On Sunday, the
number one offense faces off against the number one defense. There really
couldn’t be a better matchup in the Super Bowl. Let’s break it down:
Offense: Clear edge goes to the Broncos here. Peyton Manning
is playing with five unstoppable toys in Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Eric
Decker, Wes Welker, and the one people overlook, Knowshon Moreno. This offense
is truly unstoppable because if a team tries to take out the passing game, they
have the ability to run the ball wild. That was shown earlier this year when
the Patriots limited Manning to just 150 yards. However the running game for
the Broncos produced an astonishing 280 yards. Moreno also is capable of being
a viable option out of the backfield. They also have two vertical threats on
the sideline is Decker and Demaryius Thomas and there is only one Richard
Sherman. Down the middle they have Julius Thomas and underneath they have
Welker. To move the chains, they usually go to Welker or Julius Thomas. Pretty
hard to cover both. And most importantly, Denver has by far the best offensive
line in football. Manning has been TOUCHED twice this postseason and never been
sacked. That’s also a credit to him for getting the ball out quick.
The Seahawks will
struggle mightily in the game because they are going against a Broncos defense
that is ranked 7th against the run. To prove they can still shut
down, just last week they limited the hottest running back in the NFL in
Legarrette Blount to just 12 yards. So the Seahawks will eventually have to go
away from Marshawn Lynch and that will be when they start getting in trouble.
They also very rarely are able to sustain long drives. Most of their scoring
comes off of big plays. Last week Lynch had a 40-yard touchdown run, Jermaine
Kearse had the touchdown on 4th down, and Doug Baldwin had a 51-yard
catch to set up another score. This means Manning will be on the field plenty,
which means there will be plenty of opportunities for Manning.
Defense: The edge here clearly goes to the Seahawks. They
have some of the best chemistry in the NFL on the defensive side. The Legion of
Boom all work together in their zones and switch-offs. The front seven get
pressure on the opposing quarterback, which helps the back end plenty. They
have a tall task ahead of them though, as they face the deepest offensive
juggernaut in NFL history. And to make it harder, they also boast the best
offensive line in football capped off by the best quarterback in the NFL this
year.
For the Broncos,
they have a very underrated defense. The past two weeks they have held Philip
Rivers and Tom Brady to 17 and 16 points. Granted, those are not two very good
offenses aside from the quarterback position but the confidence level is very
high going into the Super Bowl where they face Russell Wilson and a mediocre
receiving corp. If they take care of Marshawn Lynch, they can spell doom for
the Seahawks.
Special Teams: This phase will be a huge factor especially
because both teams have excellent returners in Trindon Holliday (Broncos) and
Percy Harvin (Seahawks). They both also have great kickers and in a game played
in these conditions, it could come down to that.
Coaching: You don’t get to this point without great
coaching, but the edge goes to John Fox. He is a guy who has been here before
and also, if he has to make adjustments, he has the veterans on both sides of
the ball to do that on the fly.
Prediction: Broncos 23 Seahawks 10
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