SPORTS INSIDER – Seahawks win first Super Bowl in blowout against Manning, Broncos
February 3, 2014Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
There was a lot of excitement leading up to the Super Bowl.
It was the first time in a long time that the top two teams in the league were squaring off in the championship game. The No. 1 Broncos offense was facing the No. 1 Seattle defense. It was hyped as an epic battle, a night to remember. Instead, it was a boring, lopsided mess.
The Broncos — who scored a record-setting 606 points during the regular season — conversely, during the Super Bowl, fell behind early and never came close to catching up. On the first play of the game, a botched Denver snap sent the ball flying past Peyton Manning and into the end zone, where it was recovered for a safety. It gave Seattle a two point lead just 12 seconds into the game — the quickest scoring in Super Bowl history.
Denver’s defense stepped up, holding Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to field goals on their next two possessions. At 8-0, the deficit looked manageable. But against Seattle’s brutal defense, the Broncos’ usually unstoppable offense was completely blanked. Manning committed two turnovers in the first half, one of which was a 69-yard pick-six by Malcolm Smith, who was named the game’s MVP. By halftime, Seattle led 22-0, the first time in 13 years a team was shut out in the opening half of a Super Bowl.
Despite the demoralizing first half, the Broncos had come back from a bigger deficit before in 2012. Manning had thrown five second half touchdowns to win against the San Diego Chargers after a 24-0 deficit. But their comeback hopes were quickly deflated when Percy Harvin returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown and a 29-0 Seattle lead.
The first (and only) points for the Broncos, a touchdown and successful two point conversion, came late in the third quarter when the game was already out of reach at 36-0. The Seahawks tacked on another touchdown in the fourth quarter, to put the game away 43-8. In actuality, though, the game belonged to the Seahawks from the start.
It is the first championship for the Seahawks, who fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers in their first Super Bowl appearance in 2005.
“We’ve been relentless all season, said Russell Wilson, who at 25 became the third youngest Super Bowl winning quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady. “It started with the championship offseason that we had, and just going into training camp and having that mentality of a championship day after day. The thing you want to do at the end of the season is play your best football, and that’s what we did tonight.
After the game, Manning looked sullen as he responded to questions about his team’s poor performance. He refused to say the loss was embarrassing though, calling that an insult to the hard work he and his teammates put in all season. But he didn’t try to hide his disappointment.
“To finish this way is very disappointing, Manning said. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow.
That pill will be especially hard for Manning, whose legacy as a great quarterback has come into question with the loss. Despite his record-setting season, which included a 5th MVP award Saturday night, Manning has a losing post-season record and is now 1-2 in Super Bowl appearances.
While the Broncos may one day get redemption for this Super Bowl disaster, it’s unclear if Manning will be under center when that day comes. His NFL future hinges on an off-season exam on his surgically repaired neck, likely to take place in the next couple of months. If the doctor doesn’t like what he sees, Manning will retire. But if the doctor gives him the go-ahead, the veteran quarterback, who turns 38 in March, will more than likely return next year. And if he does, he will use his Super Bowl disappointment as motivation.
“I think this team used last year’s playoff loss to fuel us, Manning said. “I thought it made us a better team this year. And hopefully, we can use this to fuel us this off-season into next season as well.
Photos: Courtesy of the official sites of the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks
