The first play
from scrimmage of Super Bowl XLVIII set the mood for the next 59 minutes and 48
seconds.
The bad snap
from Denver center Manny Ramirez resulted in a safety, which Seattle capitalized
on and added a field goal to make it 5-0 after only five minutes of play. On
their next drive Denver traveled eight whole yards on three plays and punted,
which led to another Steven Hauschka field goal.
On Denver’s
third possession they moved the ball from the 20 to the 23 before Seattle’s
front four stormed Peyton Manning. Manning threw the ball directly into the
hands of Kam Chancellor, and after one quarter it was all Seahawks; they held
the Broncos to a loss of three total yards, and were up 8-0.
Marshawn Lynch
rumbled into the end zone three minutes into the second quarter to extend the
lead to 15-0. Denver finally moved the ball down the field and even into
Seahawk territory, before Manning was bull-rushed again; his arm was hit as he
threw, which produced a weak duck, and Knowshon Moreno was caught gazing at
Malcolm Smith as he jumped in front of him, UNCONTESTED, and made a play on the
ball. He took it back 69 yards for a touchdown, and it was at this point where
it looked like the Seahawks were soaring, and there was no looking back.
Bronco fans expressed
their hope on Twitter, and were relying solely on Peyton and what was arguably
the best offense of all-time. However, Percy Harvin returned the opening
second-half kickoff 87 yards for a score, making it 29-0; it’s safe to say that
Harvin shattered all hopes the Broncos had of turning the tables. Demaryius
Thomas proceeded to fumble later in the third, which Super Bowl MVP Malcolm
Smith picked up.
Seattle was able
to capitalize on Denver’s fifth turnover of the game, as Jermaine Kearse took
half of the Bronco’s defense on the spin cycle after Russell Wilson threw a
perfect leading pass. Kearse spun out of multiple tackles and shook off a few
additional Broncos on his own version of the “Beast Quake”. (I think we all
remember Marshawn Lynch and his run of the century against the Saints).
The Broncos
weren’t able to drop the goose egg until the last play of the fourth quarter;
Manning threw a 14-yard pass to D-Thomas and followed it up with a pass to Wes
Welker for a two-point conversion. Despite the random burst of life from
Denver, they were still trailing 36-8, and they weren’t any closer to coming
back, since Russell Wilson responded with a 48-yard scoring drive, ending with
a 10-yard connection between Wilson and Doug Baldwin.
The last 11 minutes
and 45 seconds were history. Super Bowl XLVIII started and ended in a way that
made it the worst Super Bowl game that I have ever seen. It was a complete
disaster in the eyes of Denver, and it was nothing but perfection in the eyes
of Seattle.
One thing that
needs to be pointed out is that this is NOT Peyton Manning’s fault. Think about
it. This is the best defense in the NFL, with a secondary that has been playing
at a level that other teams cannot match (hence the nickname Legion of Boom),
and they are possibly the best defense in the history of the NFL (that title
cannot be handed out yet, but they deserve an honorable mention). Basically, if
you put Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, or anyone else on the field
against the Seahawks, they would have gotten shut down. Peyton was bull rushed
on every set of downs, and forced throws that he normally would never even
think of.
Everyone knows
that Seattle’s defense will be an obstacle. The question is whether or not
their offense would show up, and show up is exactly what they did. The Seahawks
dominated both sides of the ball for 60 minutes; Denver’s defense was
non-existent, their O-Line turned into Swiss cheese, and the run game was
limited.
The biggest
difference to me was the game preparation. Seattle figured out every one of
Manning’s hand signals, and Manning never even knew it. When everything goes
right for one of the teams, and I mean everything, they deserve to win.
One thing that
disagreed with was the Super Bowl MVP. Let me be clear when I say that everyone
on the Seahawks roster had a great game, specifically the defense. I don’t want
to discredit Malcolm Smith either, because he played one heck of a game.
However, Kam Chancellor was the standout player in my mind. He had the
interception and 10 total tackles, along with two passes defensed. Chancellor’s
performance didn’t just show up in the numbers either. He was all over the
field, making plays in multiple ways. He shut down slot receivers and
wide-outs, he batted down a could balls, and he even blitzed from the edge to
put pressure on Manning. He did everything he possibly could to help his team
win, and that to me was the most valuable performance that the Seahawks could
have asked for.
In a wrap, the
Seahawks are the best team in the NFL, and at the end of the season, Russell
Wilson proved that he is big time, and they wanted it the most. They should be
able to keep most if not all of their defense, which would be HUGE for them
next season. I hate to be cliché, but Seattle proved this quote by beating one
of the best offenses of all-time: Offense
wins games, but defense wins championships.
