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Sunday Rundown: You gotta believe

Tom Pennington / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

It was hard to love the NFL this season. Off-field transgressions and on-field injuries led many to question whether football remains a positive influence in our culture. 

Sunday's NFC Championship Game showed why we keep coming back. 

There was comedy. There were twists and turns. There was drama at a level Hollywood executives only dream of conjuring. There were even a few natural disasters, according to the seismographs pointed at the crowd in Seattle's CenturyLink Field who set a world record for noise.

And, for a span of a few minutes late in the fourth quarter and into overtime, there was something that looked a lot like pure magic. 

Russell Wilson played the worst four quarters of his career Sunday. Four times in regulation he targeted receiver Jermaine Kearse and all four times a Green Bay Packers defender intercepted the pass. Yet, with the game and a trip back to the Super Bowl resting in his hands in overtime, Wilson walked to the line and called an audible into a new play: a deep pass to Kearse. 

Jermaine Kearse 35 YD Game Winning TD! #NFCChampionship #GBvsSEA

Never in doubt, right?

It would be foolish to suggest Wilson wasn't acutely aware of the risk he took, but it would be equally foolish to suggest Wilson's belief in his ability to rise above any hardship ever wavered. 

It's a mantra every player in the league espouses. Never give up. Never surrender. Persevere and reap the rewards. It's a saccharine notion until it plays out in real time. Then it hits you and you can't help but fall back in love with this endearing if imperfect league.

Wilson thanked God and his teammates for their faith in him in a teary postgame interview, but it's his own unwavering faith that was the real story Sunday. Combined with head coach Pete Carroll's unflinching positivity, the Seahawks have certainly found the right ingredients to cook up some magic. 

They may also have the recipe for the NFL's first dynasty in a decade.

Brady's last, best chance?

The New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl for the sixth time in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. In a league structured to promote parity, the Patriots just keep winning.

Yet, when Super Bowl XLIX kicks off Feb. 1, it will be four days short of a decade since Belichick and Brady last lifted the Lombardi trophy. 

The NFL's model franchise hasn't managed to climb the mountain again since dispatching the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Various factors, some unluckier than others, have derailed each subsequent summit attempt. 

There was Brady's ACL injury, of course, and Eli Manning tormenting of the franchise on two different occasions, but the broader story is the Patriots have simply come up short in several games they ought to have won.

It wasn't for lack of desire. It's said one must seize his opportunity in the Super Bowl because he never knows if he'll get back to the game. History suggests that shouldn't resonate with Brady and Belichick as it does with others - after all, they keep getting back - but that's never been the case. There aren't two men in the NFL more hell-bent on winning a championship. 

It's apparent in Brady's mannerisms this year that his competitive fire has never burned hotter. He knows this may be his last, best chance to cap his career with a legacy-defining fourth ring.

He won't say it. Instead, he insists he's mastered the minute details of caring for his body, feels better than ever and expects to play for several more years. 

But Brady, a true student of the game if there was ever one, knows the list of quarterbacks who played at a high level in their late 30's is a short one. When the end comes, it's swift and brutal. As they say, Father Time is undefeated.

Brady knows he may never return to the Super Bowl and, if he does, it likely won't be with a team the caliber of these 2014 Patriots. The luck that ran out in years past isn't lacking now. Rob Gronkowski is fully healthy for the first time in three years. Darrelle Revis puts on a blue and red jersey on Sundays, if only for one year. The offensive line is mauling people. The defense is swarming.

And so Belichick and Brady will march on to University of Phoenix Stadium, scene of David Tyree's famed helmet catch and the death of their push for an undefeated season, in search of the one win that can erase the pain of a decade of coming up just short.

One more win.

Stray Thoughts

  • Marshawn Lynch. Super Bowl media day. Again. Get your popcorn ready.
  • From Richard Sherman's rant last year to Russell Wilson's teary postgame interview Sunday, Erin Andrews and the FOX crew have delivered us some truly memorable moments and some very raw emotion. 
  • Aaron Rodgers said the Packers gave the game to the Seahawks. While his language obscures the Seahawks' remarkable resiliency, it's fair to say the Packers made several critical errors to leave themselves vulnerable. From not gambling on fourth-and-goal in the first quarter to Morgan Burnett taking a knee after an interception instead of trying to return it for a score, the Packers will kick themselves for months for not going for the kill. 
  • The Colts are a bad team buoyed by exemplary quarterback play from Andrew Luck. General manager Ryan Grigson has failed to improve either line or build a consistent running game. It's a familiar story for a franchise that failed to sufficiently build around Peyton Manning. 

Injury Ward

Recapping the weekend's most significant injuries. 

Richard Sherman, CB, Seahawks
Elbow injury. Says he will play in Super Bowl. 
Sherman appeared to be in agony after injuring his elbow but managed to return to the game (though he never fully extended his arm). After, he said it's "100 percent" he'll be able to play in the Super Bowl. 

Earl Thomas, S, Seahawks
Shoulder injury. Believed to be minor. 
Thomas missed only his second series as a pro after injuring his shoulder but returned to the game shortly after. It would be a surprise if he doesn't suit up for the Super Bowl. 

Stat of the Week

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