Sunday, February 2nd 2014 (6:25 ET)
Station: FOX
Announcers: Troy Aikman, Joe Buck and Pam Oliver (sideline).
Point Spread: Broncos (-2)
Over/Under: 48.5
Expected Weather: High of 49 with winds from the NW at five MPH
Pregame Entertainment: Phillip Phillips, Jersey Boys (Broadway) and The Band Perry. Jay Glazer 9/11 tribute and Renee Fleming singing the national anthem.
Halftime Entertainment: Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Broncos Offense vs Seahawks Defense | Team | PPG | Passing Yds | Rushing Yds | Total Yds | Sacks | Turnover Diff. |
| Broncos | 37.9 (1) | 340.2 (1) | 117.5 (15) | 457.3 (1) | 20 (1) | 0 (14) |
| Seahawks | 14.4 (1) | 172.0 (1) | 101.6 (7) | 273.6 (1) | 44 (8) | +20 (1) |
The best offense vs the best defense for the seventh time in NFL history. Joe Montana's No.1-ranked San Francisco 49ers offense destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10 back in Super Bowl XXIV. Prior to that, the New York Giants, led by their top-ranked defense, defeated the New England Patriots league-pacing offense 20-19 back in Super Bowl XXV. Prior to that, Joe Montana's No.1-ranked San Francisco 49ers offense destroyed the Denver Broncos 55-10 back in Super Bowl XXIV.
The stark contrast between these two units is real. We are looking at a difference of 23 points, 168 passing yards and nearly 190 total yards per game.
In order to get a better understanding of who has the advantage here, we have to look at how each unit did against upper-echelon opponents during the regular season and playoffs.
Denver played five games against opposing defenses that finished the regular season in the top 10 of the league in scoring with multiple games against both the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots. They averaged 30.4 points per game in those five outings. For his part, Peyton Manning threw 12 touchdowns and four interceptions in those five games compared to 47 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his other 13 outings. Denver finished 3-2 in those five outings.
On the other end of the spectrum, Seattle only faced one top-10 scoring offense this season and that came in two different battles with the New Orleans Saints. In fact, it faced the three-worst scoring offenses in the league during the regular year. As it relates to the Saints, Drew Brees and Co. put up a total of 22 points and less than 600 yards in those two games, both losses. It's important to note, however, that both came at CenturyLink.
Overall, the Seahawks are downright scary on the defensive side of the ball. They hae forced multiple turnovers in 13 of their 18 games this season and have only failed to force a single turnover once (Tampa Bay, Week 9)
This really is, in every definition of the term, the best vs the best.
Seahawks Offense vs Broncos Defense | Team | PPG | Passing Yds | Rushing Yds | Total Yds | Sacks | Turnover Diff. |
| Seahawks | 26.1 (8) | 202.2 (26) | 136.8 (4) | 339.0 (17) | 44 (23) | +20 (1) |
| Broncos | 24.9 (22) | 254.4 (27) | 101.6 (8) | 356.0 (9) | 41 (13) | 0 (14) |
Maybe this can be defined as mediocrity vs mediocrity? Seattle hasn't done a whole lot on the offensive side of the ball as of late. It has put up 300-plus yards just twice in its last six games, including less than 200 passing yards in all of those six games.
That's not going to get it done against a high-flying Broncos offense. The good news here is that the Seahawks aren't going up against anywhere near the level of competition on the defensive side of the ball that we have seen recently.
Five of Seattle's last seven games have come against top-10 scoring defenses from the regular season. For their part, the Broncos have played five games against offenses that ranked in the top 10 of the NFL in scoring.
They allowed nearly 27 points per game in those five outings, winning three of them. Interestingly enough, both of Denver's postseason opponents leading up to the Super Bowl came against teams with offenses that ranked in the top 10 in scoring. It allowed 33 total points in those two games.
Key Matchups
Demaryius Thomas vs Richard Sherman: Sherman allowed quarterbacks to compile a ridiculously low 47.3 rating during the regular season.
They completed just under 52 percent of their passes with two touchdowns and eight interceptions when targeting the All Pro cornerback. Meanwhile, Thomas caught nearly 70 percent of the passes thrown to him and tallied over 1,400 yards with 13 touchdowns.
