Will the Seahawks repeat as champions?
After seven agonizing months, the NFL officially kicks off tonight with a tantalising matchup of the reigning Superbowl champion Seattle Seahawks and Aaron Rodgers' Green Bay Packers. You may remember that the last game between these teams got a little bit fiery. However the statement wins over the likes of the Packers and the Patriots that season provided the foundation for what some people consider to be the next great NFL dynasty. Well, they made a strong start on living up to that moniker with their Broncos beatdown in Superbowl 48, but do they have what it takes to continue on that path in 2014?
Well the NFC West has certainly given them a helping hand this offseason. The 49ers were poised to be the Seahawks before the Seahawks, having been to the NFC Championship Game three years in a row, and strengthened their receiving corps by adding former Buffalo no. 1 receiver Stevie Johnson and ex-Patriot Brandon Lloyd. They also retained all the key pieces of their defence (minus Donte Whitner), before being bit by the injury/suspension bug throughout the pre-season. The 9ers will be without Aldon Smith for 9 games, Ray McDonald, NaVorro Bowman and Glenn Dorsey all before a snap has been played. Meanwhile, the promising Rams have once again lost Sam Bradford to injury. The Cardinals will likely be strong, though they will be lucky to take a game from Seattle.
Out of division? Well it won't be a cakewalk. The Seahawks will face the 6th-toughest schedule in 2014. With that being said, they had the same strength-of-schedule ranking in 2013, and walked away with a 13-3 record and the Lombardi. The target is now firmly on Seattle's back however, and the '12th Man' will have to be more raucous than ever to defeat each opponents best efforts, including the Packers, Eagles, the 49ers twice, and a Superbowl rematch in Week 4 against the Denver Broncos.
As for their offseason, this is for the most part the same team that took the field in 2013, with a few key losses. Red Bryant, Walter Thurmond, Chris Clemons, Brandon Browner, Marcus Trufant, Sidney Rice and Golden Tate are the headline names. That is a long list of elite players, and it will be damaging to the defending champions. Add to that the camp-standoff with star running-back Marshawn Lynch and it makes for some dangerous camp chemistry for the reigning kings. However, they did manage to retain star corner Richard Sherman, and the Legion of Boom is still very much intact. If this team repeats as Superbowl champions, it will be on the strength of their defense, and while their lethal pass-rush may lose a little bit of juice, they will still be among the league leaders on that side of the ball.
Can the Seahawks repeat as champions? Certainly. The road back is much tougher, and is more about mental fortitude than anything else. The only team to repeat as champions in the last decade? Your New England Patriots (2004). We'll see if Pete Carroll's men have what it takes.
The journey starts tonight.
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