Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson promises "one for the ages" when the Super Bowl champion Seahawks take on the Green Bay Packers on Sunday for a place in this season's NFL championship showcase.
The Seahawks and Packers will duel for the National Football Conference crown, while in the American Conference, superstar quarterback Tom Brady leads the New England Patriots against the Indianapolis Colts, whose quarterback Andrew Luck is trying to build a playoff legacy to match his dazzling talent.
In Seattle, the Packers will be up against a streaking Seahawks team who have won seven straight games.
"It's going to be one for the ages," predicted Wilson, who connected on 15-of-22 passes for 268 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in Seattle's 31-17 victory over Carolina in the second round of the playoffs.
The third-year pro is an impressive 25-2 as a starter at the Seahawks' CenturyLink Field, where the frenzied fans are an additional nightmare for visiting teams.
The win over the Panthers made Seattle the first reigning Super Bowl champs to win a playoff game the next season since the 2005 New England Patriots.
That's not enough for Wilson.
"It's exciting but the job's not done," said the 26-year-old signal-caller. "We're on one mission. You just have to take it one game at a time. Our goal is to go 1-0."
The immediate concern for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be not Wilson but Seattle's formidable defence, which in the regular season led the league in average points allowed with a stingy 15.9.
"We're going to have to be efficient against them," said Rodgers, who was clearly hobbled by a left calf injury in the Packers' second-round victory over Dallas. "They're a great defence, they've got Pro Bowlers all over the place and they're well-coached."
Rodgers and the Packers capped the 2010 season with a Super Bowl title. They, too, say their job this season isn't over.
New England's Brady has been meeting post-season challenges for more than a decade. Sunday's showdown with Luck's Colts will be Brady's ninth AFC title game with the Patriots under coach Bill Belichick.
He has won five of them, leading to three Super Bowl triumphs.
"It's great to have Tom and his ability and his poise and presence as our quarterback," Belichick said of the 37-year-old superstar. "There's no quarterback I'd rather have than Tom Brady."
The 25-year-old Luck, selected first overall by the Colts in the 2012 draft, emerged for good from the shadow of former Colts QB Peyton Manning last weekend as he led Indianapolis past Manning's current team, Denver, 24-13.
Since Luck entered the league, the Patriots have beaten the Colts by an average 48-22 in three meetings, including a 43-22 win in the second round of the playoffs last season.
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