Playoff Matchup #1 Redskins vs. Seahawks

Written by Kyle Payne

Sean Taylor RIP The playoffs are here! A doubleheader for each weekend day is stuffed with two intriguing AFC regular season rematches and a pair of NFC teams flying under the radar. So let’s take a deeper look into the Wildcard round!

Saturday 4:30 p.m. – NBC Washington at Seattle

It’s hard to cheer against the Redskins who have come together after the untimely death of All-Pro safety Sean Taylor. The ‘skins won their last four to get into the playoffs riding the hot arm of career backup Todd Collins. But, if they are going to go on the road and win in Seattle they will be smart to pound the rock with Clinton Portis. The sixth year man put up his fifth 1200 yard rushing season this year and has shown the ability to get the tough yards to extend drives late this season. His production has helped Collins make the transition into leading the team. Washington’s 27-6 pounding of Dallas in the last week of the regular season sent them into playoffs on a high note, but don’t look too much into that win. The emotional high the Redskins used last weekend in their home win over the rival Cowboys will be matched this weekend in Seattle by the rabid Seahawk fans. The ‘hawks thrive off of their home crowd and come in as an overlooked #3 seed in the NFC. Matt Hasselbeck finished the regular season with almost 4,000 passing yards, 28 TD’s and a 91.4 quarterback rating. Team up his production with the suddenly effective two-headed monster of Maurice Morris and Shaun Alexander in the backfield, and the Seattle offense looks very balanced rolling into the playoffs. Though neither defense is dominant, pay close attention to turnovers in this one. The Redskins finished the year with a -5 turnover margin, while the opportunistic Seahawks had 34 takeaways and a +10 margin. A caution to Washington, don’t turn it over on the road in the playoffs. Because of the Seattle’s ability to hold onto the ball and the homefield advantage.

We like the Seahawks 24-17.