Another Super Bowl Sunday has come and passed, and the Seattle Seahawks have finally come out on top. Perhaps 2006 was just a warm-up.
Of course, as any of the roughly 117 million folks who tuned into the game will tell you- things didn’t exactly start well for the Denver Broncos. A horrendous first snap of the game on the 14-yard line by Denver resulted in Seattle scoring a safety, putting them up 2 points practically before the game even began. Two field goals later, Seattle led the score 8-0.
By contrast, Denver became the first team in Super Bowl history to not even score a first down in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Denver seemed to finally be getting it together- seemingly holding off Seattle from getting a third field goal. A pass interference penalty by Tony Carter of the Broncos was called while he was covering Golden Tate, a penalty which set up the Seahawks for a 1st and Goal chance to score- which they did. Denver managed to at least score a first down this quarter, but eventually had a pass intercepted by linebacker Malcom Smith- who carried the ball all the way to the end zone, putting the score at 22-0 at the half.
And with that, the halftime show began- featuring someone far younger than the Springsteens and The Whos of the past, Bruno Mars. Famed for his retro-tinged style and often compared to Elvis, his 12-minute set included his hits “Locked Out of Heaven,” “Treasure,” and “Runaway Baby.” Rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers also dropped in for a performance of their 90s hit “Give it Away” before Bruno closed out the show with his #1 Billboard smash “Just the Way You Are.”
Energy was understandably high going into the third quarter, especially on the Seattle end- in the first play, Denver surrendered an 87-yard kickoff return touchdown to Percy Harvin. After this, the Broncos seemed to finally be getting it together; the defense on both teams entered the teams into a brief stalemate, resulting in some back-and-forth fourth down punting. Jermaine Kearse of the Seahawks eventually managed to get the ball in the end zone, however, putting the score at 36-0. This was later followed by the first touchdown by Peyton Manning and the Broncos, who also managed to successfully make the 2-point conversion. Going into the fourth, the score was 36-8 with the Seahawks on top.
The Broncos seemed to expect Seattle to mostly run out the clock in the fourth quarter- a mistake in judgment that would eventually lead to yet another Seahawks touchdown, putting the score at 43-8. To their credit, the Broncos successfully tried their best to keep the game from being even more of a blowout, as the final moments of the game resulted in back-and-forth possessions by both teams. The Broncos couldn’t manage to get it into the end zone or even to field goal range, however, making 43-8 the final score.
In the end, it was a game of a lot of firsts: first Seahawks Super Bowl win, first Super Bowl game where a team couldn’t score a first down in the first quarter, and the first NFL game in recorded history where the final score was 43-8. Hope you put that down for your betting pool.
The ‘Hawks will have their Super Bowl parade on February 5th at 11AM, PST- if you’re in the area, it’s be there or be square- and we hope to see you there!
