Monday Night Football at Sapphire: New Orleans at Seattle

The folks who run Monday Night Football could not have asked for a better scenario this late in the season. The top two teams in the NFC are about to face each other in a battle for first place, in what many consider the best home field advantage in the NFL as the Saints head to Seattle to face the Seahawks. Each team has a short quarterback (for NFL standards) that have enormous arms and more importantly, heart. Fans of both teams will probably remember the 2011 NFC Wild Card game in Seattle, where the Seahawks (with a losing record) upset the Saints in a 41-36 shootout. Running back Marshawn Lynch ran all over the Saints that day, where the term “Beast Mode” was initiated. Two and a half years later the Saints and Seahawks will face each other again, with just as much on the line.
If Seattle wins, they almost guarantee the #1 seed in the NFC (barring a meltdown in the final weeks). Seattle has not lost a home game in nearly two seasons, and Russell Wilson has yet to lose in Washington State. The Seahawks will have to play without two defensive backs, Walter Thurmond and Brandon Browner. This adds to a growing list of players that have violated the league’s substance abuse policy since Pete Carroll became head coach in 2010.
If New Orleans wins, they will become the new #1 seed in the NFC. Facing second placed NFC South foes Panthers twice before the season ends, New Orleans will be looking much more in the rear view mirror than Seattle (who would still have a 2 game lead with a loss). Marques Colston and Kenny Stills will look to torch up the Seattle secondary who will have fresh blood at the cornerback position.
Luckily for the Seahawks, the game will be in cold and rainy conditions. This will most likely create a need to run the ball, something the Seahawks do much more efficiently than the Saints. Nonetheless, this game will be electric from start to finish, and Sapphire will be showing the game! Click here to get your tickets for what is so far the game of the year! (We hope it ends like the Alabama-Auburn game on Saturday)