Sean’s Pick: Super Bowl XLVIII

Sean Kennedy

It’s the time of the year again when the ultimate football showdown happens. On the AFC side (the good guys), we have the Denver Broncos and on the NFC side (the bad guys), we have the Seattle Seahawks.

Both of these teams played their hearts out and are equally deserving of the title. I am excited to see Denver back in the Super Bowl since they narrowly missed it in 2005 with Jake Plummer as their quarterback.

They enter the Super Bowl with the highest scoring offense in NFL history against the best defense in the NFL. I could go into details, but to keep it sweet and simple I am 4-0 since Super Bowl XLIV and I hope to keep that streak alive.

The Denver defense is the key to winning the game. Broncos all the way!

Sean’s Pick: Broncos beat Seahawks, 30-27

Sean’s MVP: Peyton Manning

Puff’s Pick: Super Bowl XLVIII

Cory Puffett

It is finally here, the one game of the year that I turn over the responsibility for my pick to EA Sports. Every year since the 2000 season, I have played the Super Bowl on Madden to determine my prediction. Every year I pick a team to root for (what fun is the Super Bowl if you don’t care who wins?) and play as that team in the first half. I let my competition nature come in by playing as the other team in the second half.

This year, surprise, surprise, I’m rooting for Peyton Manning and the Broncos. So I played as Denver in the first half and Seattle in the second half.

Here are the results of each of my 13 previous Super Bowl prediction games on Madden.

Super Bowl	My Result	Real Result	My Record
Super Bowl XXXV	NYG – 42, BAL – 38	BAL – 34, NYG – 7	0-1
Super Bowl XXXVI	NE – 21, STL – 17	NE – 20, STL – 17	1-1
Super Bowl XXXVII	TB – 13, OAK – 10	TB – 48, OAK – 21	2-1
Super Bowl XXXVIII	NE – 24, CAR – 23	NE – 32, CAR – 29	3-1
Super Bowl XXXIX	NE – 42, PHI – 31	NE – 24, PHI – 21	4-1
Super Bowl XL	PIT – 17, SEA – 14	PIT – 21, SEA – 10	5-1
Super Bowl XLI	IND – 35, CHI – 21	IND – 29, CHI – 17	6-1
Super Bowl XLII	NE – 27, NYG – 21	NYG – 17, NE – 14	6-2
Super Bowl XLIII	PIT – 14, ARI – 12	PIT – 27, ARI – 23	7-2
Super Bowl XLIV	NO – 37, IND – 31	NO – 31, IND – 17	8-2
Super Bowl XLV	GB – 31, PIT – 30	GB – 31, PIT – 25	9-2
Super Bowl XLVI	NE – 35, NYG – 21	NYG – 21, NE – 17	9-3
Super Bowl XLVII	SF – 27, BAL – 17	BAL – 34, SF – 31	9-4

So my main struggles have come with the Giants and the Ravens, but for all I know last year could have been more about the read option being too easy to execute on Madden.

Today I played this Sunday’s game. You can check out the box score and stats below.

Now you know my official prediction, based on Madden. But I had been leaning toward Seattle as it was. I remain optimistic about Denver’s chances on Sunday, but if you recall my post early this week comparing the two teams, Seattle was better in four of eight categories and tied with Denver in two others.

The forecast for Sunday has looked less and less hostile each day and is now looking to be on par with what the Broncos have been experiencing in Denver the past few weeks. The only difference is that Sunday’s game will be after dark. Still, with very little chance for precipitation, this should not be a sloppy game.

That would seem to favor Denver, but Marshawn Lynch will beat you no matter what the weather is. I don’t know that he’ll pick up almost 200 rushing yards like he did in my game of Madden, but he is without a doubt my x-factor in Super Bowl XLVIII.

If Denver’s defensive line can stop him early and force Seattle to punt, the Broncos will take the lead and very likely hold on to it. If the Beast can break some tackles early and pick up some momentum for his team, it is going to be very difficult for the Broncos to put the brakes on him, much less put a lot of points on the board.

I think Sunday’s game will be a really good game with both teams protecting the ball. The one thing I know will be different from my prediction game is the number of penalties. If I remember correctly, the last time a game featured even one team without a single penalty was well before I was born, and I’m 22 years old.

