The Super Bowl XLVIII will feature the Battle of the Number 1’s. Most have heard the expression ‘the immovable object versus the irresistible force’ that has been used as narrative in many sporting events. That expression will be used very often by everyone leading to this weekend’s Super Bowl.
The reason is because he Denver Broncos and their high powered offense which happens to be the best in the NFL, will face the Seattle Seahawks who have a defense that suffocates the opponent and is ranked number one in the league. Thus, it all comes down to the classic question of who can force their strengths on the opposing team to win the game. It’s #1 against #1 for all the marbles.
The Super Bowl XLVIII is the 48th Super Bowl to be played, and it is just the sixth time that two (2) ranked #1 teams on offense and defense will have play for the Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy. The real question for this game is whether there really is any relevance to a game based on previous history of the super bowl games, and how this game, which features two number one teams on opposites of the ball, will be determined.
In discussing anything in the game of sports, the decisions always exist somewhere between yes and no, and that always can depend on who you are discussing the sports issue with. Let’s take a look at the Broncos’ offensive numbers which are incredible. Their team averaged 37.9 points per game, which also happens to be an NFL record. Also, the Broncos QB Manning is a five time MVP whose numbers are staggering and an NFL record as well. For the 2013 season, Peyton Manning threw 55 TD passes while he amassed some 5,477 yards passing.
But don’t let yourself get spellbound on the firepower statistics of the Broncos alone, as one must understand they are playing a Seahawks team that on defense is very dominant. This 2013 season Seattle only allowed opponents 14.4 points each game, and that is also tops in the NFL. Moreover, the Seahawks defense and their secondary made 39 takeaways for the season. That included 28 interceptions for the year, and both of those stats are number 1 in the NFL. Hence their defense is a dominant factor spelled with a capital D!
So after absorbing all those facts, we ask how did the previous five games turned out, where the #1 ranked defense played the #1 ranked offense in a Super Bowl? This is where history favors the Seahawks because the results of those five games indicate that the top ranked defense was 4-1 in those five games. The one loss in those five games was in Super Bowl XXIV in 1990, when the 49’ers with QB Montana managed to score 55 points against the shutdown defense of the Broncos, that only allowed 14.1 points per game that season. In that particular Super Bowl, Montana passed for 297 yards and five TD’s as the San Francisco 49’ers crushed the Denver Broncos 55-10.
Therefore, as we see that the historical facts favor the defense, the Broncos’ Manning will have to buck that trend like Montana did, and have one of his best games this Super Bowl XXLVIII season. That will also be the wish of the SBG Global fans who Bet on NFL football at the online sportsbook!