Seattle Seahawks

Regular Season Record: 13-3
All-Time Playoff Record: 5-7
Previous Playoff Results: Click Here

Strengths
The strength of the Seahawks lies in their balance on offense. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck does a good job of distributing the ball to a solid group of veteran receivers. And Shaun Alexander, the league's MVP, makes the Seattle offense equally as dangerous on the ground.

Alexander is a big back who can wear out a defense, but what makes him dangerous is his ability to cut back and bounce to the outside for big gains. He also has a nose for the end zone, having scored a league-record 28 touchdowns during the regular season. If the Steelers are forced to keep a safety in the box to stop Alexander, their secondary could be vulnerable to the Seahawks' passing attack.

Seattle also has a surprisingly stiff defense thanks to some young players in key positions. Leading that list is rookie linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who has added some toughness to the middle of the defense. He's a smart player who fills holes very well, and does a tremendous job lining up the defense despite his inexperience.

Tatupu is also a reason that fellow rookie linebacker LeRoy Hill has flown under the radar (unless you're a Seahawks fan, of course) much of the season. Hill used his agility and quickness from the outside linebacker position to bolster the Seahawks' pass rush, racking up 7 1/2 sacks during the regular season. Seattle's front seven as a whole gets off the ball very quickly and does a good job of penetrating upfield.

• Pick up the blitz... Pittsburgh just loves to blitz from all over the field, and I guarantee they'll have something special in store for Super Bowl XL. So Seattle's offensive line not only needs to be physically prepared for the gauntlet the Steelers are sure to put before them, they need to be mentally ready as well. An offensive line's confidence can crumble quickly under the type of attack the Steelers have thrown at teams throughout the playoffs.
• Slow the Bus... The Seahawks' linebackers cannot allow Jerome Bettis to break tackles and run over defenders. Once he gets rolling downhill, he's a load to stop. And with the combination of this possibly being the last game of his career and Detroit (site of Super Bowl XL) being his hometown, expect the future Hall of Fame running back to be highly motivated in this championship game.
• Contain and pressure... The Seahawks led the league in sacks during the regular season, and they've got to continue to bring that same type of pressure. Ben Roethlisberger throws well on the run, so they have got to try to collapse the pocket around him instead of flushing him to the outside where he can make plays.