Super Bowl 48 was not one of the greatest games ever played. It was a throwback to the 80s and 90s. Once again an AFC team was disgraced by an NFC team in the super bowl. This game is by no means proof that the NFC is the better conference. It is mere coincidence that two best teams in the league this year were both in the NFC. In actuality the championship was probably decided two weeks early when the Seahawks hosted the 49ers in the NFC championship. Both teams, coincidentally, are tenants of the NFC west division. These teams were just on a different level this season.
Denver this season had scored the most points offensively of any team in the history of NFL football. Denver’s main strength was its pass catchers. Demarious Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Knowshon Moreno. With three outstanding wide receivers and elite pass catchers at the tight end and running back position Denver’s talent almost always created a matchup problem for the opposing defense. Peyton Manning, while he isn’t as prolific as he used to be, is still an elite quarterback. Manning is one of the smartest quarterbacks in NFL history. He consistently recognizes the mismatches on the field in his pre snap reads. He is a wizard at the line of scrimmage. He would always get the offense into the best play to exploit the particular defense across the field. Peyton would also often check into a run play when the defense had 6 or less players lined up in the box. It was just another way to rip a defense apart. With these offensive players at his disposal Peyton was almost unstoppable, except for when he faced a defense with players talented enough that they wouldn’t be outmatched by the Denver weapons.
Seattle’s defense has been called many names and racked up many outstanding statistics. Their secondary is the best in the league. The Seattle secondary is filled with greatly talented players: Sherman, Thomas, Maxwell, Chancellor, and Thermond. These are some of the best players at their position in the game. Sherman and Thomas are widely regarded as the best corner and safety in the league and the others aren’t far behind. In the end it was proved that Seattle just has better football players. Yes, all of the Denver pass catchers are elite, but three of the top 20 wide outs in the game just couldn’t outplay five of the best 20 secondary players including two of the best. Seattle’s secondary is so good it just isn’t fair. The rest of their defense isn’t that far behind.
Denver’s running game isn’t that great. It was used all season as a secondary option that Peyton only looked to in great running situations. Running against the 6 man box of a tired out regular season team expecting a pass and doing all it can to defend against the elite players about to run at it is one thing. On Sunday night the situation was much different. Seattle has an elite defensive front capable of handling the Broncos subpar running attack. Denver found themselves in a position of weakness all night. Seattle’s line backers were doing so good they didn’t need to overcompensate for the pass. Denver was on its heels all night offensively. When their usual offense stopped working they switched to a dink and dunk attack. Almost every play seemed to be a screen pass or a flat route of 5 yards or less. Denver didn’t have a player who stepped up to have a great game and keep the team moving all by himself. This put Denver in frequent 3rd downs, and Seattle thrived on those opportunities.
Peyton is old and he just can’t have an all-time night anymore. His signal calls were drowned out by the crowd. He didn’t have the accuracy to make throws to the tightly covered wide receivers. There were even a bunch of throws that were wobbly and off by far. Peyton’s fumble and his second interception were both products of the Seahawks pass rush not his fault. However, the first interception was an ill-advised ball and a bad pass. While Thomas and Welker are top 10 wide receivers they just weren’t as good as the guys across from them. Both were barely open throughout the course of the game. The other pass catcher on Denver didn’t have great games either.
The Broncos run offense isn’t even close to a unit that can be relied on to be the center piece of an offense or carry a team though a game. Many of the analysts that picked the Broncos were banking on the team’s ability to shut down Seattle’s run game and there for its offense. The Bronco’s run defense was good in the game considering they were facing a good running attack. Russell Wilson was a true game manager, and he did his job wonderfully. He didn’t turn the ball over and he didn’t try to make big plays. He just took the throws the defense gave him. Seattle was able to move the ball effectively enough, but despite what the score line might tell you they didn’t have an all-time offensive performance. Seattle’s defense came up with a pick 6 and a safety. Through other turnovers the Seahawks offense was given great field position all night long.
The short Denver drives also created extra possessions for the Seattle offense. Seattle also won the third, but sometimes game changing, phase of the game the special teams. Outside of Denver Matt Prater’s kick offs fell short of the end zone. The result was Seattle, one of the best special teams units in the league, returning kicks against one of the worst special teams units in football. Percy Harvin’s return for a touchdown did inflate the final score line. Seattle didn’t miss a field goal all night and their kick offs went farther than Denver’s constantly. Holiday, the return man famous for his work in the divisional round last season, was suffocated before he even got to the twenty all night.
Seattle in the Super Bowl and all season showed an interesting blueprint for winning a title. They had the league’s best defense and secondary. They were showcased against the Saints and Broncos. They had a great physical running game featuring Marshawn Lynch who might be the best power runner in football. Russell Wilson is a quarterback who can run and throw. Unlike some, he uses his legs to open up the passing game instead of frequently trying to run for yards. Wilson made huge plays at times. He always kept care of the ball and knew when to be a game manager.
Seattle’s special teams and crowd were a dominant force that helped out the champions all year long.
