Super Bowl XLVIII Afterword: Broncos vs Seahawks

Jermaine Kearse spun out of four tackles on his way to a touchdown
in the third quarter of Seattle's dominating Super Bowl XLVIII victory.

Cory Puffett

We are two days removed from Super Bowl Sunday and I am still struggling to understand how Seattle dominated this game so thoroughly. The Broncos took away the Beast, Marshawn Lynch. Denver was penalized five fewer times for 60 fewer yards.

The Seattle Seahawks are Super Bowl championships, though. They dominated in all facets of the game.

Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin combined for just 64 yards on 24 carries. But Seattle still outgained Denver by more than 100 yards on the ground because Russell Wilson and Percy Harvin combined for 71 yards on just five carries.

Russell Wilson only attempted 25 passes. Peyton Manning completed 34. But Wilson connected on 72-percent of his attempts for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Percy Harvin was electric on special teams, but Seattle stuck with what got them here in the passing game. Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse combined for 131 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions. Almost as impressive, those nine catches came on just ten targets.

The Seahawks’ defense only sacked Peyton Manning once, and it only went for a one-yard loss. But the veteran quarterback was hurried often and even scrambled from the pocket at times, which is very atypical.

That pressure from Seattle’s defensive line forced two interceptions. One was returned for a touchdown by Malcolm Smith, who won Super Bowl MVP honors for that, his fumble recovery, a pass deflection and 10 tackles.

Demaryius Thomas had 13 grabs on 18 targets for 118 yards and a touchdown. But most of his yards were after the catch because Seattle gave no room for Denver’s receivers to run downfield. Quite a few of those yards also came on a catch and run that ended in a fumble forced by Byron Maxwell.

Percy Harvin had just one kick return for 52 yards all season entering Sunday. He took his only kick return of Super Bowl XLVIII 87 yards to the house. Jon Ryan punted only once, and it was a booming 45-yarder. Britton Colquitt punted twice for Denver and his longest was just 31 yards.

We can talk about whether or not this loss affects Peyton Manning’s legacy. We can talk about what this loss means for Denver, who may lose key offensive pieces like Knowshon Moreno and Eric Decker to free agency this offseason.

But this is the Super Bowl, and when a team wins this game they deserve to have the focus placed on them. The Seattle Seahawks are world champions for the first time in franchise history and they beat a former AFC West rival to capture it. This is the city’s first championship since the SuperSonics beat the Washington Bullets in the 1979 NBA Finals.

Let’s talk about how, for the fourth time in five tries, the league’s leading offense failed to beat the league’s leading defense when the two teams met on this stage. This was the first time such a matchup occurred since 1991. NFL rules were supposed to favor offense much more than it did then. But Seattle’s defense still dominated Denver’s record-setting offense.

And how about Seattle’s own offense? They did pretty damn well for themselves. How does 6.2 yards per play sound? They picked up 2.2 more yards per pass attempt than Denver and 2.8 more yards per rush. They ran nine fewer plays than Denver but still outgained them by 35 total yards on offense.

Don’t forget the new storyline that most analysts didn’t even think about before the game. Is this a Dynasty? Will the Seahawks be to the 2010s what the New England Patriots were to the 2000s? They certainly could be in the short term, though it will be difficult to keep a lot of their pieces once their rookie contracts are up.

Remember that this was the youngest team in the NFL this season at 26 years and some change on average. Seattle is the fourth youngest victor in Super Bowl history.

This was one of the most dominating performances in Super Bowl history and the first true blowout since Jon Gruden’s Buccaneers dismantled the Oakland Raiders more than ten years ago. The fan in me aches for Peyton Manning. I know he wanted this championship and I wanted it for him.

But I pride myself on being able to set aside my fanaticism about Peyton Manning and the Washington Redskins when the time is right. And right now I am just glad I got to witness such a great moment in NFL history.

In 1987, the Washington Redskins crushed the Denver Broncos. It was the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history until two years later when the San Francisco 49ers obliterated almost the same Broncos team. 26 years removed, nobody remembers that the Redskins and Broncos offenses were almost identical in every way. They don’t remember that Denver’s defense was supposed to be vastly superior to Washington’s. We just remember that Denver blew a 10-point lead and lost 42-10.

We may not think so now, but by the time Super Bowl LX (60) rolls around many of us will have forgotten that Denver’s offense wasn’t just great, it was historically great. We won’t even remember how the NFL dodged a bullet with the weather. But we will always remember the way Seattle dominated every aspect of the game and walked away with the city’s first championship.

