Seahawks over Broncos 43-8. Many postgame reactions rolled in and a common thread was that this was not a good game. It was one of the best all around team performances and defensive efforts not only this year, but also in the history of the Super Bowl. So why wasn’t there more appreciation for this game? The easy answer(s) of course was the game wasn’t close or they were rooting for the Broncos. It lies with an infatuation for offenses that put up fantasy numbers week in and week out. People would much rather see a shootout than a defensive struggle despite that well played defense with big hits and turnovers is just as exciting.
SB48 put defense back on the map in a big way, but it was also a total team win with solid efforts in all phases of the game. Meanwhile, the Broncos were a one man show that lived and died by the arm of Peyton Manning. If there was ever a game to show how being too reliant on one position can backfire, this was it. If Manning didn’t score, nothing his defense did would matter. Conversely, the Seahawks defense believed they could win the game for their team and they could have, outscoring Broncos 9-8. Does defense wins championships? Yes and no, you still need an offense and special teams. Having a healthy balance does wonders. Teams win championships.
Media coverage was focused on the legacy of Peyton Manning as if his was the only one on the line. Btw, did you know Wes Welker is now 0-3 in Super Bowls? John Fox 0-2? Had the Broncos won, Peyton surely would have received most of the credit. But that was not the case and they’re quickly to remind everyone that the team wasn’t good enough. Can you blame them? Star-centric reporting is key to building marketable sports figures that sell headlines and products, products whose ads show up next to those headlines. Just look in any sports magazine. Despite their failures in analysis leading up to the game(few if any predicted a Seahawks blowout), they still came out a winner as many Seahawk stars were born on Sunday to fuel the sports media machine.
ATE 