SEATTLE REIGN (THE FINAL ENTRY OF THE 2013 NFL SEASON)

"Well, folks, when you're right 52% of the time, you're wrong 48% of the time." -Smooth Jimmy Apollo #TheSimpsons #SB48 #SuperBowl
— Michael Watts (@mjwatts1983) February 3, 2014

Well, I can admit I was wrong. Denver was the best team all season long... until they met the buzz saw that was the Seahawks defense.

On the first snap of the game with the Broncos in shotgun formation the snap sailed high over Peyton Manning's head and into the end zone. The Broncos were able to minimize the damage by falling on the ball and conceding the safety to give the Seahawks a 2-0 lead. It was the fastest score in Super Bowl history coming in at 12 seconds into the first quarter.

Seattle's first two offensive drives resulted in field goals with the Seahawks leading 8-0.

And it kept on going from there.

Denver never really seemed to have gotten into an offensive grove. On Denver's third offensive drive of the game, Manning tossed his second interception of the game to safety Kam Chancellor that set up Seattle's third offensive drive of the game at the Broncos 37 yard line. On 3rd down and 4 from the Broncos 5, Denver was flagged for pass interference in the end zone setting up the Seahawks with 1st and goal from the Broncos 1 yard line.

 

Two plays later, Marshawn Lynch entered the end zone to put the Seahawks up 15-0.

On the next possession Denver drove to the Seattle 35 where this sequence ofevents happened:

And like that it was 22-0.

If you recall in the NFC Championship, it was Malcolm Smith intercepting Kaepernick's final pass of the game that sent the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

Denver made one last drive before the half but was stopped on 4th down inside the red zone. Seattle went into the locker room up 22-0.

Out came Bruno Mars for the halftime show which was the best part of the game. The guy certainly has some moves as he was paying homage to James Brown during the performance. The Red Hot Chili Peppers was a nice addition to the act.

The second half began and all hopes for a Denver comeback were dashed when Percy Harvin returned the 2nd half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown.

And they were starting to party at the Space Needle.

They had good reason to do so. Denver's win probability flat lined near zero after Seattle went up 29-0.

Denver fumbled again on their second drive of the third quarter which ended with Russell Wilson found Jermaine Kearse for a 23 yard touchdown pass. It was one of two touchdown passes for Wilson on the evening.

The Broncos would end the game with 4 total turnovers which resulted in 3 Seahawks touchdowns.

It was looking like the Broncos were going to be the first team shut out in Super Bowl history, but they were able to get into the end zone at the end of the third quarter.

Seattle capped the scoring with Wilson's second touchdown pass of the evening. Russell Wilson ended the game with 18 completions on 25 attempts with 206 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Wilson became the first quarterback to complete 70% of his passes, pass for at least 2 touchdowns and over 200 yards, and NOT win the Super Bowl MVP.

Seattle won the game 43-8 and as pointed out by Nate Silver (yes, THAT Nate Silver), it was the first NFL game to end with that score.

Tonight was the first 43-8 final score in NFL history: http://t.co/r8LF3AKjIm
— Nate Silver (@fivethirtyeight) February 3, 2014

The Super Bowl MVP was awarded to linebacker Malcolm Smith. He is the third linebacker and the ninth defensive player to win the award. Honestly, this is one of those times where a group award is needed. Seattle's defense set the tone for the entire game holding Denver's high scoring offense to 8 points and 306 yards.

Seattle's defensive performance in the Super Bowl ranks up there with the Raiders running over the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII, Bears beat down of the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, the 49ers mangling of the Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, the Cowboys beating the Bills 52-17 in January 1993, and the Ravens beating the Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

I think we were overdue for a Super Bowl blowout. The previous ten Super Bowls were competitive heading into the fourth quarter. The last blowout was the Buccaneers over the Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Russell Wilson, besides his impressive 28-9 record as a starter along with a 17-1 home record, made history as pointed out by TransGriot's Ms. Monica Roberts. Wilson becomes the first African-American starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl since Doug Williams' MVP performance in Super Bowl XXII.

As for records, Peyton Manning is now 11-12 in postseason games along with a 1-2 record in Super Bowls. While Manning is very likely to head into the Hall of Fame on his first attempt, there will be a knock on his resume about being a great regular season quarterback.

And one more thing about records, I finished the post-season with an 8-3 record while Ms. Roberts and Mr. Blake finished with a 7-4 playoff record. However, Ms. Roberts and I were incorrect in our prediction for the Super Bowl. Mr. Blake trumpeted the Seahawks greatness all season long and for this I say:

#SB48 And I for one welcome our new #Seahawks football overlords. #SuperBowl #SuperBowlBlowout
— Michael Watts (@mjwatts1983) February 3, 2014

The Seahawks win also vindicates this fan who got this tattoo.

This game was not what people expected. I think everyone expected another close Super Bowl as had been in previous seasons.

The better team won last night... and boy did they.

The new NFL season starts on 4 September 2014 in Seattle.

Can't wait.