he Denver Broncos were three-point favorites coming into Super Bowl XLVIII against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The big game had the make-up to be one of the best championships in recent history. It was a face-off against the National Football League’s No. 1 offense and defense respectively. It pitted one of the best young quarterbacks in the league with Russell Wilson against arguably the best quarterback in NFL history, Peyton Manning. While the game had the potential to be one of the great ones, it never came to fruition. As the final whistle blew, Seattle was victorious, defeating the Broncos 43-8.
The Super Bowl from the first play on was one-sided in favor of the Seahawks. Though Denver received the game’s initial kick-off, it only took one play for Seattle’s defense to impact the game. Seattle’s defense, widely known as the Legion of Doom, recorded a safety when Broncos’ center Manny Ramirez mishandled a snap to Manning into the end zone where running back Knowshon Moreno was forced to land on the ball. This was only the beginning of a landslide that saw the Seattle defense cause three turnovers, returning one back for a touchdown.
Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, who returned the Manning interception back 69 yards for the score, was later named the game’s MVP. The third-year player out of the University of Southern California also had a game-ending interception in the NFC Championship to propel his team to MetLife Stadium.
Football analysts coming into Sunday did not foresee the Seahawk defense shutting down Manning and his high-powered offense. With such an expansive number of targets to throw to, many questioned if the defense led by all-pro trash-talker Richard Sherman would be able to shut down the likes of Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas. Sherman and his band of hard-hitters were not only able to slow the Bronco’s offense down, but virtually shut it out. Denver did not score until the latter part of the third quarter.
While Sherman’s post-game interview was much more tame than his bashing of Michael Crabtree after the NFC Championship Game, his play on the field remained consistent. Sherman recorded three tackles and a tipped pass in three quarters of play before leaving the game with an ankle injury. While the cornerback’s numbers do not jump off the stat sheet, his impact on the game goes much further. In the playoff games preceding the Super Bowl, opposing quarterbacks only threw to Sherman’s side of the field three times.
The Broncos’ hopes of a comeback in the second half died when wide receiver and return specialist Percy Harvin returned the second half opening kick-off back for a 87-yard touchdown. This was Harvin’s only start of the season and only second game of the playoffs after getting a concussion in Seattle’s divisional playoff game.
Overshadowed by the play of Seattle’s defense was its quarterback Wilson. The second-year player out of the University of Wisconsin became the only player in the Super Bowl era to record 200 yards passing, two touchdowns, and at least a 70 percent completion rating.
With the NFL season coming to an end, many analysts and fans alike believe that the Seahawks will be a force to be reckoned with for many years. The champions are the youngest team to win since the 1971 Miami Dolphins, with an average age of 26.4 years old. Even more remarkable is that no player on the Seahawks roster had been to the Super Bowl prior to Sunday. With experience and a victory under their belt, look for Seattle to be in the hunt for years to come.
