Superbowl XLVIII will feature the league’s best offense against the league’s best defense. Lead by Peyton Manning, the Broncos set an NFL single season points record with over 600 points. Peyton himself set records for both passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single season. They’re going up against a defense that didn’t set any records but did allow the fewest points of all thirty-two NFL teams. What will happen when the irresistible force meets the immovable object?
I am going to present an analysis of both of these teams, determine and X-factor, and make a prediction for the Super Bowl. Let’s start with the “Underdog” Seattle Seahawks:
This Seahawks team came out of nowhere last season and came very close to taking the NFC West from the 49ers. This year was different. Lead by outspoken defensive back Richard Sherman, hard nosed QB Russell Wilson, and seasoned veteran head coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks marched into a tie for the NFL’s best record at 13-3, however, that’s not the real kicker.
The Seahawks have one of the NFL’s best home field advantages. Dubbed the “12th Man’, the raucous crowd at CenturyLink Field is nothing short of ear splitting. They remained unbeaten at home until an Arizona Cardinals victory in week 16 ended the home unbeaten streak. Their home field advantage has left many to wonder if they could possibly be the same team on the road. However, they did ultimately go 6-2 on the road while outscoring their opponents 184-121. The margin is not quite as great as it is at home but one thing is for certain: though the Seahawks are not as good on the road as they are at home they are still a very good team and they will be a tough team to beat come February 2nd.
The Denver Broncos
Denver set a league record of 606 points scored, and their future hall of fame quarterback set the league records for passing yards in a season and passing touchdowns in a season. It seems as though this team was flawless, right? Wrong. Many critics questioned Peyton Manning’s toughness in these big games. After all, he did only throw for 132 yards while squandering a 24 point halftime lead on a chilly night in Foxboro against the Patriots, which is why there was so much pressure on Peyton heading into the AFC Championship game. He more than answered the bell as he threw for 400 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Peyton may have cemented his legacy with such a big win against a team like New England, and he went to the Superbowl because of it.
X-Factor: Temperature
You would think that the AFC title game must have been in cold weather so obviously Manning proved that he can win in it against good teams. Actually the AFC title game was in the sixty degree range all game. The most important aspect of this game is the temperature; If it dips below thirty degrees don’t trust Peyton any more than my grandmother as quarterback in that game.
Look at the raw numbers. The 2003 AFC Title game at New England was a thirty-two degree, snowy day where the Patriots won 24-14. The 2004 Divisional game was twenty-three degrees and snowy and Manning threw four picks. The numbers don’t lie, and they still say that he has struggled in big games in cold weather. Seattle’s ability to play in extremely cold temperatures has yet to be seen.
Prediction
Seattle 28, Denver 17
The Broncos offense and Seahawks defense match up very well, but on the defensive side of the ball Denver is inferior. Seattle will have a big day running the football in tough weather.