Welcome back, New Orleans Saints! Seattle Seahawks fans everywhere have been waiting for Saturday’s divisional game all week – heck, all season! Whether you’re a die-hard or fair-weather fan, here are some key advantages to know for the Saints-Seahawks rematch.
Offensive Advantage: Saints
There’s no denying Russell Wilson is an amazing quarterback. He’s incredibly dynamic to watch and the way he scrambles out of the pocket and makes plays – I know every other football fan has been saying this all season, but it continues to be true and impressive. There was even chatter and comparison with Peyton Manning and the idea that Wilson could give Manning a run for the MVP honor. However, the Seattle offense has been struggling, as evidenced by games against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick and the Seahawks’ only home loss this season against the Arizona Cardinals. Both games were toward the end of the season, and though it’s the one sliver of imperfection in an otherwise flawless diamond of a team, it does raise some concerns.
Then there’s the Saints’ offense. There’s a reason that Drew Brees was one of the top QBs drafted in fantasy football this year – the guy is a passing machine, especially when it comes to bombs in the end zone. Not to mention Wilson admires and patterns his game after Brees. On the season, Brees has 39 TDs, second only to Peyton Manning, who notably broke the NFL record for most TDs in a single season with 55. He has passed for over 5,000 yards, which he has done in four seasons of his 13 year career. It was the offense that won the game down the stretch for the Saints against the Philadelphia Eagles last week and while I believe in Seattle’s defense, the Saints’ offense is nothing to second guess.
Defensive Advantage: Seahawks
When I think about the Seahawks’ defense, the one word that comes to mind is: Wow. The only thing more dynamic and exciting than Wilson when he’s on top of his game is watching the Seahawks’ defense. Most notable is Seattle’s secondary (aka “The Legion of Boom”), made up of Pro Bowlers Cam Chancellor, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas, who make opponents work for each down. They certainly frustrated Brees during the last game, with Brees completing a respectable 23 of 38 passes (61%), but only for 147 yards and one lonely TD to Jimmy Graham in the second quarter. Usually an integral part of New Orleans’ offense, the tight end Graham was also tamed by Seattle’s defense with only three catches for 42 yards as the top performing Saints receiver.
The Saints’ defense is no slouch – they proved that when they only gave up one TD to the Eagles during the first half of the Wild Card game last week. The Seahawks will be challenged by them. But the Saints are out of their league when compared to the Seahawks’ dominant defensive squad. On the season, the Seattle defense has forced 20 fumbles and 28 interceptions, the latter stat leads the NFL. And for the Seahawks, defense wins them games.
Home Field Advantage
Both teams play phenomenal at home. Some might think that the Seahawks have Saturday’s game in the bag because they don’t call it home field advantage for nothing. First of all, the Saints play in a domed stadium and are arguably a different team on the road. But then again, they won in freezing cold Philadelphia, so that argument doesn’t entirely hold up. But secondly, the Seattle home crowd presence, aka the 12th Man, has proved to be a living, breathing influence on the plays all season – pumping up the energy on turnovers and causing false starts, averaging 2.56 per game, the highest in the NFL since 2005. And finally, there’s historical precedence when the Saints lost two big games at CenturyLink: the NFC Wild Card game in 2011 (aka when the “Beast Quake” happened) and this season, during week 13 when the Seahawks stomped on the Saints, 34-7.
However, the Seattle-Arizona game during week 16 brought the Seahawks down a peg to remind them they’re not invincible at home. Also, take a look at last week’s playoff games, and particularly the Cincinnati Bengals. They were undefeated at home during the 2013 season, but they lost at home to the San Diego Chargers. And out of the four games played last week, only one home team won – the Indianapolis Colts – but they had to fight improbable odds to come from behind to beat the Kansas City Chiefs by one point.
Coming off a road win, Saints’ head coach Sean Peyton pulled out all the stops to help the Saints prepare for CenturyLink. He had the Saints’ field painted with the Seahawks logo and blasted hip hop music to simulate the noise. But Peyton can’t simulate the rain that is projected for Saturday, or the 40 degree weather Seattle’s been experiencing, or the real 12th Man noise. Despite these cautionary tales to keep fans grounded, home field still remains an advantage for Seattle.
2-1 advantage: Go Hawks!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
