Suburban Underground's Post-Season Football Coverage: HUGS!

On the football field, there is no one to hold your hand. There is no one to tell you it is all going to be okay. There is no one to reassure you that your bones are not about to be broken, that you're not about to receive your umpteenth concussion, or that a pile of 300-pound men is not about to be sprawled over your lifeless body. But, if you're lucky, there may be someone who will give you something better than all that: a hug.

Here in the playoffs, a hug from a teammate can be the difference between surrender and triumph. The manly celebration of a job well done can give a player the guts he needs to get back out there and give it his all. Some teams recognize this, and regularly administer the full-body bear-hugs that mark the path to victory. Other teams withdraw from such shows of brotherly affection, at their peril. After weeks spent observing NFL hugs in action, we are proud to present Suburban Underground's Post-Season Football Coverage: The Hugs! Edition.

Super Bowl Pick Seattle (15-3) vs. Pittsburgh (14-5) Pittsburgh entered the playoffs with two strikes already against them: not only were they the lowest-seeded team in the AFC, they also occupied the bottom slot in Suburban Underground's hug rankings. Since then, the Steelers have become only the second team ever to win three consecutive road games and, in a rags-to-riches transformation before their decisive win at Denver, the Pittsburgh squad found themselves the top-ranked huggers in the league. But the Seahawks nabbed that coveted hug spot this week after a near-perfect performance against Carolina, making critical hugs on the interception and the pass as well as the touchdown. No other team has turned in such a well-rounded performance this season. If they continue to hug at that level in Detroit, the Seattle offense will have the moxie to overcome the storied Steelers defense and hug the greatest hugs of all: those that go to the winners of the Super Bowl. SU Pick: Seattle

Hug Ranks for February 4, 2006 Ranking Team Score +/- 1 Seattle 9.5 1.5 2 Pittsburgh 9 -- Scores range from 10, "Hugs All Around," to 1, "No Touching, Please"

Most Huggable Player Come back soon to find out who we picked as this week's most huggable!

Hug of the Game Come back soon to see this week's Hug of the Game! week 7 | week 8 | week 10 | week 11 | week 13 | main