5. Home Field Advantage

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There is a reason why they call it “home field advantage,” and this year especially will be huge for both Seattle and Denver. For Seattle, its biggest weapon is the 12th Man Crowd. This fanbase gets so loud, it has been known to break multiple Guinness World Records, and they have the seismographs to prove it. The 137.5 decibels recorded on Dec. 2 was equivalent to a magnitude of Level 1 and Level 2 earthquake. Now that is loud! This means it will be extremely difficult for Colin Kaepernick to call plays under center.

For Denver, they can also say, “there is no place like home,” because believe it or not, in spite of Tom Brady’s past success in the playoffs, he is 4-6 overall against the Broncos. Also, Brady is 0-1 against the Broncos when the game is played in Denver.

4. Seattle Seahawks' Defense

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Seattle is no doubt prepared on the defensive side of the ball. In the regular season, they were No. 1 in all categories on defense. Last week, they held quarterback Drew Brees to just 250 passing yards, his lowest since week 13 of the regular season. On top of their dominant secondary, the additions of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril proved to be most beneficial to their defensive front. Colin Kaepernick will no doubt have his work cut out for him.

3. Denver Broncos' Running Game

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Denver absolutely torched the Patriots on the ground the last time these two teams met back in November, as Knowshon Moreno became the first Denver back since Clinton Portis to rush for more than 200 yards. New England has shown a lot of improvement since that last meeting, making some big adjustments that resulted in them just allowing 112 rushing yards per game since Week 12 of the regular season. But Denver’s attach will be balanced and deadly, no matter the changes.

2. Peyton Manning's Weapons

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Peyton Manning’s receiving arsenal is one to rival even the best Madden fantasy lineups. At wide receiver, you have the speedy Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker. At tight end, he has the size and athleticism of Julius Thomas. However, to give the Pats some credit, their secondary is very talented, but I think Manning’s receiving corp will prove to be too much for New England this time.

1. Marshawn Lynch

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Marshawn Lynch is without a doubt the scariest running back in football right now. His wrecking ball type run game can power through any defensive line. His 28 carries for 140 yards and two TD's against the New Orleans Saints last week showed that he is a force to be reckoned with on the field, and will be Wilson’s security blanket.