Super Eruption: Seahawks XLIII Broncos VIII

Published on 2-Feb-2014 by J Square Humboldt

Football - NFL    NFL Daily Update

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Super Eruption: Seahawks XLIII Broncos VIII

Looks like the San Francisco 49ers were right.

The real Super Bowl was played in Seattle two weeks ago.

At least, in that game, the outcome wasn't decided until the last second and the atmosphere was heavy with intensity from start to finish.

In this game, the Denver Broncos' intensity from the start was lacking, and it foretold their finish. How in the name of Hugh Downs and the original Concentration does a center snap go awry on the first play of the game?

Broncos-safety

Anyone who had $100 with Bovada on a safety as the game's first score would have been $4000 richer after this.

Even more costly in the can't-lose-what-you-never-had category was the $1million bonus Denver coach John Fox won't bank for winning the game.

Richard Sherman's observation that Peyton Manning "throws ducks" -- confirmed by Manning himself and Bronco receiver Demaryius Thomas -- was vindicated. The All-Legend quarterback wobbled one interception to a wide open Kam Chancellor and received a bit of help with another when DE Cliff Avril got to Manning's arm in mid-delivery. For the second game in a row, LB Malcolm Smith was there to take advantage of a teammate's tip in the most dramatic of manners, capping this one with what amounted to a putaway touchdown:

Peyton-Manning-intercepted-again

For all intents and purposes, that shifted the average fan's attention to the prop bets and the commercials. Highlights of the former included Seahawks coach Pete Carroll getting doused with orange Gatorade first and the Detroit Red Wings v Washington Capitals game giving Demaryius Thomas a run for the money; they combined for 11 goals, but Manning's favorite target this season set a Super Bowl record with 13 receptions.

Meanwhile, the commercials resembled the Broncos in that most of them didn't bring their 'A' game. One of the more subtle offerings, though, had to have been appreciated by Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman, as it extolled the virtues of villainy:

Seattle's absolute dominance in every aspect of the game brought the curtain down on the past two weeks' recurring themes. For example:

  • The NFL's No 1 defense can stop the NFL's No 1 offense;
  • Manning and his receivers wanted no part of Richard Sherman's coverage; and
  • A fitting MVP award for Malcolm Smith underscored the point that this game is about so much more than quarterbacks.

And at long last, 'Omaha' can stop being a mystery call and revert to its place as the title of one of Moby Grape's brighter moments:

Click on a photo to enlarge.