Super Bowl Sunday
The last time two number one seeds met in the Super Bowl was 3 years ago when the Saints took down the 5 point favored Colts with Manning at QB. Manning enters this week as a 2.5 point favorite this year, but will he be able to move the ball with his #1 rated offense against the Seahawks fierce #1 defense? Since it's the Super Bowl, I decided to look at this game position by position to see who has the edge. Take a look.
Quarterback
While Russell Wilson has had another good year with the Seahawks, he actually went through somewhat of a sophomore slump. It wasn't really his fault.... (well, it kinda was. Anytime you miss open receivers that's your fault), but defenses can defend against you much more effectively after they have an off season to look at tape of you and find your weaknesses. In the NFL, you're not going to be any good as a quarterback if you have obvious weak points in your game. While I don't think Wilson has many weak points, he could stand to develop more as an NFL quarterback. On the flip side, Peyton Manning has had one of the best seasons a quarterback has ever had. Granted he has the best offense in the football to work with, but he put up some monster numbers and burned me and thousands of other people in Fantasy more than once. They say playing in previous Super Bowls doesn't help a quarterback, but Manning playing in over 200 more NFL games than Wilson does.
Broncos
Running Back
Knowshon Moreno has been a big part of the Broncos success as of late. At the start of the season John Fox was mainly looking for a running back to play pass support in picking up blitzes and being able to run without picking up negative yards to take some of the defensive line pressure off Manning. With Moreno, he got much more than that though. Moreno emerged as the clear number one back for his team after posting over a 1,000 yard season and 13 combined touchdowns. Part of Moreno's break out season had to do with the fact that the Broncos have one of the best passing attacks in football so defenses tend to focus on stopping the receivers over the running back. Moreno had a good season, but it pales in comparison to Marshawn Lynch's season. Lynch only put up around 200 more yards than Moreno and only 1 more touchdown, but he was able to do all of this with defenses mainly focusing on shutting him down. If you watch pre-game interviews with head coaches and defensive coordinators all they talk about is how they have to stop Marshawn Lynch to win. Not to mention, the Seahawks had injuries all season long on their passing side of the football which put even more focus on the run. Even with all these adversities, Lynch is a big reason why the Seahawks went 13-3 this season and made it to the Super Bowl. Unbelievable.
Seahawks
Wide Receivers / Tight End
Percy Harvin coming back from injury for the Super Bowl could be a wild card for the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. He's an explosive player and a threat to take it to the house anytime he has the ball. The Seahawks are lucky to have him, because they would get smoked in this category without him. Well... they still get smoked... The Broncos have one of the best (if not THE best) receiving corps in football. I haven't seen a roster this stacked since the 2007 Patriots. In fact, this is the first time in NFL history that 4 players on the same team have 10 or more receiving touchdowns. The Broncos better enjoy this while they can, because the problem with having so many playmaking receivers on one team is that soon you won't be able to afford them. Lets face it; it's easier for Eric Decker or Wes Welker to make plays when you have a teams 2nd or 3rd corner back on you. Decker hits free agency this off season and I'm sure the Broncos would love to keep him, but he may be a luxury they just can't afford.
Broncos
Offensive Line
Both of these offensive lines have had their good times and bad times this season. The Seahawks have done a great job blocking for Marshawn Lynch, but they have had a hard time protecting Russell Wilson this season. On the other hand, the Broncos have done an ok job protecting Manning this season and a decent job blocking for the running game. Of course, that was before they faced the Seahawks fierce front four. They're going to have to step up their play if they want a chance to win Super Bowl XLVIII.
Broncos
Defensive Line
While the Broncos Defensive line has played well this season, the Seahawks D line is on fire. They did break contain a couple times against Kaepernick, but luckily for them they don't have to worry about Manning breaking out any 50 yard runs. They consistently beat offensive linemen one on one which is going to mean the Broncos are going to have to do a lot more max protect plays. This makes life a heck of a lot easier on the Seattle's corner backs who are no slouches on defense either. I'm taking Seattle's D line to get over 3 sacks.
Seahawks
Secondary
Ahh, Richard Sherman. Thanks to him, there won't be many casual fans watching out there this year. He single-handedly made any viewer on the fence a Broncos fan. Personally, I thought his outburst was hilarious and I wish more players spoke their mind instead of saying exactly what everyone wants to hear, but that's just my opinion. Anyway, back to the actual game. It's a good thing that the Broncos have such a good receiving core because their going to need in against the Seahawks. The Seahawks have the best secondary in the league not only statistically, but mentally as well. The Seattle corner backs and safeties just have the mentality of no matter who they go up against, they can win one on one. If the refs let Seattle's secondary play their physical type of game, then the Seahawks have a good shot at walking out of Met Life Stadium as Super Bowl Champions.
Seahawks
Special Teams
Both of these teams have very good special teams players and honestly one match-up I'm really looking forward to is watching John Ryan (Seattle's Punter) trying to keep the ball away from Trindon Holliday. Seattle's punt unit is one of the best in the business and only gave up 82 yards all season. That is ridiculous! On the other side of the ball, Trindon Holliday is one of the best in the business at returning punts and kickoffs. You have to figure field position is going to be very important in this game, so how the special teams play is extremely important. Ultimately, I'm giving the edge to the Broncos in this category, because I like the way Matt Praters been playing and if he has to go out and hit a game winner, I'd trust him more than most kickers.
Broncos
Intangibles
The intangibles category has to do with things that teams can't control such as temperature, wind, crowd noise, etc. Right now, It looks like the weather is going to be in the Low 40's around kickoff with scattered showers throughout the game. Manning has played well in low temperatures this year, but the team that the weather will have less effect on will be the Seahawks. As a run-first team, wind and rain don't really effect the way that Lynch runs the ball. Pass-first teams are always a little more vulnerable to having bad weather negatively effect their game play.
Seahawks
Final Verdict:
It looks like were in for a good Super Bowl this year. The teams tied in number of categories 4-4. I would say expect a close game with a one score margin of victory. After looking at each category, I would have to say I'm not switching my pick. I picked the Seahawks to win the Super Bowl before the season started and I'm sticking with them to the glorious or bitter end.
Seahawks 27 - 24
