Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Super Bowl XLVIII Preview

With less than a week before Super Bowl Sunday, the table is now set for the big game. And what a game it should be between the league's number one scoring offense versus the league's number one scoring defense. Not only do we have a pair of number one seed's going toe to toe with one another but also a variety of intriguing story lines that leading up to the game appear to almost be bigger than the game itself. But first, allow me to introduce each team. First up we have the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks who narrowly escaped with a 23-17 win over division rival San Francisco in the NFC title game and finished the regular season with a 13-3 record under Pete Carroll. And then there's the AFC Champion Denver Broncos who also finished the regular season at 13-3 under John Fox before knocking off the New England Patriots, 26-16 for the AFC title.

With Seattle seeking their first ever Super Bowl win, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning has other plans and has his eyes set on crashing the party and adding a second Super Bowl title to an already decorated resume that includes just about everything. If there's any argument deterring Peyton Manning from the greatest quarterback of all-time discussion, it's the fact that he's only been able to hoist one Lombardi Trophy throughout his career. Something he hopes to change come Sunday. Despite his greatness and the number of achievements, Manning has been standing in the shadow cast by the handful of quarterbacks who have won multiple championships, his brother Eli being one of them. Having set numerous records this season at the helm of the Broncos including most single-season touchdowns (55) and passing yards (5,477), Peyton will in fact set another record when he's awarded his fifth MVP Award at the conclusion of the NFL season, a record he set in 2009. In what's being regarded as the best season by a quarterback in NFL history will mean far less to him if he's unable to put the final cherry on top -- a second Super Bowl title.
As rumors start to swirl of this possibly being Manning's last game due to the ongoing neck problems he's been having, this game could very well determine the legacy of one Peyton Manning. And what better way to go out than on top like his boss -- John Elway who 15 years ago retired after winning back to back Super Bowl titles with the same Broncos franchise. The only difference is Peyton would become the first QB in NFL history to win Super Bowl titles with two different clubs. And with the game being played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, the home shared by the New York Giants and Jets, who better to receive a few helpful hints than from Peyton's younger brother Eli who knows a thing or two about playing quarterback in the stadium playing host to the Super Bowl. One thing Eli won't be able to help his big brother prepare for, however, is Seattle's stout defense. With Peyton yet to be sacked this postseason, the Broncos offensive line will face their toughest task yet come Sunday.

If Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense is story line 1.A, then Richard Sherman and the Seahawks defense is definitely story line 1.B. Boasting the league's best turnover ratio as well as the best trash talker in Sherman, Seattle's defense looks to prevent Peyton from adding a second Super Bowl ring to that crowded trophy case of his. Better known as the "Legion of Boom," Seattle's swarming secondary will gladly welcome the challenge presented by Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense. After all, they do say defense is what wins championships. But that's not to say Sherman and company won't have their hands full as Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Julius Thomas all figure to create some trouble in the passing game. Aside from defense, something else that favors the Seahawks despite having no Super Bowl appearance on their entire roster, is history. Though Denver averaged an NFL record 37.9 points per game and became the first team to ever score more than 600 points in a season, all eight of the highest-scoring teams in NFL history have failed to win the Super Bowl. 
But regardless of Seattle's stout defense, they have no chance of winning if they can't put points up on the board which brings us to Peyton's counterpart, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson who on Sunday will become just the sixth second-year QB to start a Super Bowl. Unlike Manning, Wilson serves as a duel-threat quarterback who is just as dangerous with his feet as he is with his arm. His recent transformation into becoming one of the more conservative QB's in the league over the second half of the season and even more so in the last few games, however, is a bit of a cause for concern given it'll prevent him from being able to answer Peyton blow for blow on offense if say a shootout where to break out. We've all heard how the cold, moist weather will favor the defense which once again leans toward Seattle, but Manning who won his only Super Bowl title in the rain, won't have to deal with the elements any more or any less than Wilson will. Not to mention Wilson won't have the support of the 12th Man to rely on granted Sunday will mark the first game away from Seattle in over a month and a half for the Seahawks (December 15).

What I think will be even more important than Seattle's defense on Sunday though is their offense. The key to the game for the Seahawks will be keeping Peyton off the field and what better way to succeed in doing that than with extended drives of their own by utilizing their most dangerous weapon on offense in running back Marshawn Lynch who I think will be the x-factor in Sunday's game. If Denver's defense which seems to be forgotten about in all of this can shutdown Lynch or at least contain him by keeping him away from his bag of Skittles and make him vanish like he did on media day, they can make it difficult for Seattle's offense, forcing Wilson to carry the load and get it done through the air which is more of a last resort for them. Without arguably their best defensive player in Von Miller, Denver held a Patriots rush attack to 64 total yards in the AFC Championship after LaGarrette Blount exploded for 166 yards alone in New England's previous game. With Lynch being the x-factor, Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno could very well be the dark horse given so much attention will be drawn toward Peyton and the passing game that Denver could be the ones in store for a big game on the ground. 
Prediction: After experiencing defeat in his last attempt at a Super Bowl title in 2009 while with the Indianapolis Colts, I don't see anything getting in the way of Peyton adding another piece of hardware to his resume this time around. With everything from the number of records set on offense to John Fox coaching his team to a Super Bowl after undergoing heart surgery earlier in the season and Peyton in position to finalize his legacy, the Denver Broncos just seem like a team of destiny at this point. Not to mention the weather forecast for Sunday that was first thought to spell doom for Peyton and the passing game has only gotten better over the last week or so. And whether or not it'll be the last time we see no.18 on a playing field, expect to see him at the podium hosting the Lombardi Trophy as Denver kisses the ghost of John Elway goodbye and proves to be too much for the Seahawks on neutral ground, 31-20.


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