Season's Over
  • Home
  • NFL
  • NCAAF
  • MLB
  • NBA
  • NCAAB
  • NHL
  • Soccer
  • UConn
  • About

Super Bowl XLVIII: Baltimore Ravens v. Seattle Seahawks

8/8/2013

0 Comments

 
By Mike Corasaniti

Game: Super Bowl XLVIII
Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date: February 2, 2014
Teams: Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks

It is hard to tell which is better for the Baltimore Ravens: their Super Bowl XLVII victory or the fact that nobody expects them to repeat this season.

Between the ever-present debate around the stature of Joe Flaaco’s game and the loss of players like Anquan Boldin, there are a lot of teams ahead of Baltimore on people’s lists. That’s not to say though that there aren’t any expectations.

For starters, no quarterback is going to complain when he’s got Torrey Smith and Jacoby Jones to throw to.

Second it’s highly doubtful Baltimore will see any trouble from Cleveland or even Pittsburgh this year. But, the Cincinnati Bengals could give Baltimore a run for their money in the AFC North. The Ravens are still seemingly a near lock to make the playoffs, but Andy Dalton and Co. has looked good enough to relegate Baltimore to a Wild Card spot as they push for their first division title since 2009.

A Baltimore team making it back to the Super Bowl won’t just be happy to be there. A team without sparks like Boldin or the retired Ray Lewis will be looking to prove they’re more than just a team who got a big play against Denver and a surprise win over the Patriots.

They’re not concerned with proving that their quarterback is an elite so much as they’re looking to prove their caliber as a team, which is also still in some question even as they enter 2013 as defending champs.

In a rather different light, the Seattle Seahawks have a load of expectations behind them as well. Not even considering the expected continuing blossoming of QB Russell Wilson, their defense should be near the top in almost every defensive category in 2013.

Their division should provide even bigger headaches than the Ravens will face however, as their reward for surviving the intriguing cases of both the Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams will be the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. As the two best teams in possibly the best division of 2013, the matchups between Seattle and San Francisco will be must sees, seeing two young quarterbacks against two high-ranked defenses.

If Seattle can get past their main divisional rival though, setting their sights on their first Super Bowl trip since 2005 will not be out of their reach.

Highlighted by cornerback Richard Sherman looking to further assert his claim that he is the best at his position in the league, Seattle will have no shortage of explosive players leading them.

Players like Sherman will be especially key for a team looking for an extra spark to get over the next step that they were unable to conquer when they lost in last year’s divisional round. Add on the Percy Harvin situation, who return date is still unclear after requiring a recent injury led to hip surgery, and there will be a much heavier reliance on the players already there who can make the big plays.

But Seattle’s offensive game is not too heavily reliant on the pass game, as Wilson’s passing numbers were nothing too impressive, especially compared to the league’s elites.

The team relied a lot more on the run game and the running threat the Wilson provided, finishing in the Top 3 in rush yards per game last season.

The Ravens conversely had a mediocre-at-best rush defense, which showed through Kaepernick’s big Super Bowl plays against their defense.

How Baltimore gets there

A return trip to the Super Bowl will look similar to last year’s for the Ravens, most likely facing the Broncos as their biggest test. Even considering all of the injuries and drama surrounding the Patriots this offseason, it’s not unlikely to think that they may once again be standing in the way.

But what will be the most crucial for another deep playoff run is how well their secondary can perform. Especially against a Denver offense with so many weapon at Peyton Manning’s disposal, the pass defense will be the make or break for this team.

How Seattle gets there

It’s a coin flip as to who wins the NFC West, but it won’t really matter once Seattle gets to the playoffs.

No matter if the Seahawks enter the playoffs as a Wild Card or with a bye, they will have to get past the 49ers and Green Bay Packers in some way or another. And the defining factors for both matchups be: Can the Seahawks get to the quarterback? Though this team is much better than it was a year ago, the answer to those questions is again a coin flip.

Prediction

Comparing Baltimore’s defense to Seattle’s, which finished in The top 10 in rush and pass categories last season, and it’s a safe pick.

The Ravens will provide big plays and experience to keep the game close through halftime. But Seattle running it down Baltimore’s throat will take a toll on the Ravens defense, and two third quarter rushing touchdowns will put the game out of reach for the Seahawks.

Seattle 24-13
0 Comments

NFC Championship: Green Bay Packers v. Seattle Seahawks

1/5/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
An NFC Championship matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers is in line if both teams win out, setting up a rematch of one of the most infamous endings in NFL history.

By Mike Corasaniti

If you’re sick of seeing the picture to your left, then you’re human. Or, you might just be a Packer.

The Sept. 24 ending to the Monday Night Football thriller is not only a shrill reminder of one of the most embarrassing lockouts in all of sports, but also the play that sent Green Bay to their first regular season second loss since 2010. A little long winded, but they don’t like losing.

About 14 weeks later, both teams are two wins away (easier said than done) from a late season matchup with a championship berth on the line. And for the Packers especially, there’s probably nobody else outside of Chicago they’d like to pound than the team that crushed their hearts by the hands of some replacement referees.

How the Packers get there

Green Bay handles the Vikings with ease later today and then beats San Francisco in overtime next weekend. Aaron Rodgers has been playing too well and the Packers are too motivated to bow out early this season, especially after their 2012 early exit.

They gave up way too many yards against Adrian Peterson last week, and between San Francisco and Minnesota, stopping Adrian Peterson could be their toughest challenge in getting to the conference championship. But as long as they keep Purple Jesus to around 100 yards, Green Bay has more than the right stuff to cruise by the Vikings at home and then upset the 49ers.

How the Seahawks get there

The Russell Wilson-Robert Griffin III matchup may be the most exciting one on this seasons slate of divisional matchups, as both players have the opportunity to put up equally as exciting games. Seattle is simply just the better team though, and emotion on the side of the Redskins won’t be enough to get past the Seattle defense.

Getting by Atlanta will obviously be the bigger challenge, but it’s no secret that Atlanta may be the softest No. 1 seed of all time entering the playoffs. Behind Seattle’s stellar run game up against the Falcons mediocre run defense (No. 21 in the league against the run), it could easily be another disappointing exit for Matt Ryan and Atlanta.

Matchup

The toughest challenge for Seattle this postseason will be playing on the road. They’re potent at CenturyLink Field, winning all 8 games at home this season, but they haven’t won an away postseason game since the early 1980s.

This is huge for Green Bay who, historically, is one of the toughest teams in league to see at home in the playoffs. The matchup will lie between Aaron Rodgers and the Seattle pass defense, No. 6 in the league entering this weekends games.

Seattle has a solid opportunity in front of them entering the playoffs, but in this what if matchup, a Green Bay Packers team at home coming off a win over San Francisco would be too much for any team in this field to handle.

Green Bay 23-10


0 Comments

    Archives

    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012

    Categories

    All
    Atlanta Falcons
    Baltimore Ravens
    Chicago Bears
    Dallas Cowboys
    Green Bay Packers
    Houston Texans
    Indianapolis Colts
    Minnesota Vikings
    New England Patriots
    New York Giants
    Nfl
    Replacement Refs
    San Francisco 49ers
    Seattle Seahawks
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    Title Summer 2013
    Washington Redskins
    What If

    RSS Feed

Season's Over and Seasonsover.com Internet Ventures. All rights reserved.