The last time the New Orleans Saints faced the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL Playoffs was historic. Seattle was the first team with a losing record to win a playoff game.
When the Saints meet the Seahawks this time, New Orleans won't be playing a team with a losing record, but the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
When these teams met in the regular season, Seattle raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, earning a 34-7 victory over the Saints.
Only three teams defeated Seattle this season. The Indianapolis Colts won in a shootout and the San Francisco 49ers won at home (Seattle rolled the 49ers in Seattle). Just one team beat the Seahawks in Seattle—surprisingly, the Arizona Cardinals. Even with four turnovers, the Cardinals won 17-10.
You can find two common threads in the Seattle losses. One, none of those opponents won the turnover battle and, two, the Seahawks had more penalty yards than their opponents. So, the Saints don't necessarily have to win the turnover battle, but the team must limit the damage Seattle can do, and New Orleans must play disciplined football.
Both the 49ers and the Cardinals out-rushed Seattle when they beat the Seahawks. This allowed San Francisco and Arizona to control the clock as both teams won the time of possession.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson had to sit on the sideline and be a spectator, which meant the Seattle offense couldn't get into a rhythm, and it affected the Seahawks on third down.
In all three losses, the Seahawks were well below 50 percent on third-down conversions. Against the Saints earlier this season, Seattle was 7 for 14 on third-down conversions, just at 50 percent.
While the Saints' defense is stuffing Marshawn Lynch on rushing plays, the Saints also need to allow Wilson to run, and to hit him each chance they get.
In the three Seattle losses, teams got at least two sacks and added several quarterback hits. Frustrating Wilson and Lynch will be vital for the Saints.
Lastly, Brees must play like a future Hall of Famer, which is something he didn't do the first time in Seattle, giving up two interceptions and a fumble returned for a touchdown.
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