The 2014 Seattle Seahawks will be remembered for not running the ball with the Super Bowl on the line, but that's a bit unfair. They made it back to the Super Bowl for the second straight year, which is a huge accomplishment. They finished the regular season with the top defense and a top 10 offense, so they should still be considered the NFC favorite moving forward.

The Seahawks have the fourth-toughest strength of schedule going into the 2015 season, but that is nothing new for them.

Home: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers

Away: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals

Here are three of the matchups to keep an eye on:

Arizona Cardinals: Seattle's sweep over the Cardinals last season is one the main reasons why they were able to win the NFC West. This is usually a tightly-fought series, though, so it is worth watching just to see if the balance of power shifts at all in that division.

San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers will be out to prove that they deserve to be considered Super Bowl contenders even though they were just 8-8 last year. They are obviously talented, so this is certainly a series to watch this season.

Green Bay Packers: Anytime you get a rematch of the previous year's conference championship game, it is a game to watch. Especially when those same two teams are considered the best of the NFC. The Packers will be looking to avenge that 28-22 overtime loss, while the Seahawks know that a win in Green Bay would give them a great chance of being near the top of the conference standings again.

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