Final Score:

Seattle Seahawks – 43

Denver Broncos – 8

MVP: LB Malcolm Smith (10 Tack, FR, INT, TD)

Pro Bowl Afterword: Team Sanders vs Team Rice

Legendary 49ers receiver Jerry Rice and his captains, Saints QB Drew Brees
and Rams DE Robert Quinn, drafted the winning team of the 2014 Pro Bowl.

Cory Puffett

That was an excellent game. I was excited for this one, but my excitement was mostly about seeing how the new format would affect the game. But this was truly a great game.

Defense ruled as the Pro Bowl games were changed to allow stunts on the defensive line and bump-and-run coverage against the pass. Because of that, we got a low-scoring game. The third quarter was the first scoreless Pro Bowl quarter since 2007.

It was the most physical Pro Bowl I’ve ever seen. Players made a point to make safe hits, but we saw early that players would not shy from contact. Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs really popped Jamaal Charles early in the game. Johnson, playing for Team Rice, wound up being named the defensive MVP.

Nick Foles was named the offensive MVP of the game even though his team lost. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown for a rating of 130.8. He took Team Sanders on a drive to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

But Alex Smith responded for Team Rice, and as Jerry’s prodding they went for two points to win the game. They converted the two-point try and Justin Tucker’s last-second 67-yard field goal try for Team Sanders fell short.

The two teams combined for nine sacks and eight turnovers/takeaways, but it wasn’t really a sloppy game. There were only six penalties, most of them false start calls, which is understandable with linemen playing with three new quarterbacks. It really was a case of the league’s best defensive players dominating the league’s best offensive players, at least for the most part.

One noteworthy team represented in the Pro Bowl was the Cleveland Browns. Josh Gordon had six receptions for 66 yards and touchdown for Team Rice while Jordan Cameron had a touchdown for Team Sanders. Josh Haden had an interception for Team Rice.

The players on Jerry Rice’s team will each receive $53,000 for winning the Pro Bowl. Prime Time’s players will receive $26,000 each. The players from the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks who were voted to the Pro Bowl but did not play will each receive $39,500.

Tony Gonzalez was on Rice’s winning team. He returned to the Falcons this year hoping to go out a winner in a different way, but playing and winning his last game in Hawaii has to be a pretty good alternative. Also, this was the last game for referee Scott Green, who announced he will retire after this season.

Final Score:

Team Rice – 22

Team Sanders – 21

Sunday Football Afterword: Cowboys vs Eagles

Bryce Brown had just two touches, but one went for Philadelphia's
last touchdown, the game-winner against Dallas to send Philly to the playoffs.

Cory Puffett

Different quarterback, same result. The Dallas Cowboys have played in three straight Week 17. They have lost all three and have finished each season 8-8.

Kyle Orton started Sunday night’s game after Tony Romo had back surgery earlier in the week. Orton turned in an admirable performance, all told. He completed 30 of 46 passes for 358 yards, two touchdowns and two picks. He hit DeMarco Murray on a lot of check down passes early in the game to get into a rhythm.

Orton came up big late in the game when he found Dez Bryant on a 4^th down touchdown pass, but failed to convert on the ensuing two-point conversion when he tried to go back to Bryant.

Nick Foles may crash and burn in future seasons, but he has been amazing this year. He finishes the regular season with 27 touchdown passes and just two interceptions while going 8-2 in ten starts.

Chip Kelly led the Eagles to a 10-6 season in his first year as a head coach in the NFL. His “gimmick” offense finishes the season ranked in the top 10 in both rushing and passing. The defense struggled this season. It was ranked 30^th against the pass and barely in the top 15 against the run, but that could be in part because the offense ranked dead last in time of possession. The Eagles averaged 1:15 less possession time than the next worst team in that statistical category.

Philadelphia’s defense struggles don’t matter, though, as they won in Dallas to hand the Cowboy’s their only division loss of the season. Foles had a passer rating of 124.4 and LeSean McCoy gained 131 yards on 27 carries. He set the Eagles’ single-season rushing yards record as well as the team’s single-season yards-from-scrimmage record.

McCoy caught the first touchdown pass of the game early in the second quarter. Brent Celek caught Foles’s second scoring throw late in the second quarter and led the team in receiving yards with 71.