Julius Thomas vs K.J. Wright and Earl Thomas: If any team is going to be able to stop Thomas, it's going to be the Seahawks. They yielded a total of three receptions to Jimmy Graham and Vernon Davis in the two games leading up to the Super Bowl. Thomas, who led the Broncos with a 73.9 percent catch rate, will be going up against the best safety in the NFL in this one. Thomas yielded just a dozen passing yards per game during the regular season and allowed quarterbacks to complete just 18 passes on the year.
Marshawn Lynch vs Broncos Front Seven: Denver's front seven struggled a great deal against the run for the first three quarters of the season. Once Von Miller went out with a torn ACL and Terrence Knighton stepped up big time at defensive tackle, this changed. The Broncos have allowed less than 90 yards in each of their last four games. With that said, they haven't faced Money Lynch yet.
To put into perspective how dominating Lynch has been over the past couple years, he's the only running back to compile 100 yards against the San Francisco 49ers over the last 25 games...he did it TWICE.
Everyone wants to talk about Russell Wilson leading up to this game, but Seattle's offense clearly runs through Lynch. The Seahawks are 15-3 over the past two seasons when Lynch attempts 20-plus rushes, 12-6 when he doesn't.
Russell Okung vs Shaun Phillips: See my write up on The Sports Daily for a comprehensive preview of this matchup.
Statistical Leaders
Denver Broncos
Peyton Manning: 68.3 completion, 5,477 passing yards, 56 total touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 115.1 rating.
Knowshon Moreno: 4.3 average, 1,038 rushing yards, 60 receptions, 548 yards and 13 total touchdowns
Demaryius Thomas: 92 receptions, 1,430 yards and 14 touchdowns
Eric Decker: 87 receptions, 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns
Wes Welker: 73 receptions, 778 yards and 10 touchdowns
Julius Thomas: 65 receptions, 788 yards and 12 touchdowns
Seattle Seahawks
Russell Wilson: 63.1 completion, 3,357 passing yards, 539 rushing yards, 27 total touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 101.2 rating.
Marshawn Lynch: 1,257 rushing yards, 4.2 average, 36 receptions, 316 yards and 14 total touchdowns
Golden Tate: 64 receptions, 898 yards and five touchdowns
Doug Baldwin: 50 receptions, 778 yards and five touchdowns
Zach Miller and Luke Willson: 53 receptions, 659 yards and six touchdowns
What the Last Five Games Tells Us
Denver Broncos (4-1) | Unit | PPG | Passing Yds | Rushing Yds | Total Yds | First Downs | Total TO's |
| Offense | 28.2 | 327.6 | 99.2 | 426.8 | 25.0 | 3 |
| Defense | 17.4 | 190.8 | 91.4 | 282.2 | 17.4 | 3 |
Peyton Manning: 141/199, .709 completion, 1,585 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, two interceptions and a 113.6 rating.
Knowshon Moreno: 62 attempts, 259 rushing yards, 4.2 average, 15 receptions, 137 yards and two touchdowns
Demaryius Thomas: 33 receptions, 469 yards and five touchdowns
Eric Decker: 23 receptions, 305 yards and three touchdowns
Wes Welker: 10 receptions, 76 yards and one touchdown (two games).
Julius Thomas: 29 receptions, 324 yards and one touchdown
Seattle Seahawks (4-1) | Unit | PPG | Passing Yds | Rushing Yds | Total Yds | First Downs | Total TO's |
| Offense | 21.2 | 147.2 | 127.4 | 274.8 | 15.6 | 4 |
| Defense | 11.6 | 183.4 | 89.2 | 272.6 | 16.0 | 15 |
Russell Wilson: 69/120, .575 completion, 804 passing yards, 97 rushing yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 82.1 rating.
Marshawn Lynch: 107 attempts, 464 rushing yards, 4.3 average, 10 receptions, 85 yards and five touchdowns
Golden Tate: 17 receptions, 232 yards and one touchdown
Doug Baldwin: 15 receptions, 215 yards and one touchdown
Zach Miller: 9 receptions, 76 yards and one touchdown