5 Reasons The Seattle Seahawks Will Choke In Playoffs

I apologize in advance to our awesome Seahawks fans for reading this post. Seattle will choke in the postseason.
What if I told you that the Seattle Seahawks are the proverbial iceberg, that what they show on the surface is only a fraction of what exists underneath the waters?
You'd laugh out loud, "accidentally" drizzle my face with your spit, and tell me that I need more apples in my diet.
I'm not crazy, yet, to claim that the Seahawks will choke in the playoffs. Remember where you skimmed through it first.  
1. Your Team's Regular Season Record Was What? 
Goodbye, Pro Bowl stats. Adios, to the touchdowns, and farewell to your team's winning record. Russell Wilson's numbers in 2013 are almost identical to those from a year ago, with a chance this weekend to break his record-tying, 26 touchdown passes he registered in his rookie campaign (T-Peyton Manning).
His overall record at CenturyLink Field is currently 14-1, the single loss coming as a shock, delivered by Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16. You may shred the stat sheets now. Remember Joe Flacco? The (overpaid) Ravens quarterback threw 11 touchdowns in four games - including the Big Game, half of the 22 he tossed during the regular season.
The postseason is a whole new world, minus the romance and stomached butterflies from the scene in Disney's Aladdin. The Seattle Seahawks (12-3) are projected to finish 13-3 on NFL.com, which means they're expected to beat their visitors from St. Louis. A win would guarantee them home-field advantage for two games before flying to New Jersey. 
2. CenturyLink, ShmenturyLink

Since 2009, teams who earned a first-round bye as opposed to those that didn't are 4-4. No trimming around the edges with this one: besides crowd-noise control, hosting the Divisional Round Championship game is a double-edged sword. 
3. B-hawks Too Hot, D-hawks Too Cold, But C-hawks Just Right
Despite Wilson accurately passing for 320 yards and a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, the Seahawks' running attack struggled, putting up 60 yards between Marshawn Lynch and backup Robert Turbin.
Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams' fumbled the rock at the end of a 16-yard rumble with a little over five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Had he not, their offense may have taken the lead shortly thereafter and capitalized on defense by pressuring Wilson in the pocket. 
4. Painful Seeing Them Win, Frustrating To Watch Them Do It 
Let's pretend that Cam Newton and the Panthers won Week 1 at home. The 'Hawks cover up their sloppy start, trumping over the 49ers and the weasly Jagaurs.
That's when the "let's win, but win later in the game" virus strikes. Remember, remember, the game at Houston. Down 20-6 in the third quarter, Seattle's offense cut the lead by seven before Wilson threw the football across his body and into the hands of Texans safety DJ Swearinger. With 2:52 left on the clock, Matt Schaub (and the football gods) blessed DB Richard Sherman a game-tying pick-six. That's (hypothetically) two losses for the Seahawks.
Do the math: Loss to the Colts. Beat the Titans at CenturyLink. Handle the Cardinals. Goal-line stand victory against Kellen Clemens and the Rams in St. Louis. (Hypothetical) loss to the, ahem, Bucs (remember they were down 21-0?!) Crush Atlanta. Destroy the Vikings. Obliterate the Saints. Loss to the 49ers. Shut out the Giants. Stunned by the Cardinals.
Realistic (hypothetical) record: 8-7 right now ... slim playoff chance.
5. Brandon Browner Out Indefinitely, Russell Wilson Loses Cool 
Looks like third-year pro and 6-foot-4 cornerback Brandon Browner won't be coming back for a while. The beast who's performance has descended due to nagging injuries after his rookie season in 2011 (23 pass deflections) was caught violating the policy for using non-performance enhancing drugs. That's a huge loss, literally, for their D. They will miss his physicality and ball-hawking presence alongside defensive backs Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. 
So there you have it. The Seahawks may have home-field advantage, but will choke whether you know how to perform the Heimlich Remover, or don't.