Despite a number of second-year NFL quarterbacks struggling to duplicate the year they and their teams had last season, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks have continued to impress in 2013.

The Seahawks are coming off a blowout victory against the NFC South co-leaders New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, improving their record to 11-1 on the year. They have already clinched a playoff berth, and with four games remaining in the regular season, home field advantage throughout the playoffs is theirs to lose.

Will the Seahawks reach this year’s Super Bowl at MetLife Stadium in New York? That is yet to be seen. But, there is one thing that is certain: Seattle is the best team in the NFL.

This year’s success has been twofold behind the arm of quarterback Russell Wilson and the legs of running back Marshawn Lynch. Wilson doesn’t have the big-name receivers that average 100 yards per contest that are usually attributed to successful NFL quarterbacks. Rather, the Wisconsin alumnus has been able to effectively spread out the passing attack, with the emphasis on effectively.

Wilson has only thrown six interceptions through 12 games, and has only one game with multiple interceptions. In fact, two times this year he has had a streak of three games without an interception, one of those streaks being active dating back to Nov. 10.

Better yet, the should-be Pro Bowler, and likely MVP candidate, has had four games this year where he has finished with a 90-plus quarterback rating. Only twice this year has Wilson not achieved the “average” quarterback rating of 50, though the Seahawks went on to win on both of those games by margins of 43 to 12.

And if that is not enough to convince you of Wilson’s standout year, let this SportsCenter tweet do all the talking: “Crazy stat of the day: Russell Wilson is 3rd all-time with 48 TD passes thru first 2 seasons. He trails only Peyton Manning and Dan Marino.”

Wilson’s success has also been contingent on seven-year veteran Marshawn Lynch. The playmaking running back is nearing the 1,000-yard rushing mark with four games remaining in the regular season, averaging over 80 yards per contest. Lynch has scored and had at least 90 rushing yards in half of the Seahawks first 12 games, while only coughing up the football to the opposition once in that same span.

But just as consistent as Wilson and Lynch, the Seahawks defense has come to be one of the most tenacious in all of the NFL. They are leading the notoriously pass-heavy league in opponent passing yards, giving up just 177.3 per game, and are 13th in rushing defense at 107.2 yards per game.

The defense has been anchored by former Big 12 standout Earl Thomas, who is leading the team in nearly every statistical category on the defensive side of the ball. Thomas’ stat sheet includes 84 total tackles, seven pass deflections, four interceptions, and two forced fumbles. His four interceptions are good for fourth in the NFL.

The team itself will clinch the NFC West division crown with a win on Sunday in San Francisco against the 49ers, which means they will need just one more victory to seal up a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

And no one has a home field advantage quite like the Seahawks do playing at Century Link Field. The team has won 14-straight games at Century Link, with their last home loss dating back to 2011. While Kansas City Chiefs fans may argue the partial roof the Seahawks play under give the stadium an unfair advantage over Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, the Seahawks benefit from playing in the loudest stadium in all of sports.

“It’s very unique, and we’re very fortunate to have it,” Carroll said to The Times Picayune recently. “It’s the combination and the chemistry that connects both the play on the field and the people in the stands that support us.”

All the chips are falling into place for what may make for a special season for the Seattle Seahawks — playoff berth, division title, first-round bye, and home field advantage — but all of that aside, in the right now, there is no better NFL squad than the team from the Pacific Northwest in navy and green.