Super Bowl XLVIII can be summed up in two words: complete domination.
People who did not watch the game can come to that conclusion after seeing the 43-8 blowout of a score. But to those who sat and watched the bloodletting, the dominating performance from the Seattle Seahawks was apparent after the Denver Broncos’ first snap of the game.
Denver’s first offensive snap sailed over Peyton Manning’s head and bounced into the end zone for a safety, giving the Seahawks an early 2-0 lead and the football. It was the fastest first score in Super Bowl history, and it only took 12 seconds.
After the Broncos punted, Seattle marched right down the field and kicked a field goal, increasing its lead to 5-0. And that is when things got ugly for Denver.
Hard hit after hard hit after hard hit, the Seahawks unraveled the Broncos’ offense. The Legion of Boom, along with a relentless pass rush, disrupted Manning all night and forced him to throw two interceptions.
Spearheaded by safety Kam Chancellor and Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith, Seattle held the NFL’s No. 1 offense to 306 total yards. Manning and his stable of receivers, who have appeared other-worldly at times this season, were stripped of their cosmic abilities and brought back down to Earth in a rather embarrassing fashion.
Russell Wilson, on the other hand, managed the game with the utmost efficiency and led the Seahawks down the field for three touchdowns and two field goals. But it was easy for the second-year quarterback with his defense playing the way it did Sunday night.
But the unfair part in all of this was that Seattle unleashed its secret weapon.
Wide receiver Percy Harvin was a full-go for the game and caught Denver off guard early with an end-around run for 30 yards. On that play he reminded the Broncos, and the world, why he was once considered one of the most dangerous players in the NFL. Also backing up that belief, Harvin returned the opening kickoff of the second half 87 yards for a touchdown.
After that, the Seahawks motioned Harvin consistently throughout the remainder of the game, keeping the defense honest and distracted by Harvin’s potential to bust a big play. That led to other receivers like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse getting open down-field.
As a whole, Seattle executed a perfect game plan and showed how strong defenses are still the key to winning championships.
But what stuck out to me was that all of the Seahawks players seemed to be having the times of their lives. After Chancellor leveled Denver wide out Demaryius Thomas in the first quarter, fellow defensive backs Earl Thomas III and Richard Sherman screamed and laughed like children on a playground, while Thomas embraced Chancellor, congratulating him on an enormous hit.
It reminded me that football is just a game and meant to be fun. Well, perhaps not for Manning and the Broncos. Fall training camp cannot get here soon enough for them.
