If the Seahawks win home-field advantage, the NFC playoffs aren’t going to be very interesting.
Considering Seattle has a two-game lead with four games to play in the chase for the conference’s No. 1 seed, it looks like the only mystery left for Super Bowl XLVIII is which team the Seahawks will face at MetLife Stadium in February.
Pete Carroll’s bunch certainly looks like the team to beat — perhaps in all of football — after maintaining its perch atop The Post’s NFL Power Rankings with a 34-7 rout of the Saints on Monday night.
Stranger things have happened in the cap-era NFL, of course, but with the way the Seahawks are built — especially on defense — combined with the most ridiculous home field in the sport, it would be a seismic shock if Seattle doesn’t end up carrying the NFC banner into the Meadowlands.
A potential slip-up awaits Sunday on the road against the 49ers, but a loss probably would not be catastrophic considering the Seahawks have a three-game bulge over San Francisco in the West and close with a relatively soft stretch of the Giants, Cardinals and Rams.
The always entertaining Carroll at Super Bowl Media Day should be a lot of fun.
(Last week’s ranking in parentheses)
1. Seahawks (1): With a two-game lead on the entire NFC, this week’s trip to the 49ers isn’t so big anymore.
2. Broncos (4): If they don’t coast into the playoffs with the cake schedule they have left, something’s wrong.
3. Panthers (3): The defense has forced a turnover in every game this season.
4. Patriots (5): It’s uncanny how they have played to the level of their competition.
5. Saints (2): They’ll never be anything more than an entertaining sideshow until they learn how to win on the road.
6. Chiefs (6): With three of their final four on the road, that 9-0 start could turn into 10-6 real quick.
7. 49ers (7): Their roller-coaster season is on the upswing again.
8. Bengals (8): How inflated have NFL passing statistics become? Andy Dalton has thrown for 3,000 yards three years in a row.
9. Colts (10): Sure is a lot of grumbling about a team that’s going to win double-digit games and its division for the second year in a row.
10. Cowboys (11): Ah, December. Tony Romo’s least favorite time of year.
11. Lions (12): The best of a very bad division, which isn’t saying much.
12. Eagles (14): If Chip Kelly’s so brilliant, how come Nick Foles wasn’t his starter all along?
13. Cardinals (9): It’s the Cardinals, so you knew the good times couldn’t last.
14. Bears (13): How do you ring up almost 500 yards (including 135 on the ground) and lose to the Vikings?
15. Ravens (18): The defending champs ain’t dead yet. Not by a long shot.
16. Dolphins (20): You have to give them credit for resiliency.
17. Giants (23): The bounce-back win was impressive, but it’s all too little, too late.
18. Packers (15): Anyone who thinks no football player is more important than the team, we offer you the Packers.
19. Steelers (16): For shame, Mike Tomlin. For shame.
20. Chargers (17): All but one of their seven losses have been by eight points or fewer.
21. Rams (19): Brought back to earth by the Niners. Hey, that’s been known to happen.
22. Titans (21): They don’t have much talent, but no team plays harder.
23. Jets (22): If he’s never going to play, why is David Garrard still on this team?
24. Raiders (24): They’re not very good, but you can’t sleep on them. Ask the Cowboys.
25. Browns (25): Another lost year in Cleveland. Some things never change.
26. Bills (26): How did the Panthers lose to this team?
27. Vikings (28): Maybe they aren’t as hopeless as we thought.
28. Buccaneers (27): At least they’ve found a quarterback.
29. Falcons (30): Playing for pride.
30. Redskins (29): Time to start playing the kids, Shanahan.
31. Jaguars (31): Impressive young secondary is showing there might be light at the end of the tunnel.
32. Texans (32): Still no moral victories in the NFL, guys.