NEW JERSEY—The biggest day of the year came on Sunday, February 2, as Super Bowl XLVIII took place at the Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. In one corner we had Denver Broncos Quarterback Peyton Manning, while in the other corner we had Seattle Seahawks Quarterback Russell Wilson. So which team came out victorious? The Seattle Seahawks of course, winning 43-8.
The festivities got underway with Queen Latifah singing “America the Beautiful.” The national anthem was sung by opera legend Renee Fleming, definitely a version of the song not heard before at the big dance. Seattlewon the toss and chose to kick the ball to Denver first, whose offense was ready to take on the Seahawks, but a safety occurred in first 30 seconds, with Manning losing the ball, giving Seattle an early score. A field goal from Steven Hauschka put the Seahawks up, 5-0 with 10 minutes still left in the first quarter.
When the Broncos finally got a hold of the football, Seattle’s defense kept them at bay, giving the Hawks another chance to put more points on the board, and a drive by Wilson and his team placed themselves mere yards from a touchdown, but couldn’t score in the end zone, so they settled for another field goal, putting them up 8-0. The start of the second quarter continued to prove why Seattle has the best defense, as they continued to shut down the Broncos and scored their first touchdown, thanks to Marshawn Lynch, putting them in the driver’s seat 15-0.
Denver may have been down, but they were not out as Manning and his team successfully picked up the offense in an attempt to score, obtaining four consecutive first downs as they attempted to score their first touchdown of the game. Unfortunately for the Broncos, Malcolm Smith intercepted a pass from Manning that allowed Seattle to further their lead in the game to 22-0, with about three minutes left in the second quarter. The team didn’t let up though, as a costly mistake by Denver almost led to ANOTHER turnover to the Seahawks. That could have been a very costly mistake for the #1 offense in the country.
I’ll be honest. I couldn’t wait for the half-time show because watching the first quarter was a complete disaster. On the inside, I was secretly smiling as my team (the underdogs) proved all of the naysayers wrong. This year’s Super Bowl half-time show was a treat for audiences as Bruno Mars rocked the stage. He kicked off the performance with an eclectic drum routine leading into his monumental hit “Locked Out of Heaven,” and then moved into his ubiquitous hit “Treasure.” Mars definitely has some dance moves on him, like a younger version of Michael Jackson, some would say. He was later joined onstage by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The tempo slowed down a bit, as Mars sang his ballad “Just the Way You Are” as a dedication to all the soldiers serving our country.
The start of the third quarter was an amazing one as Percy Harvin ran almost 90 yards off of a return kick from the Broncos for a touchdown, leading 29-0. This has to be one the biggest blowouts I’ve witnessed in Super Bowl history. Seattle dominated this game from the beginning, as another turnover by Denver gave Seattle the advantage once again. This sloppy play nearly had me wanting to change the channel, after the third quarter. DidDenver even have a chance in this game?
Jermaine Kearse retrieved an unbelievable catch, as multiple Denver players attempted to halt the receiver as he scored a TD. Let’s just say this was a major blowout, 36-0 with less than 2 minutes to play in the third quarter. Finally, with less than 30 seconds left in the third quarter Manning was able to connect with Demarius Thomas, for the Broncos’ first touchdown in the game. They choose to go for a two-point conversion, as Manning was able to connect with Welker for the additional two, cutting Seattle’s lead to 28.
Wilson’s pass to Baldwin sealed the deal in this Super Bowl game in my opinion, as Seattle went up 43-8. There was no way the Broncos would score five touchdowns in 11 minutes to come back; it would’ve taken a miracle for that to happen. As the announcers said, it was almost as if Denver was playing the game way too soft. It may have looked like an uphill battle, but that doesn’t mean give up without a fight!
The question has finally been answered. Defense will always trump offense when it comes to sports. Seattle proved that all too willingly with the Denver Broncos on Sunday. I will admit it was a sad day for quarterback legend Peyton Manning, who made a miraculous comeback after his injury to lead his team to the Super Bowl, but it was obvious Seattle wanted the win even more. “It’s a true blessing. God is good,” said Seattle Quarterback Russell Wilson after the team’s win.
