The Washington Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-18 Sunday, which clinched their first NFC East division championship since 1999 and first postseason appearance since 2007. This Sunday, fourth-seeded Washington will host its first postseason game in 13 years against the fifth-seeded Seattle Seahawks. Here's what you need to know about the Redskins' upcoming opponent:
Game Time: Sunday, Jan. 6 at 4:30 p.m. on FOX
How They Got Here: The Seahawks finished the season with an 11-5 record, good for second place in the NFC West behind the San Francisco 49ers. They enter the postseason on a five-game winning streak, and lest we forget, the Seahawks "earned" the most controversial victory of the entire 2012 NFL season. Remember replacement refs? Priceless memories.
When They Last Met: The Redskins and Seahawks did not play this season, but in their most recent meeting, the former defeated the latter 23-17 last Nov. 27. Led by RGIII -- Rex Daniel Grossman III -- Washington reeled off 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter en route to victory.
Coincidentally, the Seahawks have handed the Redskins their last two playoff defeats. In 2007-08, the Seahawks defeated the Redskins 35-14 in the Wild Card Round, and in 2005-06, they won 20-10 in the Divisional Round. Both of those games, however, were in Seattle, where the Seahawks were 8-0 this season. They were only 3-5 away from CenturyLink Field.
RGIII, Luck And That Other Guy: Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck have both taken the NFL by storm in their respective rookie campaigns, but fellow rookie Russell Wilson -- the 75th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft -- has been quietly racking up the numbers for the Seahawks. Wilson threw for 3,118 yards and 26 touchdowns (which tied Peyton Manning's NFL single-season rookie record), so prepare to be oversaturated by "Rookie v. Rookie" storylines all week long!
Who Else They Got?: Well, there's Marshawn Lynch, who finished third in the NFL behind Minnesota's Adrian Peterson and Washington's own Alfred Morris with 1,590 rushing yards to go along with 11 touchdowns (he also eats Skittles on the sideline, so there's that, too). There's also top receiving threat Sidney Rice, who caught 50 passes for 748 yards and seven touchdowns. And we can't forget cornerback Richard Sherman, who recently won his appeal after the NFL attempted to suspend him for four games for using performance-enhancing drugs; his eight interceptions were tied for the second-most in the league this season.
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What The Hell Is A "Seahawk"?: It's actually an Osprey, a team name that probably wouldn't strike as much fear into the hearts of opponents like it does fish and small rodents. Good call by Seattle ownership, if you ask me.
Hope You Like Neon: As you might already know, Nike took over as the NFL's official apparel provider this season, so all 32 teams received new gear. While most teams made little to no alterations to their uniforms (like the Redskins), the Seahawks went all out. They claimed that their new duds were "the new look of intimidation." Yeah, if you're intimidated by those reflective vests you're supposed to wear while running at night.
Boycott Seattle: Unfortunately, a lot of things we use in daily life originate from Seattle, but if you're serious about the Redskins winning a postseson game, it's time to hit Seattle where it hurts. That means no Starbucks (and certainly no Seattle's Best), no listening to Nirvana, no wearing flannel, and above all else, no using your Zune. That last one was a joke; nobody ever used a Zune.
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