OPINION: Super Bowl XLVIII with so much potential turns into a dud

(Picture courtesy AP Images).

I think my favorite was either the Seinfeld one or the puppy one…oh, and the Tebow one was good.  Oh you want to know about what happened in the game?  Does anyone really want to talk about that?  Not much happened.  Offensively there was nothing and  it was very one-sided from the get-go.  The Conference Championships were close, suspenseful games. They gave so much promise towards this game, but it was not even close last night, as Seattle pummeled Denver by the final score of 43-8.

On the first play of the game, the center of the Broncos overshot quarterback Peyton Manning.  The team was on the 14-yard line and that overshot brought the ball into the endzone for a safety. Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno covered the ball, but could not make it out of the endzone. That was the first play of the Super Bowl and set the tone for the rest of the game.

There was not too much excitement  in the first half.  The Broncos could not get any type of offense going, not even a first down. Seattle was performing better, but were not able to go all the way. The team settled for two field goals instead.  At the end of the first frame, the Seahawks were ahead 8-0, leaving many to believe the Broncos had halted the hemorrhaging of bad plays.

Opening up to the second half, the Seahawks were determined to get a touchdown. It was a long drive, but two minutes into the second quarter Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch capped off a the long drive with a one-yard touchdown scamper that drew an audible roar from the 12th Man.  The Seattle defense proved to be too much for Manning.  By the end of the half, Manning threw an interception to Malcolm Smith who ran 69 yards for a touchdown. The teams went into the locker room at halftime with a score of 22-0.

Something needed to give the Broncos motivation in the second half. Whether it was a locker room pep talk, the Bruno Mars-Red Hot Chili Peppers performance, John Elway screaming at everyone, or even reviewing what play Omaha was, the team needed to do something.  There were still two quarters left to be played.  There was plenty of time for a comeback, especially when Peyton Manning is your quarterback. But, as proven on the first play of the third quarter, the Broncos were simply outclassed on this night.

Denver kicked off to begin the third quarter, but just like the first half, the Seahawks grasped momentum on the first play as Seattle’s do-it-all wide receiver Percy Harvin caught the opening kickoff, ran, kept on going and going and going until he achieved an 87-yard kickoff return touchdown. Was it a game changer? Perhaps, but by that time everyone knew this game was over.

Seattle found itself on the scoreboard again just minutes later, as Richmond, Va. native Russell Wilson found wide receiver Jermaine Kearse who dodged practically the entire Bronco defense to make it 36-0. Sure Denver would score on the next drive and nailed the subsequent two-point conversion, but this game was well over before the fourth quarter even started.

The game, in majority opinion, may have been one of the most boring games in Super Bowl history, but there were some positives that came from it. Malcolm Smith’s pick-six ultimately proved to be the pivotal moment of the game, as he was named MVP after the game.  It was the first time a linebacker had been named MVP in the Big Game in 14 years.  Peyton Manning, though out of sync for the entire night, did get the Super Bowl completion record.  Even when Peyton Manning is not successful he still gets a record.  Richard Sherman, the best cornerback in the league...as claimed  by Richard Sherman,  got injured during the game and had to sit out part of the second half. Detractors on social media rejoiced.  Seattle got their first Super Bowl win ever led by Russell Wilson, a kid reppin’ from our home state of Virginia (804, what up?!).

There were many aspects that made the game not the best – from the score, the teams that played, why there was a Maserati commercial on, but as they say, there is always next year.