GOING ‘FOURTH’
Word of advice to the Packers: Score as many points as you can in the first half, because if history repeats itself at CenturyLink Field, the Seahawks are going to dominate the second half of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game.
No team finishes a game better than the Seahawks, a key reason why they are in position to become the first backtoback Super Bowl winners since the 200304 Patriots. The longer a game goes, the stronger the Seahawks get.
That trend was evident again in the NFC divisional playoff win over the Panthers Saturday in Seattle when the Seahawks outscored Carolina 177 in the fourth quarter in route to a 3117 victory punctuated by a 90yard interception return for a touchdown by safety Kam Chancellor.
“Our guys know that the second half is something that we really count on our guys to make things happen on both sides of the ball,’’ said Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “It’s really, really fun to finish well and we take pride in that and it’s working out still.’’
It’s what good teams do, confident teams, teams that are patient, smart and have the ability to focus and adjust.
“You don’t win games in the first half,” receiver Doug Baldwin said. “You don’t win games in the third quarter. You win games in the fourth quarter. Whatever happened in the first half doesn’t matter. We know when we come out of that locker room at halftime, it’s 00 and we’ve got to go win the second half. That’s our mentality. It’s a whole new ballgame for us.”
Give credit to a coaching staff that seems to say the right words, make the right adjustments and call the right plays that continually make the Seahawks the better team in the second half. The Panthers had some success early on Saturday scoring their first touchdown on a 14play, 79yard drive in the second quarter and adding a field goal on the final play of the first half after a 13play drive.
But their first three possessions of the second half ended with two punts and Chancellor’s interception return. Carolina scored its final touchdown on a 78yard drive with two minutes left when the Seahawks were playing a soft defense to burn the clock.
“The second half is the most important part of the game,” Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said. “You can pretend in the first half and play pretty good and feel good about yourself and be happy or you can come out and play a great half. We come out, settle down, see what mistakes we made and come out and play a great game.”
None of this is news to the Packers. The Seahawks beat Green Bay 3616 in the season opener in Seattle by outscoring Packers 196 in the second half, including a 146 advantage in the fourth quarter. Seattle’s edge in timeofpossession, 33:20 to 26:40 — thanks in part to 207 yards rushing — helped keep the ball out of the hands of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who completed 23of33 for 189 yards, one TD and one INT. The Seahawks also had a significant edge in time of possession against the Panthers, 34:03 to 25:57.
“What I hope is happening is when we get to the end of games is our guys believe more in what they do and believe it even more with the confidence they’ve gained throughout the year,” Carroll said.
Many of the Seahawks hoped they would be meeting the Cowboys on Sunday with the chance not only to go to the Super Bowl but avenge a 3023 home loss to Dallas in October. But they’re not surprised they’re facing the Packers.
“When we played them in the opener we thought they would be the team we’d be playing now,” Carroll said.
The Packers had better count on scoring their points early rather than late.