Seattle had the best defense in the league during the regular season. Hands down. The Seahawks were No. 1 in scoring defense (14.4 points per game allowed), passing defense (172 yards per game), total defense (273.6 yards per game) and turnovers forced (39). The strength is the back end – Seattle finished with a league-leading 28 interceptions, including a league-high eight by cornerback Richard Sherman, the league's best cover corner, despite the league-wide increase in passing totals.

"You just play your game," Sherman said. "You play the game like you know how to play it. Sometimes they call stuff, sometimes they don't. These rules now don't really allow you to cover as much as you would want to. I think we just play our style of football and we don't worry about the rest of it."

The Saints know the caliber of defense they'll be facing.

"They've got outstanding personnel and they also are well-coached with a very good scheme," Coach Sean Payton said. "They know exactly where to be, they run very well, they're physical up front, they've got a bunch of Pro Bowl players back there and it all fits together. They've got great talent, great scheme and communicate very well and they're very intelligent."