Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl XLVIII Preview!!!!

Time to ride has been the slogan for the Broncos all postseason. Now, it is time to ride into the Super Bowl and take on the Seattle Seahawks. The first Super Bowl in New York/New Jersery will be a memorable one because it features Peyton Manning and his quest for another Super Bowl against the #1 rated defense in the NFL. As I have done all during the playoffs, I will point out the different things that scare me about this game from a Broncos perspective. Although I am nervous about this game, I have enjoyed the week of hype leading up to the game. Actually, I have been basking in the glory of the Broncos winning the AFC title for the last two weeks, and I have soaked in everything from this week in preparation for Super Bowl XLVIII. There is nothing better than the two weeks following between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl when your team is in it. Everything is congratulating you, and your team is the focus of the entire sports world during that span. There is nothing like that feeling knowing that your team will be playing on Super Sunday. It has been quite a ride this season with the Broncos, and there is more stop. This will be a very tricky game for Denver and here are the reasons why the Seahawks put fear into me for Super Bowl XLVIII....

I) Seattle's defense is legitimate. Make no mistake because this defense is nasty and physical. Denver has not faced a defense like this at all this year. If anyone can shut down this Broncos offense, this Seattle defense can do it. Top defenses always seem to stop top offenses in these big games, and it will not surprise me at all if Seattle shuts down Manning and the Broncos.

II) The weather has to bother you as a Broncos fan. It might not be as cold and windy as people thought it was going to be earlier in the week, but mid 30s and high 20s is not exactly ideal for the Broncos and Manning. Put it this way: I wouldn't mind if this game was in a warm climate or a dome. I am sure the Broncos wouldn't have minded that either.

III) Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle running game might just overpower and grind out the Broncos. Denver's defense has done a nice job against the run in the regular season and in the playoffs, but this is a different kind of running attack. Lynch could go off on the ground, and that spells trouble for Denver. Can Denver's defense hold up one more game without all those key guys? I'm not so sure they can.

IV) Russell Wilson might not get as much hype as Manning, but he is the real deal and budding star in the NFL. Wilson can kill you when he gets out of the pocket, and he can make some big time throws. He has done it his whole career so far, and he will be a pain in the neck for the Broncos to contain. Wilson could rise up and make this his moment.

V) Seattle has the better team overall. Pound-for-pound they are the better team, so that will give them the advantage to win this game. They have been the best team all year long, and I felt that whoever won the NFC Championship Game between them and San Francisco was going to be a tough matchup for Denver. The Broncos have Peyton Manning, but Seattle is simply better up and down the roster.

VI) The pressure on Manning is tremendous in this game. Even after outplaying Tom Brady and getting the Broncos to the Super Bowl does not take the pressure off Manning. The Broncos and Manning have a small window to win the Super Bowl, and if they don't get it done on Sunday, then it will be a very bitter pill to swallow. The Seahawks can play fast and loose as the up-and-coming team, and that can be very dangerous in these situations.

VIII) The lack of experience of the Seahawks doesn't seem to matter. In fact, they have no Super Bowl experience with any of their players on their roster heading into this game. I really don't think they care about that, and to me the experience factor is overrated. The last time a team entered a Super Bowl without a player with any Super Bowl experience was the 1990 Bills. They lost to a Giants team that had already won a Super Bowl a few years earlier, but they lost on a missed field goal. I think that lack of experience could actually help the Seahawks play better.

IX) It seems like pubic opinion is siding with Manning and the Broncos. I think a lot of people believe that this Manning's year. That scares me. I would like to see more people pick the Seahawks to win this game. I wouldn't even mind if this line changed in favor of Seattle and made Denver the underdog. I hate the fact that the Broncos are favored at this point.

X) The Broncos are wearing their home orange jerseys for the game. The four Super Bowls that Denver lost all featured games in which they were wearing their orange jerseys. The two that Denver won featured their blue and white jerseys. I know people dismiss certain superstitions, but this one can't be ignored.

XI) Seattle is due for a championship for their city. The last time a Seattle franchise won a title was in 1979 when the Supersonics won the NBA Championship. That franchise doesn't even play in Seattle anymore. It just feels like Seattle is on the verge of breaking through and getting that elusive sports championship.


Playoff Record: 4-3-3
Last Week's Record: 0-2

Prediction: Seattle (+2) over DENVER: As much as this pains me, I just think that Seattle has the better team. I keep playing the game over and over in my mind, and I have to side with history here and think that Seattle's defense will stifle the Broncos offense. I just think that the Seahawks are too tough of a matchup for Peyton Manning and the Broncos. I hope I'm wrong, but I have a bad feeling about this game.

Final Score: Seahawks-30 Broncos-17