Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos
Well, the Big Game is finally here and I can’t wait see this debate of Best Offense vs. Best Defense finally settled on the field. My initial assessment, right after Seattle defeated San Francisco in NFC Championship was that the Seahawks would not be able to contain Denver’s offense enough to win this game. However, after studying the stat’s and the match-ups and going back and forth on which team I would pick to win I have come to the conclusion that I have to give the Seahawks the edge. If I had one more day to think about I might very well change my mind again, but I’m going to stick to my guns here and pick the Seahawks to be the next Champ’s of the NFL. Picking Seattle was not an easy choice for me because I favored Denver to win the SB pretty much all season, going all the way back to the preseason, when I picked Denver to defeat San Francisco in my NFL preseason post on this blog.
I have not been a fan of either team in the past, so I really don’t have a dog in this fight. I admire players and coaches on both teams, but I really don’t think I have bias toward one team or the other. I would enjoy seeing Peyton Manning win another ring, but I also wouldn’t mind seeing Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman (Yes, I like Sherman) win a ring. Ditto, Pete Carroll and John Fox. They are all deserving. So, why did I change my pick? Well, like many others who have studied this game, I think that the winner of this game will in large part be determined by the outcome of the battle between Peyton Manning and the Bronco receivers vs. the Seattle secondary, the vaunted Legion of Boom. I don’t think the LOB can totally shut down QB Peyton Manning and his talented receivers, but the LOB and the rest of the Seahawks D can limit the production of Denver’s offense enough to put the game within reach of Seattle’s offense. The Seahawks may not have an offense is nearly as prolific as the Broncos, but it is clearly good enough win games against the top tier teams teams in the NFL when the Seahawks defense is playing at high level. I think San Francisco, the team I picked to win the NFC, is just as good an all around team as Denver and Seattle handled SF, albeit narrowly. This game too should be close, but this is another game in which the Seahawks can emerge victorious imo.
This is how I think the scoring may unfold….
DENVER: Peyton throws 2 TD’s, RB Knowshon Moreno rushes for a TD and Prater chips in with a FG
SEATTLE: Russell Wilson passes for 1 TD, Beast Mode (Marshawn Lynch) runs for a TD, the Seattle D produces a TD and the Seahawks kick 2 FG’s
If Denver is able to jump out to big lead in 1st half, it may spell doom for Seattle because I don’t think they really have what could be considered a quick strike offense, even with the return of Percy Harvin.
Denver must make sure they contain Russell Wilson, who possesses much greater running ability than the last two QB’s Denver faced in the playoffs. Philip Rivers and Tom Brady, although great passers, weren’t much of threat to bolt from the pocket and pick up significant yardage. Russell Wilson, OTOH, is very capable of tucking the ball and taking off for some big chunks of yards. Wilson tends to look to pass first and only run when he has to, but I think we may see a few designed run plays for him in this game.
We’ll see soon enough. May the best team win!!
Seattle 27, Denver 24
gmf journal 