Instant Coffee: Super Bowl XLVIII – Sleepless in Seattle but a Snooze Everywhere Else

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Seattle Seahawks 43 vs. Denver Broncos 8

 

Obviously, no one is shocked that the Seattle Seahawks won this game. However, it is absolutely stunning that they dominated the game. It was a nightmare for the Denver Broncos from the start. Returner Trindon Holliday ill advisedly took the ball out of the endzone on the kickoff and set the Broncos up in terrible field position. On the very first snap of the game, center Manny Ramirez snapped it prematurely and the ball went into the endzone for a safety. The first two plays served as a bad omen for the Broncos. While their defense was able to hold the Seahawks to two field goals early to keep the score at 8-0, the turnovers started to mount in the first half. Peyton Manning threw one of his ducks and it was intercepted by safety Kam Chancellor. The Seahawks converted it for a Marhsawn Lynch touchdown run to make the score 15-0. While the Broncos started to find rhythm and advanced the ball, Manning was hit on a throw and the ball popped in the air for linebacker Malcolm Smith to intercept and return it for a touchdown for a 22-0 lead. The Broncos made another deep drive into Seattle territory but were stopped on fourth down at the end of the first half. If the Broncos had any hope coming out of halftime, Percy Harvin quickly squashed it with a kick return for a touchdown to make it 29-0.

 

The Seahawks defense was simply suffocating. Their front four pressured Peyton Manning. Their linebackers and secondary took advantage of opportunities to pick the ball. Linebacker Malcolm Smith was the unnamed hero of the NFC Championship Game who actually made the game ending interception after Richard Sherman’s tip but he was forgotten because of Sherman’s antics. He would not go unnamed in the Super Bowl as he returned a Manning interception for a touchdown and recovered Demaryius Thomas’s fumble en route to the being named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII. It was a brilliant performance by the Seahawks defense especially considering they were going up against the highest scoring offense of all time that features one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and four great receivers. It was unbelievable how good the defense was in the Super Bowl. On offense, Percy Harvin was the star of the game. He showed what an explosive player he is with 2 big runs in the first half and an exhilarating touchdown return to start the second half. It was an incredible performance considering he did not play much before the Super Bowl due to injuries for most of the season and a concussion in the Divisional Round that knocked him out of the NFC Championship Game. Second year quarterback Russell Wilson played great too. While the Broncos were able to stuff the run early, Wilson made key first down plays to set his team up for scores. In the second half, he made some great throws when the game was out of hand. It included a spectacular catch by Jermaine Kearse who was spun around by multiple Broncos receivers before recovering his balance and scoring. Wilson has the chance to be great. Regardless, he will definitely be an excellent quarterback for the Seahawks for the next decade.

 

It was a disappointing Super Bowl as it was not a contest from the start. It was the worst Super Bowl to watch in years and a throwback to the blowouts by the NFC in the 80s and 90s. The Seahawks dominated the game in all phases. They scored in every way possible: safety, interception touchdown, return touchdown, rushing touchdown, receiving touchdown. Of course, this loss hurts Peyton Manning’s legacy. A win would have cemented his greatness. However, he is now 1-2 in the Super Bowl with his average postseason record. He did not play well in this Super Bowl at all and definitely made key mistakes. It was a historic season for Peyton Manning breaking the passing yardage and passing touchdown records. However, it means nothing to him now with a heartbreaking beat down in the Super Bowl. I believe it will be his last Super Bowl appearance regardless if he retires or not after this season. In my eyes, he will always be an all time great quarterback. He is a gentleman and a pleasure to watch. When he plays quarterback, it is like watching Picasso paint. Unfortunately, he will always have his postseason failures as a knock against him. Nevertheless, his team was just completely overmatched. It is a team game. As good as Manning is, the Seahawks were 35 points better than the Broncos tonight and there is no one player that is playing or has played that is good enough to make up that difference. I feel bad for Manning that he will get criticized for losing but he will live and have his place in history as one of the greatest to ever step on the field even if he is not the greatest of all time.

 

For the Seahawks, they are set up to win more Super Bowls. They have completely rebuilt the franchise form the ground up. They were criticized for making the playoffs by winning the NFC West with a 7-9 record in Pete Carroll’s first year as head coach. No one can question their credentials now. Carroll is now only the third coach in history to win a National Championship in college and a Super Bowl in the NFL. Any criticism of him of being a college coach is now long gone. In addition, he vindicated his decision to leave USC for Seattle with this win. GM John Schneider has done a masterful job in every aspect of building a team: trades (e.g. Marshawn Lynch), free agent signings (e.g. Cliff Avril), and draft picks (e.g. Russell Wilson). His drafting is especially impressive as he has selected stars late in the draft (e.g. Richard Sherman in the 5th round). Teams are just looking for contributors late in the draft and he has struck gold multiple times at the end of the draft. They are young, athletic, and deep on both sides of the ball. Their defense is complete and will be back next year. Their offense has a great, young quarterback who is already a Super Bowl champion in his second season. Percy Harvin is explosive and a gamebreaker. It should be interesting to see how good the offense can be with a healthy Harvin for a full season. We can also not forget the 12th man that gives the Seahawks the best homefield in sports. FOX flashed a great graphic of the youngest teams to win a Super Bowl: 1971 Miami Dolphins, 1981 San Francisco 49ers, and 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers. All three teams won multiple Super Bowls. The 49ers won 5 in 15 years and the Steelers won 4 in 6 years. The Seahawks will be favorites to win it next year and should have a window for a few years to win multiple championships.

Pat Wong

About Pat Wong

Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.

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