Who Are the Favorites to Represent the NFC in the Super Bowl?
Who are the favorites to come out of the NFC to play in Super Bowl 51?
Entering Week 12 of the 2016 NFL season, things are at least starting to clear up somewhat in terms of the contenders and pretenders. However, it’s also the time of year that we start looking at Super Bowl favorites. And in the NFC, things are very interesting in that regard.
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The NFC is way more difficult to predict than the AFC. The two big dogs are the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, though, there are some other teams that could make a run. For instance the New York Giants and the Atlanta Falcons both could make a playoff run. Still, the other two teams are the heavy favorites.
My prediction is the Seahawks to knock off the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game, however. There are a number of reasons why and Cowboys fans won’t accept any of them.
First off, we have seen a number of great rookie quarterbacks over the years. Ben Roethlisberger, Dan Marino and Robert Griffin III all come to mind. However, rookie quarterbacks just aren’t ready for Super Bowl runs. There are always exceptions, but it’s unlikely.
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Also, it’s hard to ignore the fact that, other than the rushing attack, the Seattle Seahawks are better in every area of the game. Russell Wilson is the better quarterback and, top to bottom, he has more talented pass-catchers with Doug Baldwin, Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett. Not only are the Seahawks much better on all three levels of the defense, their special teams are much better too. Yes, the Cowboys have a shot to make the Super Bowl, but the deck is stacked against him more than most people want to acknowledge.
Seattle also has the experience and has proven they have what it takes to make a deep playoff run. We haven’t seen that from the Cowboys in over two decades. When push comes to shove, smart money is on Seattle. Home-field advantage would be huge for Dallas. Nevertheless, I’m taking the Seahawks at either venue. I believe most non-biased observers would agree.
Granted, over the course of 10 games, the Cowboys have been the better team. With that said, the Seahawks are notoriously slow starters and strong finishers and they have been unbelievable as of late. This is a defense capable of being dominant and an offense that can score with the best of them. I’m not sure the Cowboys offense can play from behind against this defense and the Cowboys defense isn’t good enough to shut the Seahawks, or most offenses, down. Seattle jumping to a lead and forcing Dak Prescott to face the Legion of Boom would be disastrous for Dallas.
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It would be fun to watch the Cowboys incredible offensive line matchup with the Seahawk’ defense though. There is no matchup I’m more intrigued to watch this post season. Let’s just hope we get to see it and both teams are healthy. This could be a classic. Dallas has a shot, but I’m rolling with the more proven and experienced Seahawks.