The NFL Fieldhouse: Super Bowl XLVIII Final Analysis And Prediction

This was originally posted on thenflfieldhouseblog.wordpress.com.  For more posts about this topic, please visit their website.

Well, here it is.  At last, the forty-eighth Super Bowl is upon is, and what a ride it’s been to this point.  In September, thirty-two NFL teams embarked upon their journey toward the ever-present dream of hoisting what is essentially, to further abuse what is already a tired cliche, the Holy Grail of professional football: the Vince Lombardi Trophy.  Now, only two teams remain: the AFC champion Denver Broncos, whose high-octane passing offense has been the talk of the league since Week 1, the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, whose airtight defense has stymied opponents all season long.  There’s only one way to settle the question of which is the better team, and no matter who wins, it’s sure to be one of the most competitive Super Bowls in recent memory.  Let’s take one final look at some of the key storylines going into Sunday, followed by my final Super Bowl prediction.

Tale of The Tape

Let it Snow?

(Image from USA Today)

There has been a lot–and I mean a LOT–of talk all season long about a potential snowy Super Bowl.  In fact, questions about whether such a game would truly be feasible were raised as early as about eleven seconds after East Rutherford was revealed as the site for this year’s game.  Some figured that such a game would unnecessarily hinder players and fans alike and thus reduce the overall quality of the contest, a la the Week 14 tilt between the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles; others thought it would only add to the legendary status of what would inevitably turn out to be one of the most memorable Super Bowls to date.  Virtually nobody, however, predicted that the whole discussion would turn out to be more or less a moot point.

According to the latest report from The Weather Channel, kickoff temperature should be in the vicinity of the mid-40s–certainly enough to chill a few bones, but nowhere near freezing.  In addition, precipitation is highly unlikely, and even if it does occur it will likely be in short patches.  All in all, it’s certainly going to be a cold one, but it’s nowhere near the cataclysmic snowfall some pundits were predicting. So if you’re planning on attending the game, you can breathe easy knowing that you won’t have to worry about the weather outside being too frightful.  (The traffic, however, is another story.)

Prediction

This…is a difficult one.  Both of these teams are teams that I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing win it all.  On the one hand, you’ve got Peyton Manning–arguably the best quarterback in the game right now, and for whom a case could be made as being the greatest of all time at the position–leading one of the scariest passing attacks in the history of the league.  On the other hand, you have one of the most dominant defensive forces the NFL has ever seen, a team that has made its living shutting down opponent after opponent, week after week.  Both teams have their strengths and weaknesses, their stars and sleepers.  And at the end of the day, either one of these teams could very easily be the team that gets to hold the Lombardi once the clock hits 0:00.

So which one to pick?

This is a Seahawks team that has absolutely nobody on its roster with Super Bowl experience.  This will be a crucial learning period for them as they try to figure out exactly how to respond to the heightened pressure.  Meanwhile, Manning’s only been to the Super Bowl once before himself, but he has years upon years of postseason experience behind him.  When it comes to the offenses, both teams are among the best in their respective fields–Seattle on the ground, and Denver through the air.  I have to give a slight edge to Denver there, though, since, as much as I wish it wasn’t, the NFL is–first and foremost–a league focused primarily on the passing game. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you have one of the league’s best running attacks if you can’t throw the ball to give your runners some space; just look at the Jaguars and Vikings, who both have incredible running backs but are watching the Super Bowl at home because their respective passing games were frankly hideous.  On defense, however, Seattle is the unquestioned champion, especially compared with the Broncos’ below average D.  The Seahawks’ pass coverage in particular is second to none, which could pose a problem for the air-heavy Denver attack.  In short, if you ever wanted to see what would happen if an unstoppable force ever met an immovable object, you really need to watch this game.

In the end, however trite it may seem, the Super Bowl will come down to the age-old question: “Who wants it more?”

My answer: The Broncos.

Peyton Manning won’t be breaking any records, but he doesn’t have to.  The Seahawks defense will be solid most of the time, but as we saw against the Cardinals in the regular season, occasionally their guard will slip–and unlike the regular season, they won’t have the Twelfth Man backing them up this time around.  Meanwhile, while I don’t think the Broncos defense is all that great, this Seattle offense just doesn’t have the same firepower as their counterparts.  It won’t be the prettiest game, but it’ll be enough for Manning and the Broncos to win Super Bowl XLVIII.

Super Bowl XLVIII:

Denver Broncos 27, Seattle Seahawks 20

I’ve done all I can here; it’s time for the talk to end and the game to begin.  Throw out all the hype, all the “what-ifs” and the hypotheticals.  It’s time to settle things the way they were meant to be settled: on the field.  Only one more day before we finally determine who deserves the right to be called Super Bowl Champions.