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Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos thought this was their year, but the Seattle Seahawks had other ideas, as they decided to rout the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII on Sunday, February 2.
The first snap of the game went over Manning’s head into Denver’s own end zone for the sixth safety in Super Bowl history. The Seahawks, behind a 30-yard run by wide receiver Percy Harvin, then kicked a field goal to make it a 5-0 Seattle lead.
Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson got some yardage off running the ball, but also completed some passes, which immediately silenced doubters who said his lack of experience would factor in.
When Denver, the team who had the least three-and-outs in the NFL this year, got the ball back, they went three and out. All momentum with the Seahawks, they went down the field and their kicker, Steven Hauschka, kicked his second field goal of the game to make it 8-0. Add on a Marshawn Lynch touchdown and two Peyton Manning interceptions, one returned for a touchdown, and the rout was on. Although nothing in the world went right in the first half for Denver, Peyton Manning is still arguable the best quarterback of all time.
Denver kicked off the second half, and Percy Harvin returned it for an 87-yard touchdown. 29-0 Seattle. Harvin, who also had two carries for 45 yards, and one reception, was off and running, for the first time all year. Harvin, who had high expectations coming into this year (his first in Seattle), had hip surgery in the preseason, which limited him to one regular season game, also dealt with a concussion, which knocked him out of his first playoff game of the season.
Just a minute into the third quarter, the Broncos also lost starting running back, Knowshon Moreno to injury. With the Denver offense unable to move, and Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson moving the ball well for Seattle, the most hyped game of the year turned out to be one of the biggest blowouts in Super Bowl history.
Denver added a touchdown and a two point conversion to end the third quarter, but Seattle marched back down the field and Wilson threw for his second touchdown of the game, to put the score back at a 35-point Seattle advantage. Richard Sherman getting hurt in the fourth quarter could not even help the Broncos as they soon turned the ball over on downs.
When Denver got the ball back with about five minutes left, they conceded the long known result of the game, as they just started to run the ball out, before the Seahawks defense forced another fumble, this one of Peyton Manning.
The Broncos defense, which held up somewhat at the beginning of the game, holding Seattle to field goals, fell apart, and will be Denver’s main focus going into next year after giving up 43 points in the Super Bowl.
In his third Super Bowl appearance, Manning dropped to 1-2 in the Super Bowl, with his only win being against one of the worst Super Bowl teams in NFL history, the 2005 Chicago Bears. Seattle made a lot of quarterbacks look average, but Manning showed that the hype may be true about him in the “big game.”
The best defense in the NFL faced off against the best offense in the NFL and showed that it was no contest at all. The Seahawks were the best team in the NFL in the 2013-14 season, and will be mostly intact going into the 2014-15 season. Along with the returning players, Seattle will also return the loudest fans in the NFL, what they call the “12th man”. For anyone who disputes the Seahawks home field advantage, they lost one game at home all year. On a more coincidental note, the Seahawks scored on a safety 12 seconds into the first half, and Percy Harvin scored his touchdown 12 seconds into the second half… some 12th man.
Russell Wilson will be 25 years old at the start of next season and will already have one Super Bowl victory, Marshawn Lynch will be 28 and in the prime of his career, and Percy Harvin will be 26 and healthy. Most of the best defense will be back and with an average age of just 27.2 years old combined with Super Bowl experience, this team will be the favorite for next year’s big game.