Penalties very well could be a deciding factor. Seattle tied Philadelphia for the most defensive pass interference penalties this season and they haven’t matched up with a receiver corps like Denver’s. If they run into those kinds of problems, they’ll be in for a long day.

But if Seattle can eliminate those big-yardage calls, I wouldn’t at all be surprised if they walk away with the 34-27 victory that I am predicting.

Thanks for following my NFL coverage all season and I look forward to writing my Super Bowl afterword on Monday and hopefully continuing my coverage of the NFL throughout the offseason.

Puff’s Pick: Seattle beats Denver, 34-27

Puff’s MVP: Marshawn Lynch

Saswat’s Pick: Super Bowl XLVIII

Saswat Misra

It’s finally here, the Super Bowl. The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks. I haven’t been this excited for a Super Bowl in a long time. This should be a spectacular game and there are so many reasons why this matchup is so appealing.

First off, these are both one seeds. The best teams in the regular season are playing. There is no doubt in my mind we have the best two teams in football this season playing.

Second, the matchups. Everyone is looking forward to see how Peyton Manning operates against the best defense in the NFL, especially against one of the best secondaries in years. How will Richard Sherman defend against Demaryius Thomas? Will Julius Thomas and Wes Welker present themselves as x-factors?

This is an outdoor game. Temperatures are expected to be in the low- to mid-40s by kickoff and there will be some light wind. If there was some form of precipitation, it might impact the game, but with relatively good weather conditions it should not be a factor.

You can’t forget about Beast Mode. Marshawn Lynch could be the tipping points for me. If the Seahawks are able to get an early lead, they can just ride Lynch the rest of the game. The Denver defense is good against the run, but Lynch is very good.

Bottom Line

With how great the Denver offense and Seattle defense are, the deciding factor will be how the Seattle offense performs. I think that if Russell Wilson plays calm and makes a few big plays when he needs to, the Seahawks have a great chance of winning.

I think the Seattle defense will play well, but Manning eventually will get it going to make it a good game before halftime. In the second half, Lynch could be the start of this game and I think his tough running will keep Manning off the field long enough for the Seahawks to win.

Saswat’s Pick: Seahawks beat Broncos, 27-24

Saswat’s MVP: Marshawn Lynch

Eric’s Pick: Super Bowl XLVIII

Eric Meyer

It all comes down to this. Super Bowl XLVIII features the top two seeds from each conference. Denver boasts the league’s best offense and Seattle holds the league’s best defense. It doesn’t get much better than this.

There has been a lot of talk about who will win the matchup of the titans. Will Denver’s offense overpower Seattle’s vaunted secondary or will Seattle’s defense dominate and leave Peyton Manning befuddled? I’d say nether. Both units are two good to be completely ineffective.

I believe Manning will have his moments putting together a couple nice touchdown drives. I also believe Seattle’s defense will have their share of great plays, including a turnover or two. I believe these two units will play to a draw, per se. I see Denver scoring between 17 and 23 points in this one. That’s a respectable total, but not a dominating showing by any means.

As usual, this game will be decided by the teams’ respective weakest links. Seattle’s backbone is their defense, but their offense can be either excellent or anemic. The same can be said for Denver’s defense, which has been great in the playoffs after being shaky for most of the regular season. Can Denver’s defense contain Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch like San Francisco and New Orleans did?

Not-so-random, not-so-baseless predictions

Peyton Manning throws two “touchdown ducks,” but Richard Sherman also picks him off once.

Bottom Line

I don’t expect the Seattle offense to blow the doors off the Broncos, but I do think that their offense is being underrated. Critics point to the lack of success in their previous two games, but New Orleans and San Francisco had top five defenses. Denver’s defense has played better, but I think Russell Wilson’s legs will create too many opportunities and Beast Mode will break through to keep the chains moving. Seattle’s defense will do the rest to contain Denver’s offense and the Seahawks will win.

Eric’s Pick: Seattle beats Denver, 28-20

Eric’s MVP: Marshawn Lynch, just so he’ll have to talk to the media after he gets back from Disney World.