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Two weeks from now, the New England Patriots will take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
How the Seahawks Got There: The Seahawks advanced with one of the most stunning wins in postseason history, claiming the NFC Championship in overtime against the Green Bay Packers by a final score of 28-22. For much of the game, nothing was going right for the Seahawks' offense. The Packers held a 16-0 lead at halftime, and Seattle finally got on the board near the end of the third quarter with a fake field goal that went for a touchdown.
Even with that, the Packers led 19-7, and with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Russell Wilson threw his fourth interception of the game. The intercepting player, linebacker Morgan Burnett, slid down after making the pick rather than going for a return. The Packers went three-and-out, punted, and gave Seattle the ball back with four minutes to play.
The offense finally came alive, as Wilson scored on a quarterback keeper with 2:09 left to make it a 19-14 game. The Seahawks went for the onside kick and Packers receiver Jordy Nelson was camped under the ball, ready to recover it, until fellow tight end Brandon Bostick jumped in front of him and booted it, allowing former Browns receiver (and current Seahawk) Chris Matthews to recover the ball. Marshawn Lynch's 24-yard scamper with 1:25 left gave Seattle the lead, and Wilson's prayer of a two-point conversion heave found tight end Luke Willson to give the Seahawks a 22-19 lead.
Aaron Rodgers got the Packers into field goal range before the end of the game, and Mason Crosby's 48-yard field goal sent the game to overtime. Seattle got the ball first and Wilson chucked a perfect 35-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field to receiver Jermaine Kearse to win it. The Seahawks are the first team since the Patriots (from 2004-2005) to make it to back-to-back Super Bowls. Time for a victory lap.
"YOU'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NEXT?!?" "go for a bike ride, I guess..." pic.twitter.com/3UIbkl6rxo
— SportsNation (@SportsNation) January 18, 2015
How the Patriots Got There: The path to the Super Bowl went a lot easier for the Patriots, as they claimed the AFC Championship with a 45-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Capitalizing on a muffed punt by former Brown Joshua Cribbs, New England jumped out to a 14-0 lead in a first quarter that was just as rainy as the early game.
The Colts chipped the lead down to 17-7 at halftime, but New England ripped off 21 straight points in the third quarter to take a 38-7 lead. It's unfortunate that we could not have had a competitive game for the AFC Championship, but it also clearly defines the Patriots as the best team in the AFC, and they will be a formidable foe for the defending Super Bowl Champions. LeGarrette Blount was coasting the entire way too:
Stay woke pic.twitter.com/Mt1fZVWQHz
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) January 19, 2015
We've Got You Covered: The Super Bowl will be played Feb. 1, 2015, televised on NBC, with the game starting at 6:30 PM EST. There will be plenty of storylines leading up to the game, such as the Seahawks trying to win back-to-back Super Bowls, two No. 1 seeds in each conference facing each other for the second time in as many years, and whether Brady can win his fourth Super Bowl at the age of 37. We'll have a ton of Super Bowl coverage here at Dawgs By Nature throughout the next two weeks, so stay tuned.