Super Bowl 2014: Stifling Seahawks Bury Broncos By Kevin Clark Updated Feb. 2, 2014 11:48 p.m. ET Seattles Malcolm Smith (53) and Byron Maxwell (41) celebrate after Smith ran a Peyton Manning interception back for a touchdown in the first half of Super Bowl XLVIII. Reuters EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—Peyton Manning is 37 years old. He has had four neck surgeries. He has admitted that he doesnt have the arm he used to. Despite all that, it took Manning, the runaway Most Valuable Player of the 2013 season, until Sunday night to look truly helpless—like he was staring at something even he, the most prepared quarterback in NFL history, couldnt navigate. It appeared as though the quarterback who had always thought of everything had nothing left. An errant first-quarter snap. Getty Images Super Bowl XLVIII was supposed to be Mannings crowning achievement, the second career championship for one of the games great quarterbacks. A legacy game. The Seattle Seahawks wrecked that story line, and the Broncos, in Super Bowl XLVIII, beating Denver and its historically spectacular offense with a 43-8 domination that ranks as one of the biggest blowouts in the history of the leagues biggest game. It was the biggest nightmare of a Hall of Fame career, a slow repudiation of Mannings legacy with each interception (he finished with two, both in the first half) and impossibly low pass. We just werent real sharp executing our offense, Manning said after the game. We got ourselves in a hole and we werent able to overcome it. More on the Super Bowl Recap: Analysis of the Game Broncos Lame From Start to Finish Fans Square off at Pubs Bruno Mars Makes MetLife His Home Field The First of Many Cold Super Bowls? Even This Game Had Stragglers Photos Watch Goodell Melt Tight Rules Keep Super Bowl 2014 Tailgaters in Check Security, Crowds Delay Fans Trip to Super Bowl RadioShack, Bud, Chrysler Win Ad Bowl Vote on the Best Super Bowl Ads The lowlights ranged from shocking to subtle. On the very first play from scrimmage, center Manny Ramirez snapped the ball over Mannings head and into the Broncos end zone for a safety and a quick 2-0 lead for Seattle. In the second quarter, under pressure from Seattles defensive line, Manning was hit as he released a throw over the middle and the ball was snatched out of the air by Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, who returned it for a 69-yard touchdown and a 22-0 lead. (After the game, Smith was named Super Bowl MVP.) But other moments were more damning. On a fourth-and-two late in the first half, at the Seattle 19, tight end Julius Thomas was uncovered at the line and clearly signaled to Manning throw the ball his way for what would have been an easy first down. Instead, Manning inexplicably threw a low, turf-bound pass to wideout Demaryius Thomas near the sideline. It was a bad decision on a night full of them. Manning finished the game with 280 yards through the air on 49 attempts. It was a subpar night for the player who had passed for the most yards and touchdowns in NFL history this season and orchestrated the highest-scoring offense ever, too. For Seattle, it was a nearly flawless night. The Seahawks scored a touchdown on offense, defense and special teams, and quarterback Russell Wilson looked solid, even if he didnt need to be. He threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns. The Broncos, eager to mount a second-half comeback, were instead put out of their misery on the first play of the third quarter. Percy Harvin, the oft-injured Seahawks receiver who raced to return from a concussion suffered in the divisional round against the New Orleans Saints, returned the opening kickoff 87 yards to widen the lead to 29-0. No team in Super Bowl history has erased more than a 10-point Super Bowl deficit to win. The legacy-building game for Manning had instead become one for Seattle, with the Seahawks establishing their defense as one of the greatest in NFL history. During the regular season, they became the first defense to lead the NFL in fewest yards allowed, fewest points allowed and most turnovers since the 1985 Chicago Bears, perhaps the most famous defense of all time. But Sunday was different. This was shutting down the greatest offensive mind the game has known. Manning is hit on the second-quarter play that resulted in an interception and touchdown for Seattle. Associated Press To get this far and lose like this, its embarrassing, said Broncos receiver Wes Welker, who finished with eight catches for 84 yards. It was such a dominating effort that Seattle barely needed the services of superstar cornerback Richard Sherman, who left on a cart with an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter with just few big plays to his name. That was partly by design—Manning rarely threw in Shermans direction—but also because Seattles safeties, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor (who had an interception in the first quarter), patrolled the field so efficiently that cornerbacks were a luxury. Manning, who wasnt able to orchestrate a scoring drive until three seconds remained in the third quarter, hadnt been shut out in a first half since 2008. But while the Seahawks ruthlessly stamped out all of Mannings ideas, the oddest and most uncharacteristic thing about the Broncos was that they had no clear plan. Pete Carrolls Gatorade bath. Associated Press Their short passes to the outside failed. Their deep passes failed. The run game never got started. It was if Manning had arrived in New Jersey with the thought to test a few things out and play it by ear. At the offenses best, Manning could pick up a short eight- or nine-yard gain, but that was often followed by some sort of mistake. When Demaryius Thomas caught a pass over the middle in what looked to be a 23-yard gain, he simply dropped the ball at the 21-yard line. It was picked up by Smith. The ensuing drive saw Wilson connect with Jermaine Kearse for a 23-yard touchdown to make it 36-0. With 14 minutes left in the third quarter, Manning threw a pass so poorly that it was unclear which Bronco it was intended for. He threw it in the middle of four separate Seahawks defenders, with the nearest teammate seemingly somewhere on the Garden State Parkway. With the blowout in full swing, Seattle played to the Seahawks crowd that had traveled across the country, flailing their hands for them to get louder—as if that were even a possibility. Its all about making history, said safety Earl Thomas. This was a dominant performance from top to bottom. Write to Kevin Clark at kevin.clark@wsj Copyright 2013 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit djreprints
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 06:44:55 +0000
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