As the confetti settles on Super Bowl XLVIII, there is much to mull on following Seattle's 43-8 defensive demolition of the Denver Broncos.
For all the talk in the unprecedented and intoxicating build up to the main event, the game boiled down to the best NFL defence dominating the NFL's best ever offense.
The 35 point difference in the final score line highlights the dominance of one team over the other, but the fact it was over the best offense to ever take the field (by numbers) is a testament to the scale of the achievement by Seattle.
Peyton Manning and his Broncos did not play at their best, but they weren't allowed to. Manning himself didn't have a terrible game, he threw for 34 completions, more than any other quarterback in a Super Bowl, and for 280 yards. Demaryius Thomas received the ball a Super Bowl record 13 times. It was the turnovers that killed them and the Broncos offense coughed up the ball 4 times in the game.
The overriding principle for the Seahawks defence is speed. Even for Manning who is the fastest in the NFL at releasing the ball (average of 2.3 seconds from snap to release in 2013), the edge rush and the speed in the back field gave him much smaller windows to complete passes than he had seen all season.
And that defence was backed from the off. After winning the coin toss (conducted by the slightly overdressed Joe Namath!), the Seahawks chose to kick, putting the Broncos offense straight on to the pitch. It was a fantastic and ballsy call.
The game got off to a bad start for Manning, as miscommunication with his centre Ramirez saw the ball fly over his right shoulder and into the end zone where it was claimed by a retreating Bronco but given up for a safety. 12 seconds, 2 points to the Seahawks. They didn't look back. Every single member of the defensive unit made plays - Chancellor, Sherman, Wagner, Clemons, Wright, Thomas, Smith, Avril, Maxwell - they all had big games.
Manning's mishap saw the fall fly past him as the
Broncos conceded a safety
The Seahawks went into halftime 22-0 up, shutting out Denver offense and restricting them to just 11 yards total. Compare that to the 45 yards garnered by the resurgent Percy Harvin and the overall 161 yards notched up by the Seahawks offence. Credit needs to go to that unit too. Under second year QB Russell Wilson, they managed 4/6 3rd down conversions by halftime which was critical to keeping Manning off the field. Ultimately though, 16 of the 22 points came from defensive plays and the Seahawks were rocking.
You'd have expected the Broncos to take a long hard look at themselves, and I'm sure they did. The first message would have been not to panic. The second would have been to not concede first in the second half.
The restart kick was deliberately kicked short in an effort to stop Percy Harvin gaining any momentum. The reality turned out somewhat differently as Harvin gathered the ball after the bounce and set off through a slew of half tackles and ran right through for an 89 yard kick off return TD. As in the first half, the Seahawks scored after 12 seconds, an unintentional but well received tribute to the 12th Man, the resolutely loyal Seahawks fan faithful.
Having only played 40 odd snaps of football all season, Percy Harvin was proving to be the difference maker in the Seahawks offence.
29-0 down, the game was over then if it wasn't before for the Broncos. Never before in Super Bowl history has a team overcome a deficit of more than 10 points. Only twice before in Super Bowls had a team scored more than 22 unanswered points. Both times it was 24 points and both times it was against the Broncos. Harvin's kick return smashed that record too.
The second half saw a more even contest but let's be honest, it couldn't have got worse for the Broncos from there. The Seahawks continued to make defensive plays but Manning seemed to find more of a groove and tempo, resulting in a TD throw to Wes Welker on the stroke of the 3rd quarter. For all the turnovers, the Seahawks offense still got their points. There were touchdowns for Lynch, Harvin, Kearse and Baldwin through the course of the game to add to the two defensive TDs. On the night, the 3rd largest Super Bowl winning margin of 43-8 was fair.
Russell Wilson picked up the Lombardi trophy in his
second season, the 3rd youngest QB ever
Much of the talk before the Super Bowl was what a win or loss would mean for Peyton Manning and his position in the conversation of who is the greatest quarterback in the history of the game. The fact is he is the greatest regular season quarterback ever. Record breaking numbers, 5 MVP awards - I don't think there's a debate there. But to be the best, regular season records count for little. Manning's post season record is below .500. The Super Bowl loss last night made him 1-2 in Super Bowls and 11-12 in all postseason games. For me it's simple, he cannot be considered the greatest of all time, but he is in the top 3 or 4.
There are some other sad stories from the Broncos. Veteran cornerback Champ Bailey, all time leading defensive player in Pro Bowl picks and finally in his first Super Bowl, came up short. Wide receiver Wes Welker notched his third Super Bowl loss in as many attempts, an unenviable record. I wholeheartedly agree with Peyton Manning who reacted in the post match interview that the Broncos performance was embarrassing. That is an insulting word, for the effort that goes in can't be discounted. They were just outplayed on the night.
The Seahawks, none of whom had any Super Bowl experience, played like it. They have played all season with an abandon and combined chip on their shoulder stemming from a lack of recognition from around the league, attention that has only really focussed on them through this season.
Coach Pete Carroll, once denounced from the NFL for being 'too friendly' with his players when he was on the coaching set up at the Jets in the 1990's has come back via a stunning college football run to lead this young team to glory. He will feel a certain sense of redemption, I'm sure.
I'm delighted for the Seahawks. It's a combination of youth and enthusiasm with a balance and dedication that has seen them triumph. They seem to live by the mantra of work hard, play hard. Last night, they definitely did that.
