A confession: despite earlier proclamations, I am far from uninterested in the outcome of Sunday’s game. In fact, I’ll say it: I am still so bitter that the Steelers knocked out my Broncos that there is no way I will pick a Steelers win on my website. And it goes without saying (but since I’m self-indulgent, I’ll say it anyway) that I will be pulling for the Seahawks all day long.
Yet I honestly believe the Seahawks can and will defeat Pittsburgh in Sunday’s battle for the Lamar Hunt trophy-make that Lombardi trophy (4 p.m. Mountain, ABC). The reasons?
1) The Seahawks are very good on offense. Like I’ve noted, the Seahawks were the league’s highest-scoring team this year. Pittsburgh ranked a bit lower thanks to this man, but even if we count only the games Ben Roethlisberger played in, they still couldn’t keep pace with Seattle on the scoreboard.
Add to Matt Hasslebeck’s emergence the idea that Shaun Alexander may have finally overcome his struggles in big games, and it’s tough to see how Pittsburgh can contain the Seattle attack.
2) The Seahawks are solid defensively. The stats say Seattle is a little better than average defensively in yardage but pretty stingy with the points. Most importantly, they’re still improving and peaking at exactly the right time.
Seattle was 25th in the league in pass defense this year, but put the clamps down on Jake Delhomme in the NFC title game, intercepting one of the league’s most clutch quarterbacks three times. Sure, Seattle could focus on the pass with the injuries to the Panthers’ top three runners, but the dismantling of Delhomme was too complete to be brushed off so lightly.
Besides, Pittsburgh is the least-balanced offensive team ever to appear balanced, if that makes sense. They throw like crazy at the start of a game, then pound the ball to death in the second half. So if Seattle needs one-dimensional defensive focus to be successful, they can get away with it.
3) The week off favors Seattle. In terms of emotional momentum, Seattle is in much better shape. They’ve done just what they were expected to. Yet if either team is really being disrespected this week, it's the Seahawks. They've had a fantastic year and two easy wins in playoff games, yet now they're supposed to lose to a sixth seed just because it has a hot hand?
The Steelers, meanwhile, have been on a wild rollercoaster ride throughout the playoffs (and for the several weeks before them). Then they just sat for a week. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, but remember that it almost kept Joey Porter from having any interest in the game whatsoever.
In all seriousness, the Steelers have avoided feeling pressure by being the underdogs. Now they’re inviting the planet's attention and getting it. Will self-doubt start to surface, or can they keep the persecution complexes up? I'm not a doctor, but I am sick of the us-against-the-world angle, and I really do think it can backfire.
Call it bias, call it analysis, call it hate, but I call it Seahawks 27, Steelers 17.
8 comments:
That's it, John. I've been asleep all week, but now I just got woke up. I'm going to make sure you own up to those words.
Okay, honestly, I wonder about the Pittsburgh D, which I say has been inconsistent. Yes, they were dynamite against Indy and the Bengals with Jon Kitna. But it seemed like the Broncos could really move the ball in the second half of the game but shot themselves in the foot by employing Jake Plummer. And Seattle's offense is better than all of them, weak conference or not-at least, I'd certainly rather have Matt Hasselbeck than the other quarterbacks by a pretty healthy margin.
Of course, Seattle's D hasn't done much either, but I think the Steelers' defensive edge has more to do with reputation, though I still think Pittsburgh has a better D, if that makes any sense.
Maybe I'm grasping at straws here. Like I said, I just hate the Steelers.
Why do you hate to disagree with me? Who are you?
Actually, both teams seem to be peaking, so I think it should make for a great game. Yes, the Seahawks will be without A&M's 12th man, but I don't think a Super Bowl crowd will favor either team enough to make a huge difference like a home crowd might.
I don't see how a Pittsburgh win does anything for the Broncos, sorry. This is a mindset I do not understand. Example: The Spurs beat the Nuggets last year, then won the title-have you ever heard anyone since then suggest that the Nuggets were one of the NBA's very best teams last year? Of course not. They were just a squad that wasn't going to get very far in the playoffs. No one's like, hey, we lost, but we lost to the SPURS, baby. We just lost.
I don't care if the Broncos LOOK better, I just care if they ARE better, and neither outcome of this game will help us in and of itself. If anything, a Seahawks win will make us look worse-which is good, because it will convince management even more of our need to improve!
My heart's set on vengeance, plain and simple.
I know you don't care, but I will put me two cents in anyway:
First of all I do not appreciate the shot at Mack, he is a legitament coach in a former powerhouse conference.
Second: I think Mike's arguement about the strength of schedule he made in Indi's quest for perfection may have been a better arguement for Seattle to win the Super Bowl than any of his other crap.
The offense is not as good as you think--Shaun Alexander was held under 100 yard in every game against a top ten defense(With the exception of Carolina--
*Without Deshaun Foster, Carolina was not able to get anything done- the 132 yard were inflated b/c of the 20 plus minute differential in t.o.p. in favor of Seattle--Shaun's production was down more than a yard and a half, he just got more carries than normal
Further, Matt Hasselbeck has no real go-to receiver-you could make the arguement of Engram, Steven, or Jurevicius- but none have ever really been number 1 recievers, and I truly don't believe any can get open without any solid run game from Shaun, Seattle is doomed.
Seattle's offense is good, but I think it is soft... Pittsburg is more dynamic: Great rushing attack for Jerome and Parker, possibly the best recieving core out side of Arizona, and a QB who can take control of a game. You can give the coaching advantage to Seattle with Holms, but teamwise Pittsburg is clearly better.
There's a three point spread for a favored 6th seed-but I got Pittsburg at the way...
Pittsburg 28, Seattle 15
I think Seattle will score early, fall apart and Pittsburg will take advantage-Look for Seattle to late, too late.
P.S. Churchball playoffs this weekend, I got Smoky Hill all the way
Don't you get a time of possession advantage by running the ball? You kind of lost me there. Besides, of course your average is down against Carolina when you're killing the clock-I still think 34 for 132 is a good game.
The offense scored more...points...than...everybody. Soft or not, they put up points on everyone else, didn't they?
Gasp! No go-to receiver! Which recent Super Bowl made you think that was invaluable? Maybe Tampa Bay with Jurevicius himself...or Balitmore with I-Don't-Rememebr...maybe it was the Patriots' first two 'Bowls with Troy Brown. Or maybe you don't NEED a great receiver.
Speaking of Brown, your Mack comment made no sense. A legitimate coach in a former powerhouse conference? There are too many problems with that statement to list.
And personally, I think Smoky is too weak on the boards and at the point to prevail!
It's also fun that you write off a discussion of offense and defense as "crap", David, but then suggest that a strength of schedule argument would have made more sense.
First, I think strength of schedule is incredibly overrated as a barometer for which team is better.
But Seattle played a much easier schedule than Pittsburgh-opponents win percentage of .430 to Pitt's .492-so what was your point anyway? Seattle had an easier schedule-I should use that as an argument that Seattle will win the Super Bowl? What does that even mean?
I support you Mike!
correction.
pittburgh's rushing attack is not dynamic at all.
look at the stats. parker had an OK year... bettis is adiposity at its finest.
the broncos shut their running game down.
i think pitt's real strength is efficient passing.
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