Numbers and statistics aside, what would happen if the NFL’s best offense was pitted against its best defense in a battle destined to define ultimate league supremacy?
The football Gods surely must be smiling as, for the first time since 2009, the league’s top two seeds will meet in the in Super Bowl XLVIII at Met Life Stadium.
Denver’s Peyton Manning threw for 400 yards to outduel New England Tom Brady and the Seattle Seahawks defense forced two late turnovers to outlast San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick to set up the dynamics.
How improbable is the matchup? Consider that just three years ago, Manning could barely grip a football as he struggled to recover from neck surgery that many predicted spelled the end of his career and Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was but a third round NFL draft pick two seasons ago, selected behind such mediocre quarterbacks as Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden.
But none of that mattered on Sunday as Manning and Wilson largely willed their teams to the NFL’s ultimate stage.
For Manning, gunning for his second Super Bowl ring and fifth overall MVP trophy, the plan surely calls for a business as usual approach in building on a record-setting season where he has already passed for nearly 6,000 yards and 57 touchdowns.
“Peyton Manning is Peyton Manning,” Patriots defensive end Andre Carter told ESPN as he dejectedly left the field. “He’s a smart player and able to make adjustments when he needs to.”
Wilson and the Seahawks take somewhat of a different approach, but clearly the end result has proven to be the same.
“This is sweet as it gets,” Pro Bowl defensive back Richard Sherman, who assisted on the game-winning interception, told ESPN. “We knew it would come down to us in the back end to win this thing.”
And so now here we are Manning, Wes Welker, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas and Knowshon Moreno vs. Sherman, Bobby Wagner, Kam Chancellor and Malcolm Smith.
Something’s got to give.
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