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The Seattle Seahawks are the champions of the National Football League after dismantling the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII tonight. The Seahawks' number one overall defense simply smothered the Broncos top ranked offense, and never gave Peyton Manning a chance to win his second ring.
Instead, the Seahawks claimed the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy in their second Super Bowl appearance.
The game was all Seattle from the start. On the first play from scrimmage, just 12 seconds into the contest, the Broncos snapped the ball while Manning was making an adjustment. Denver running back Knowshon Moreno fell on the ball in the endzone, giving up the safety and giving Seattle a 2-0 lead.
Two more field goals in the first quarter extended the Seahawks' lead to 8-0. Early in the second quarter, the game's first touchdown was scored on a one-yard Marshawn Lynch run, which was followed by a Malcolm Smith 69-yard interception return for a touchdown ten minutes later. At the end of the first half, Seattle led 22-0.
The second half started just as fast for the Seahawks, as Percy Harvin returned the opening kickoff for an 87-yard touchdown, then Jermaine Kearse scored on a 23-yard pass from Russell Wilson to push the lead to 36-0 with 3:11 left in the third quarter. Denver scored their only points of the contest on a 14-yard pass from Manning to Demaryius Thomas with three seconds left in the quarter. Wes Welker then caught the two-point conversion.
Seattle added a final touchdown with 11:55 remaining in the fourth quarter on a Wilson 10-yard pass to Doug Baldwin, making the final score 43-8.
Wilson finished the game 18-for-25 for 206 yards with two touchdowns and a 123.1 passer rating. Manning wass 34-for-49 for 280 yard, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a 73.5 rating.
Kam Chancellor and Malcolm Smith recorded the two interceptions.
Harvin led the game with 45 yards rushing (2 carries), while Lynch led the game in carries with 15 carries for 39 yards and the score. Denver's Moreno had five carries for 17 yards.
Denver's demaryius Thomas led the game with 13 receptions and a game high 118 yards, Wes Welker had eight catches for 84 yards, and Julius Thomas brought in four passes for 27 yards. Seattle's Baldwin had five receptions for 66 yards, Kearse added four catches for 65 yards, and Golden Tate had three receptions for 17 yards.
Malcolm Smith was named the game's MVP.
