The Seattle Seahawks forced three second half turnovers including an interception in the end zone with 22 seconds left to defeat San Francisco 23-17 to claim the NFC title. The NFC West Champions will be making only their second Super Bowl appearance in team history with their first coming in Super Bowl XL in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Seattle proved to be the better team in the second half as their top-ranked defense held the 49ers to only seven points and limited the running game. They also made key plays on both sides of the ball including a touchdown on 4th and 7 to take a 20-17 lead. Seattle will face the Denver Broncos who claimed the AFC crown with a 26-16 win over New England. Peyton Manning threw for over 400 yards and two touchdowns while the injury-plagued defense kept Tom Brady in check and shut down their running game. The Patriots have now lost their second straight AFC Championship game and are 8-8 in their last 16 playoff games.
It's only the fifth win by Manning in the storied rivalry with Brady and also improves his playoff record to 11-11. The AFC West Champions will be making its seventh appearance in the Super Bowl, the first since 1998 and Manning will be making his third appearance in the big game looking to capture a second championship. For the first time in a while the top-seeded teams from each conference will meet in New Jersey on Feb. 2 for the right to raise the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
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