they finish the regular season soft, they were thrown a softball match by playing the Carolina Panthers at home.
If the Packers can beat a very hot, very healthy Cowboys team, all the while Rodgers not being at full strength, they surely can march to the western coast and do the same to the Hawks of hype.
Seattle, it’s time to get discount double-checked.
— brad.ferguson76@gmail.com
Twitter: @bradferg47