Super Bowl Sunday Full of Intrigue
By Mike Waring
On Sunday, the biggest game of the NFL season will take place on the frozen turf of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey between the Seattle Seahawks and the Denver Broncos.
After last week’s championship games all eyes will be on Richard Sherman and Peyton Manning.
Manning had another legendary season, amassing 5,477 yards, and 55 touchdowns, both representing new NFL records, while throwing only 10 interceptions.
He broke rival Tom Brady’s touchdown record from 2007 and Drew Brees’ passing yards record from 2011.
The biggest criticism in Peyton Manning’s career has been his inability to win the big game. Manning has always been dominant in the regular season, as many pundits call him the best regular season quarterback of all time.
Although he has won a Super Bowl, he lost another and had many other chances to get there.
He has a playoff record of 10-11 with eight losses in his teams’ first game of the playoffs. This year he had to face a familiar foe, Tom Brady.
Everyone who watches ESPN would know that Manning struggles in head-to-head match-ups with Brady. Entering he was 4-9 versus Brady and had thrown 27 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
But, with his performance in the AFC Championship game, he silenced critics at least for the short term.
Manning went off, as he threw for 400 yards on 32 completions along with two touchdowns.
But, now Manning faces an even tougher task, the Seattle Seahawks and the best defense in the league.
The Seahawks defense was first in league allowing only 273 yards per game, also leading the NFL in interceptions as well as points per game, giving up only 14.
The Seahawks defense is spear headed by the best corner in the league, Richard Sherman.
Sherman has been in the news leading up to the Super Bowl after his interview with Erin Andrews after the NFC Championship versus the San Francisco 49ers where he called Wide Receiver Michael Crabtree a “weak” receiver.
Many called him a thug and other names, but are clearly false accusations of the Stanford graduate.
On the other side of the ball, second year quarterback Russell Wilson leads the Seahawks. Seattle looks to play physical and pound the ball with Marshawn Lynch, who had 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Super Bowl XLVII has the chance to be one of the best Super Bowls to have ever been played.
There will be multiple match-ups that will make this game a great one. The best overall offense versus the best overall defense, Manning versus Sherman, Denver’s wide receivers versus the Seahawks defensive backs, and maybe the biggest factor, Manning and Wilson versus the potential bad weather.
As for a prediction, much of it will depend on the type of weather in East Rutherford on February 2nd. If the weather is bad, Seattle has the edge because of the skittle fueled Lynch and their physical style of play. But, if the weather is clear Manning of course will take control of the game.
All hypothetical aside, I believe that Manning will continue to build on his Hall of Fame career and capture his second Super Bowl.
My reasoning, experience.
Seattle is the first team since the 1990 Buffalo Bills to have no one on the roster to have ever played in a Super Bowl.
Broncos in a tight one, 28-24.