The Eagles will host the New Orleans Saints on Wild Card Saturday, January 4 at 8:10 p.m. The game will be shown on NBC. Look for my preview of that game later this week.

The 2013 regular season is now over. Enjoy the playoffs! I know I will.

Final Score:

Philadelphia Eagles – 24

Dallas Cowboys – 22

Sunday Football Afterword: Eagles vs Bears

Brandon Boykin added a score to the offense's six touchdown with a
54-yard pick-6 off Jay Cutler in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's win.

Cory Puffett

After the results of the earlier games on Sunday, there wasn’t much meaning to Sunday night’s matchup between the Eagles and Bears. The exception was that Chicago could clinch the NFC North with a win in the City of Brotherly Love.

Instead, the Eagles handed the Bears a huge loss by hanging 54 points, the most any team has scored on the Bears since Detroit hung 55 on them in 1997.

Jay Cutler struggled in one of the few Week 16 games that did not have adverse weather conditions. To be fair though, it was hardly all his fault. Chicago’s offensive line did little to stop Philadelphia’s front seven. Cutler was sacked five times for 46 lost yards. Matt Forte and Michael Bush combined for just 49 yards on 16 carries.

Philly’s offense had no such problems. They scored 21 points each in the first and fourth quarters. Nick Foles completed 21 of 25 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns.

LeSean McCoy has 18 carries for 133 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Bryce Brown added 115 yards and a score on nine carries. Chris Polk also scored on the ground as the Eagles gained 289 yards and four rushing touchdowns on 36 carries. That’s a team average of 8.0 yards per carry!

Sunday night’s loss sets up an NFC North Championship next Sunday for the Bears and Packers in the Windy City. The storyline we’ll all be following this week is whether Aaron Rodgers is cleared to return for that game.

If Rodgers is inactive, Matt Flynn will make his fourth start of the season and he has shown signs of improvement every week, even in Sunday’s 38-31 loss to Pittsburgh. Eddie Lacy adds balance to Green Bay’s offense and could help them pose similar issues to Chicago’s defense as what they saw in Philly on Sunday night.

Philadelphia will play a second straight Sunday night game in the 2013 regular season finale, an NFC East Championship in Dallas. The Eagles hold a one-game lead on the Cowboys, but Dallas owns the most important tiebreakers, so a win will put Dallas in the playoffs and keep Philadelphia home for the new year.

Final Score:

Chicago Bears – 11

Philadelphia Eagles – 54

Sunday Football Afterword: Steelers vs Bengals

Le'Veon Bell was involved in all aspects of the game. He recorded
57 rushing yards and a touchdown in addition to 50 receiving yards.

Cory Puffett

In the spirit of Christmas, the Vikings and Dolphins were giving out presents on Sunday. Minnesota beat the Eagles to give the Cowboys a chance to take back control of their NFC East destiny. The Cowboys got the gift receipt at halftime of their game against the Packers and returned it.

The Dolphins beat the Patriots to give Cincinnati the opportunity to take control of the AFC #2 seed in the playoff picture, but the Bengals also decided to return the gift in their 30-20 loss to AFC North rival Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh’s win prevents the Bengals from locking up the division regardless of the outcome of Monday night’s game between the Ravens and Lions.

Cincinnati could not find a rhythm early in Sunday night’s contest. The wind got hold of a punt snap and the punter was tackled just outside the goal line, allowing the Steelers to punch it in for a touchdown.

More good field position led the Steelers to another touchdown before Antonio Brown returned a punt 67 yards to put his team up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bengals settled down from then on. The defense did their job and the offense played pretty well. They only had one three-and-out in their last seven drives of the game.

The Bengals can clinch the AFC North title next week with a win against Minnesota if the Ravens lose in Detroit on Monday or against New England next week. The Bengals had been struggling with consistency until their last three games when they seemed to pick up the pieces and put them back together. Sunday night’s loss will raise many questions about this team’s potential for a playoff run.

For Pittsburgh, I will have to look for confirmation but I believe their season ended when Miami beat New England earlier on Sunday. Even though two wins for Pittsburgh and two losses for Miami would put both at 8-8, Miami won a December 8 matchup giving them the head-to-head tiebreaker. So even if they push past both Baltimore and San Diego, I do not believe there is any way they can grab the sixth seed in the AFC.

Final Score:

Cincinnati Bengals – 20

Pittsburgh Steelers – 30