UnMuzzled: Super Blowout a Blow to Peyton’s Legacy

UnMuzzled

That’s exactly what we all expected right?

For the past few weeks the conversation has been about whether the dynamic Broncos' offense or the devastating Seahawks' defense would prevail when they collided at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Well, when the lights turned on it took about 12 seconds for that question to be answered.

The league’s best defense proved they were also the league’s best team as Seattle absolutely dominated Denver in every facet of the game.

Peyton Manning was quoted after the game in reference to Denver’s performance saying, “Not embarrassing at all. I would never use that word. The word embarrassing is an insulting word, to tell you the truth.”

Call it what you want Peyton, but that was one of the most embarrassing performances by a team in Super Bowl history.

Here’re a few things I took from last night’s massacre.

•  It’s unarguable that Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, but last night was a dramatic hit to his legacy. After having the greatest individual season for a quarterback in the history of the game, Manning struggled mightily against a Seahawks' defense that tormented pocket quarterbacks all season. His stat line (34-49 for 280 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions) appears to be not that bad, but anyone who watched that game saw a quarterback and an offense that was completely outmatched. This should be the nail in the coffin for the Brady vs. Manning conversation because say what you will, but old Tom wouldn't ever allow his team to go down like that in a Super Bowl.

• This was a big night for the “new breed” quarterbacks as Russell Wilson became the first member of the group to capture a Super Bowl title. His escape ability was on full display last night as time after time he got outside the pocket to extend plays, something that would've helped out Manning dramatically. The game would've been completely different if Manning would've had more time on offense, something both Colin Kaepernick and Andrew Luck showed this season as they were two of the only quarterbacks to have any success against the lighting-fast Seahawks' defense. As defenses continue to get faster is this the way more and more QBs will have to play?

• Speaking of defense, what a night for all those who line up on the other side of the ball. Today’s NFL is all about offense, that’s not news to anybody. The old adage “the best offense is a good defense” is said far less than “the best defense is good offense.” The game itself is even catered toward offense as almost every year we see more penalties enforced on defenses. However, last night the Seattle defense proved its importance as it was the main reason for the first 29 points on the board. Manning has one of the game’s quickest releases and still he had no time to throw. The rest of Denver’s offense, the first ever to have five players with 10+ touchdowns, looked down right scared. This time, the defense definitely won the championship.

Like stats? Check these out. Only five teams have ever scored more in a Super Bowl than Seattle did last night and the two who have done it in this century were both thanks to outstanding defensive performances (2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

It was also only the second time in 30 seasons the losing team was held to single digits which is pretty unbelievable seeing as how Denver had statistically one of the greatest offenses to ever take the field.

While we’re talking about offense, surprisingly this game lacked a lot of it. No running back eclipsed 50 yards, in fact Percy Harvin led all rushers with 45 and he did it on two carries!

It was said Marshawn Lynch had to be effective for the Seahawks to win but if you take out his longest carry of the game (18 yards) his remaining 14 carrys totaled a whooping 21 yards. Peyton threw a fifth as many interceptions (2) in this game as he had all regular season (10) but Denver’s two lost fumbles shouldn’t surprise you, they led the league in the regular season with 16. There is solace for Manning however, his 34 pass completion’s set a Super Bowl record.

So congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks, they were one of the best teams all season and they were certainly the better team last night. Check back Monday morning, I’m sure I’ll have something else to talk about.

Each week John Muzzy rants about things going on in sports because who doesn't love that guy?

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