Tonight the NFL season will come to a close when the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos face off to determine the Super Bowl Champion. It is a match up everyone has been forecasting since the playoff fields were set with the best offense in the game going up against the best defense in the game.
Seattle comes into this game having knocked off their arch rival San Francisco 49ers and will look to continue executing their game plan consisting of a physical running game, smothering defense and field flipping special teams in order to beat the Broncos. RB Marshawn Lynch has been fantastic this season and will to continue that tonight against a Broncos defense that at times has had trouble stopping the run. QB Russell Wilson, who has been solid all year but has struggled a bit down the stretch, will need to take care of the ball and more importantly, keep the ball on the zone read as the Broncos are sure to attack Lynch every time it appears as he will get the ball, leaving the outside open for Wilson to scramble. Wilson has done a great job of keeping plays alive and not forcing balls into tight coverage and if he can continue doing that and avoid being sacked tonight, than the Seahawks offense should be able to move the ball down field against the Broncos defense. The X factor for the Seahawks both on offense and special teams will be Percy Harvin. While Harvin hasn't really played all year, he still has the explosiveness to not only take the top off the defense, but also to make a big return in the kick return game. The biggest asset in Harvin's return however will be his decoy ability. With Harvin's ability to open the defense up, along with the likelihood of the Broncos stacking the box to try and stop Lynch, this will leave the receivers in man to man coverage and allow Golden Tate or Doug Baldwin the space to make plays in the open field. Both have had their share of explosive plays this season and adding the threat of Percy Harvin should help them tremendously on Sunday.
The Broncos are coming off an impressive win against Peyton Manning's nemesis Tom Brady and will look finish up what has been a story book year so far with one of the most impressive offensive performances of all time. QB Peyton Manning has been absolutely ridiculous this year, slicing through every opponents defense and at times just straight up embarrassing them(I'm looking at you Ravens). He will need to be on point on Sunday in what will definitely be the best defense he has faced all year. Mannings multitude of weapons including Julius Thomas, Wes Welker, Eric Decker, Demaryius Thomas will look to find the holes in the Seattle secondary. RB Knowshon Moreno will look to fight his way for every inch that he can get as this game could come down to a few yards here or there. Like the Seahawks, the X factor in this game will be the return game of Trindon Holliday. Holliday can explode through the hole and go from goal to goal line in a flash, but he can also muff kicks at times and the last thing the Broncos can afford is giving the Seahawks a short field and having to come from behind against that defense. If Holliday can make a play or two in the return game and keep the ball under wraps, then the Broncos will be in a very good position to win this game.
One thing to look out for: Everyone keeps talking about the cold weather and the wind and how that will be the biggest factor in this game. I disagree. The biggest factor in this game will be Wes Welker. If Welker gets lit up by someone like Cam Chancellor and can't return to the game because of his recent concussion related issues, then it will be very difficult for the Broncos to match up with the Seahawks defense. If Welker can beat the press coverage of either Earl Thomas or Walter Thurmond on a consistent basis and move the chains, then Seattle might have trouble keeping up later in the game.
Prediction: While the Broncos have had a historic offense this year, it is hard to see where they will attack the Seahawks defense. Richard Sherman will cover Demaryius Thomas for a significant portion of the game and it doesn't matter if its AJ Green, Michael Crabtree or Calvin Johnson, if Sherman has coverage responsibility on you, you usually are a non factor throughout the game. The Seahawks have also been stellar at taking away opposing teams tight ends(Vernon Davis, Jimmy Graham) with their athletic linebackers and talented coverage safeties. That leaves Welker, Decker and Moreno out of the backfield. Decker has had some drops this year, Welker is one big hit away from possibly having his career end, which leaves Moreno and you won't win a game by dumping off to your back every time. Seattle also doesn't need to blitz to get the the QB and if the Seahawks defense can get Manning off rhythm even by half a second that could be the difference between a touchdown pass and an interception. Ultimately, this game will come down to the fourth quarter with the Seahawks having a three point lead with the Broncos driving. An Earl Thomas pick six all but seals it for the Seahawks. A last minute come back attempt by the Broncos after a touchdown falls short after the Seahawks recover the onside kick.
+Seattle Seahawks 27 - +Denver Broncos 24
