Cohen: With Seahawks out, here's who to root for on championship Sunday

Russell Wilson and the Seahawks won't be playing in this week's championship Sunday, but that doesn't mean Seattle fans can't have a rooting interest. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks won't be playing in this week's championship Sunday, but that doesn't mean Seattle fans can't have a rooting interest. Photo: Jamie Squire, Getty Images Photo: Jamie Squire, Getty Images Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Cohen: With Seahawks out, here's who to root for on championship Sunday 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

For the first time in three years, the Seahawks won't be participating in the NFL's championship Sunday.

That leaves Seattle fans in a bit of a conundrum for the remaining three games on the NFL schedule (we don't count the Pro Bowl and neither should you): Which teams should the 12s root for?

A cursory look at the four remaining squads makes it clear that this is not going to be an easy decision. Sunday's games feature the team that just eliminated the Seahawks (Carolina Panthers), an NFC West rival (Arizona Cardinals), the opponent Seattle decimated in Super Bowl XLVIII (Denver Broncos) and the one that broke the Emerald City's heart in Super Bowl XLIX last year (New England Patriots).

With that in mind, I broke down the remaining teams for Seahawks fans in an attempt to determine which is the least objectionable of the bunch.

Here are the results:

NFC: Carolina Panthers (No. 1 seed)

Reasons to like the Panthers: Carolina is an undeniably attractive club to Seahawks fans based on their style of play, which features a young, dynamic, dual-threat quarterback in Cam Newton and a physical defense led by stars on all three levels, including middle linebacker Luke Kuechly, cornerback Josh Norman and a stout defensive line.

Sound familiar?

We touted the Panthers' similarities to the Seahawks in the run-up to their divisional-round playoff matchup last week, so if fans are looking for something nice and comfortable this weekend, supporting Carolina seems like an easy choice.

Plus, this guy's rap song is pretty amazing.

Reasons to dislike the Panthers: Newton is basically the anti-Russell Willson, a humongous showboat who seems more than happy to soak up individual accolades. To be fair, he's had reason to celebrate during a 2015 season in which he led Carolina to a 15-1 record and emerged as the odds-on favorite to win MVP honors.

And celebrated he has, uncorking his now infamous "dab" at nearly any opportunity. Before last week's game, he even wore a custom Under Armor shirt that depicted him doing his trademark dance move along with his newborn son (whose name is "Chosen," by the way). Many found this cute instead of insufferable for some reason, and I have no idea why.

Also, Newton desecrated a 12th Man flag following the Panthers' win last week. How dare he.

And former Husky Shaq Thompson's behavior on social media following last week's win was downright deplorable. Et tu, Shaq?

NFC: Arizona Cardinals (No. 2 seed)

Reasons to like the Cardinals: Yes, he's been a longtime opponent inside the division, but who doesn't love Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald? The classy 12-year veteran has long been one of the league's best players, putting up Hall of Fame credentials even while catching balls from the likes of Matt Leinart and Kevin Kolb for much of his career.

The 32-year-old showed he had plenty in the tank in 2015, catching 109 passes and nine touchdowns. In last week's 26-20 win over the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round, Fitz put the team on his back, catching eight passes for 176 yards and the game-winning score in overtime.

Another reason to like Fitzgerald? He's teamed up with Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in several offseason charity events.

A final reason to root for Arizona? Former WSU star Deone Bucannon has turned into a stellar player for the Cardinals in his hybrid safety/linebacker position. Go Cougs.

Reasons to dislike the Cardinals: Those of us in sports media generally appreciate Arizona head coach Bruce Arians, who in addition to revitalizing the Cardinals to the tune of a 34-14 record in three years, has also been known to actually answer questions honestly. But we understand that his, ahem, bravado might rub some fans the wrong way -- particularly after he declared there was a "new sheriff in town" when Arizona defeated the Seahawks on the road in 2013.

Plus, he's a middle-aged white guy who wears a Kangol hat. Like, all the time. It's unnerving.

And Patrick Peterson is an elite athlete who's only an above-average cornerback, no matter what his contract says.

AFC: Denver Broncos (No. 1 seed)

Reasons to like the Broncos: Peyton Manning, aka "The Sheriff" (someone tell Arians), seems to be prepping for his last stand. After missing seven games in an injury-plagued 2015 season in which he still threw 17 interceptions, the 39-year-old regained his starting job just ahead of Denver's playoff opener versus Pittsburgh.

He was just OK in the 23-16 victory over the Steelers, but he'll need to channel some of his old playoff magic (ha) if he wants to take the Broncos to their first Super Bowl since 2014.

Frankly, Seahawks fans have such fond memories of that 43-8 whipping that perhaps they wouldn't mind Denver taking home the Lombardi trophy this year.

More reasons to like the Broncos: Colorado, like Washington, produces a lot of great beer. Plus, the Broncos have more former Colorado State Rams on the roster than any other team in the league. (I realize this may be relevant only to me.) And defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' Twitter handle is @sonofbum, which is potentially the greatest Twitter handle of all time.

Reasons to dislike the Broncos: Have you seen all the commercials Manning currently stars in? No, you haven't. Because there's about 5,000 of them -- and thanks of one of his campaigns I'll never be able to forget the Nationwide Insurance jingle.

It is kind of funny to make up your own version of that sing-song tine:

"Should have quit a while a-go" or "I'm not very good right now" or "Eli's got more rings than me."

Also, Denver has a demon horse outside its airport. It's horrifying and it killed its creator (I'm not kidding.) Moving on.

AFC: New England Patriots (No. 2 seed)

Reasons to like the Patriots: [404 - Not Found]

Reasons to dislike the Patriots: All of them.

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OK, that about does it. As you can see, it's perfectly acceptable for Seahawks fans to root for any team playing on Sunday. Except for New England.

Hope that helped.

Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports editor Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.