This past Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the Seattle Seahawks won their first franchise championship by defeating the Denver Broncos 43-8.
The Seahawks were ahead from the first snap of the game when Broncos center Manny Ramirez snapped the ball over quarterback Peyton Manning into their own end zone, which resulted in a safety and the first two points of the game for the Seahawks.
The Seahawks kept the early momentum going and marched 51 yards on nine plays and settled on a Steven Hauschka 31-yard field goal to give Seattle a 5-0 lead midway through the first quarter.
The Broncos could not get any offense going in the early stages of the game, and after the first quarter found themselves down 8-0.
With the Seahawks driving and facing 3rd and four from the Denver five yard line, quarterback Russell Wilson’s pass fell incomplete over the head of wide receiver Golden Tate. However, a questionable pass interference was called on Broncos cornerback Tony Carter, which resulted in a first and goal for Seattle. Two plays later Marshawn Lynch found himself in the end zone from one yard out for the first touchdown of the game.
With the Broncos facing a 15-0 deficit, they could feel the pressure. Manning and the Broncos had a 3rd and 13 from Seattle’s 35 yard line when Manning’s pass was intercepted by Malcolm Smith who returned it 69 yards for a touchdown to give the Seahawks a 22-0 lead. The Broncos, who led the league in points and yards per game, were held to zero points going into halftime.
After the Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers halftime concert, Seahawks’ Percy Harvin received the second half kickoff on a bounce where he then proceeded to elude and dodge Bronco defenders and take 87 yards to the end zone.
As the Broncos trailed 29-0 past the midway point, Manning connected with Demaryius Thomas for 23 yards into Seattle territory, but was then hit and fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Smith. Wilson and the Seahawks then had a flawless drive which basically put a stamp on the game when Jermaine Kearse caught a 23-yard touchdown pass to make the score 36-0 Seattle.
The Broncos finally got on the score board on the last play of the third quarter when Manning found Thomas in the corner of the end zone on a 14-yard touchdown pass. Wes Welker caught the two point conversion from Manning to make the score 36-8 after three quarters of play.
While the Broncos seemingly never had a chance after the first play of scrimmage, they still set two Super Bowl records in this game. First was receptions by wide receiver for Demaryius Thomas who had 13 catches for 118 yards and one touchdown. The other Super Bowl record was 34 passing completions by Peyton Manning. Although this loss put a dent in Manning’s legacy for never winning the big game, it was still an astonishing season, and something to be recognized for all his acknowledgments.
Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith was Super Bowl XLVIII Most Valuable Player. He had 10 tackles to go along with his interception for a touchdown, and fumble recovery.
Russell Wilson led his team to a Super Bowl victory in just his second year in the league. While Wilson is often being compared and critiqued to Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, who were also in his draft class, Wilson was able to put aside all the doubters and be the first champion out of the two quarterbacks picked before him.
