Super Bowl 48 Prediction: Denver’s Offense Too Much For The Seahawks

Jan 30, 2014; Jersey City, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman (25) at a press conference at The Westin in advance of Super Bowl XLVIII. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Super Bowl 48 is nearly upon us, and while it sucks that the Patriots aren’t playing, Sunday’s game should be a great one. On one side you have the greatest offense in NFL history, and on the other, a secondary that deserves all the praise in the world. As a Pats fan, I will be rooting for Seattle, simply because I really don’t want to see Peyton get a second ring, but I just don’t see the Seahawks doing enough to win this game, which is why I have to pick the Broncos.

The Seahawks defense is not only good, but they are all time good. Richard Sherman is the best corner in the game, and the two safeties he has behind him are arguably the top two safeties in the NFL. But with Brandon Browner gone due to PED problems, Denver should be able to move the ball through the air against this vaunted secondary. I am not saying that they will be able to do this because Seattle’s defense lacks the talent, but the Broncos have a special offensive group this year, one that will go down as one of the best units in the history of this league. It is rare to find a team with all the weapons that Denver has, and I think that this will allow them to win tomorrow’s game.

Richard Sherman will probably be assigned to cover Demaryius Thomas, and that is definitely a win for the Seahawks. But then what do you do with the other guys? Wes Welker, Eric Decker, and Julius Thomas are all great players, and you can’t double team all three of them. Seattle may choose to double Welker and Decker, but that gives Thomas a one on one with a linebacker, which he will win every single time. If they double Thomas and Decker, Welker will kill you with his route running in the middle of the field. And just when you think you’ve had enough of this offense, Knowshon Moreno will hit you with a long gain on the ground. Two weeks ago in the AFC Championship game, I thought the Pats would be able to handle this Denver offense. But I seriously underestimated how good they were, and I just don’t see any defense holding them to 25 points or less.

The only way I see Seattle winning this game, is if the front four can pressure Peyton, get him off his spots, and force some rushed decisions. A good pass rush takes away all the bad matchups you might have in the back end (Pats fans know this all too well), and every smart football fan on this planet knows that blitzing Peyton is a bad idea. So this assignment falls squarely on the four guys up front. If they get to Peyton, this game will be up for grabs. But if Manning isn’t touched, he will pick apart Seattle’s’ extraordinary defensive backfield, and will cruise to his second Super Bowl victory.

The other thing the Seahawks have to do to win this game, is control the clock. The best defense you can play against a Peyton Manning is to simply keep him off of the field. Marshawn Lynch must have a big game tomorrow, because you can’t expect Russell Wilson to outscore Peyton Manning and that record breaking offense of his. The Broncos will be ready though, as their run defense surprised everybody in the AFC Championship game, completely shutting down the explosive New England rushing attack. If they do this to Lynch and company, the question becomes, can Wilson and his receiving corps keep up with Manning? I sure hope so, because I don’t want to see Peyton hoisting another Lombardi Trophy. But when it is all said and done, Denver’s offense has too many weapons for Seattle, and they finish up the 2013 season on top.

Score: Denver 27 Seattle 23

MVP: Peyton Manning