Only time will tell. We were already in his range, so why run a play that took way too long to develop, and had the potential for disaster? Seattle has won at least one playoff game in its past seven trips to the postseason.
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Quarterback Russell Wilson – who played his final college season at Wisconsin – said he’ll use a hand warmer between plays, but doesn’t plan to play with a glove.
Michael, getting the start at tailback in place of the absent Marshawn Lynch, had 28 yards on eight carries in the first half.
One ended on the bypassed field goal attempt – the Seahawks were facing fourth-and-13 at the 30 when they chose to go for it with a pass to Fred Jackson picking up just 7. That would be 16 degrees below the Seahawks’ current record, endured in their 2006 visit to Denver. Michael Christine is going to get the start. A report from ESPN.com states that despite participating in practice all week with the team, that Lynch decided that he couldn’t play in the game on Sunday, January 10.
On the previous possession, Wilson picked up an errant snap from the shotgun, scrambled, then found Tyler Lockett for a 35-yard gain.
“It makes it fun for our guys, but that’s just the kind of team that we have”, cornerback Richard Sherman said.
“You get used to the cold”, he said.
Peterson will look to open the offense for the Vikings, as second year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been inconsistent throwing the ball this season. The Seahawks’ punter, Jon Ryan, is from Regina and has experienced the joys of kicking in sub-zero weather. Just saying. If the temperature puts both offences in the deep freeze, the punting game becomes a significant factor.
The Seahawks, who also lost tight end Jimmy Graham for the season with a knee injury, will be without backup Luke Willson as well because of a concussion.
Wilson, however, isn’t concerned about playing in the cold. In their regular season finale against Minnesota, they were forced to play guard Josh Sitton at left tackle. The Seahawks did just beat the Vikings in Week 13. They also possess the best run defense (81.5 rushing yards per game) and the second-best pass defense (210.2 passing yards per game).
The Vikings are now playing at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the University of Minnesota’s football team, while a new stadium on the site of the Metrodome, their home from 1982 to 2013, is under construction. On the next series, Adrian Peterson fumbled the ball back to Seattle.
Back in December, I took an in-depth look at some of the reasons why the Green Bay offence was struggling and even though head coach Mike McCarthy taking over play-calling duties gave the team a slight bump, the Packers have only managed 21 total points in their past two games. The ‘Hawks feature an under-rated pair of nose tackles in Brandon Mebane and Ahtyba Rubin, All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner and the fearsome Kam Chancellor at strong safety. Can they hold on and advance to the divisional round?
The less obvious: Aaron Rodgers, possibly the most talented passer of our time, directed the 23rd ranked offense in the National Football League this year.
After a much anticipated return for wild Card weekend, Lynch has been ruled out for Seattle.
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However, there are a lot of arrows that point toward Seattle being that rare team with the chance to reach the Super Bowl through the road. Sixth seeds have won multiple games in the same playoffs only four times in those 25 years (2005, ’08, ’10, ’13).
