Saints vs Seahawks Monday night open thread

The two teams playing tonight are not in the Raiders division. They're not even in the Raiders' conference. All in all, who wins has no bearing on the Raiders whatsoever. But it's Monday Night Football and it features two Super Bowl contenders in what should prove to be a great game in Seattle.

The Saints (9-2) are my Super Bowl pick out of the NFC. The Seahawks (10-1) are also a popular Super Bowl pick. This could very well be a preview of the NFC Championship game.

The last time the Saints were in Seattle was the playoffs following the 2010 season when the 7-9 Seahawks knocked ousted them in the wildcard round.

The Saints are among the best in the league on both offense and defense. They are second only to the Broncos in pass offense and third in the NFL in pass defense (5th in total defense). The Seahawks have a pretty good offense but are led by their second ranked defense which is also the best passing defense in the NFL.

The main thing working in the Seahawks' favor is they are extremely hard to beat at home. Opposing offenses average just 15 points per game in Seattle They have just one loss on the season and it was at Indianapolis against a Colts team which also gave the Broncos their only loss of the season.

The stars for both teams are many.

The Saints are of course led by Drew Brees. His pass catchers are led by tight end Jimmy Graham and Marquez Colston. On defense it's Cameron Jordon with his 9.5 sacks leading the way.

The Seahawks have second year phenom Russell Wilson at quarterback. He is joined in the backfield by ‘Beast Mode' Marshawn Lynch. The defense features one of the best corners in the game in Richard Sherman and the hard hitting safety, Earl Thomas.

I know I will enjoy watching these two powerhouse teams go head to head. I hope you will too.

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