Playoffs of the 2000s: Seattle vs. New York

You could call the AFC a three-team dynasty in the 2000s. Aside from trips by Baltimore and Oakland early in the decade, only the Steelers, Colts and Patriots have reached the Super Bowl in the AFC. In fact, over the last seven seasons, one of those three teams has been the AFC representative in the Big Game.

Conversely, the NFC has been all about parity. Over the last nine years, no team has made the Super Bowl twice. At this rate, we should be expecting a team like the Cowboys or Packers to reach the Super Bowl next season. The only team to make multiple Super Bowl trips in the 2000s did so by reaching the first Super Bowl in the first season of the decade. Their return trip saw them topple what could have been the best team of all time in a game that could have been the best game of all time. We are of course talking about the New York Giants.

Thursday, we'll look at the final Wild Card game in the Playoffs of the 2000s, as the NFC No. 4 seed Seattle Seahawks battle the NFC No. 5 seed New York Giants. Before we get started, let's reveal the answer to yesterday's bonus question. We asked which running back won the Rookie of the Year trophy for the Broncos in the year 2000, and then later rushed for three TDs during Denver's only extended playoff run in the decade. If you said Mike Anderson, congratulations! Three more fictional points for you!

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks reached the playoffs five times during the decade, making one extended run in 2006 as the No. 1 seed and winning the NFC Championship game before ultimately falling to the Steelers in the Super Bowl. Those five playoff appearances came in consecutive years, and the Seahawks were the NFC West champion in their last four trips to the playoffs. The team was 2-2 in the Wild Card round during the decade, but 4-1 at home in all playoff contests over the last 10 years.

The biggest advantage Seattle had over teams may not have been due to a particular player or scheme; rather, Seattle itself became a very tough place for visiting teams to win games. Seattle's one home playoff loss came in their first home playoff game in six years by a very close margin, as the Rams were able to score the winning TD with about two minutes left in that game. Despite Matt Hasselbeck marching his team down to the five-yard line, the Seahawks couldn't punch it in and leave the field in defeat. The next season, they conquered the Redskins and Panthers at home before losing in Super Bowl 40. The next two seasons saw them win Wild Card-round home games before losing on the road in the Divisional round. Mike Holmgren coached the team for most of the decade, including in all five playoff years.

New York Giants

The Giants reached the playoffs in six of the decade's ten years. They lost Super Bowl 35 to the Ravens after pasting the Vikings 41-0 in the 2001 NFC Championship game. The Giants again reached the Super Bowl in 2008, this time as the No. 5 seed. Along the way, they won road games in Tampa, Dallas and Green Bay, earning a Super Bowl trip to face the league's first ever 18-0 team, the New England Patriots. In one of the most memorable Super Bowls in history, the Giants won Super Bowl 42 by a 17-14 score. The Giants were 1-3 in the Wild Card round over the decade, with that Super Bowl season marking their only victory. On the road, they were 3-2 in the 2000s, with all three wins again coming during that one season.

While the Giants toppling of the Patriots that season was certainly exciting, New York hadn't really dominated a team during the run. They beat the Buccaneers by 10 points in the Wild Card round, took a four-point victory over Dallas in the Divisional round, and won by a field goal over Green Bay in overtime in the NFC Championship. In their other three Wild Card games, the Giants lost a squeaker in 2003 when San Francisco scored 17 fourth-quarter points to win the game by a single point, were shut out by the Panthers at home in 2006 after turning the ball over five times, and lost to the Eagles in 2007 on a David Akers field goal as time expired. Jim Fassel coached the team through 2003, and Tom Coughlin has been the head coach since then.

The Game

Heading into this project, I thought the Giants were probably going to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I mean, they were the only two-time Super Bowl participants in the 2000s. Then I started dissecting this matchup.

The Giants were great on the road ... for one year. Every other time they made an extended run in the 2000s, it was thanks to being the No. 1 seed. Since they don't have that luxury here, we can't give them full credit for those victories.

Conversely, the Seahawks were great at home for most of their playoff trips, winning all their home games for three consecutive years, some coming in dominant fashion. Were this game played in New York, the Giants would easily be considered the favorites. With the game in Seattle, I think the scale tips back toward the Seahawks.

The Giants had an excellent pass rush during the 2000s, but the damage they could potentially do would be mitigated somewhat by a younger Walter Jones at left tackle. But the Seahawks did cede a lot of ground in the running game, something that Tiki Barber and Brandon Jacobs would take full advantage of.

With the game so close, I decided to look at how these teams fared in head-to-head matchups in Seattle during the decade. They met in 2005 and 2006, two seasons where both teams made the playoffs each year. In those two contests, Seattle won by scores of 24-21 and 42-30. In the end, the home-field advantage is enough to topple my NFC favorite for the Super Bowl, and the Seahawks come away with a 21-20 win.

Bonus question: The Giants had somewhat of a fluky win in their first 2001 playoff game, beating the Eagles 20-10 but scoring no offensive TDs in the game. Ron Dixon returned the opening kickoff for a TD, Who took an interception to the house for the other Giants TD?

The Seattle Seahawks advance to face the NFC No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional round.