Super Bowl XLVIII: One to forget for the Denver Broncos

Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) on the field during the first half against the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

The Seattle Seahawks behind their “Legion of Boom” defense defeated the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium by the final score of 43-8 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy for the first time in their teams history. Percy Harvin‘s 87-yard kick return for a touchdown to start the second half was the dagger to a team that just couldn’t get anything going on the offensive side of the ball.

Peyton Manning in his second year as a member of the Denver Broncos, had four neck procedures to get to this point. He had one of the best seasons of a quarterback to date, but for right now, this Super Bowl loss will allow the critics to continue to pick apart Manning’s playoff success. You have to feel for players like Champ Bailey who played 15 NFL seasons to get to this point — to have it all end in disappointment.

Manning would finish the game completing 33-of-48 passes for 266 yards including 1 touchdown and two interceptions. The 37-year-old would set a Super Bowl record for most completions in a game. Manning would not get help from his offensive line nor his running backs for that matter. Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball combined for 11 attempts for just 18 yards, 1.5 YAC. That can be attributed to the strong front-line of the Seattle Seahawks defense led by Cliff Avril who had 3 tackles including 2 pass deflections where one led to a Peyton Manning interception.

Speaking from a Denver Broncos fan perspective, this game hurts more than the loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of last years playoffs. Well I bet you’re thinking “well it should” well, it does. This team had the best offensive performance to date including the record for most points in a season and most passing touchdowns from a quarterback. The Seattle Seahawks were the more physical team Sunday night and it showed, forcing Denver to turn the ball over four times; two of them being interceptions.

For Denver Broncos fans right now, there is always next season. This loss and dreadful performance will be one to forget about as Denver will do everything in their power to rebuild through the draft and free-agency to get back to this point. Their will be discussions in the front-office on who they should re-sign including Eric Decker and Knowshon Moreno. But until next time, go Broncos.