Super Bowl 48 will definitely go down in the record books, but not for anything optimistic. Not unless you're a Seahawks fan of course. The Seahawks shellacking of the Broncos by a score of 43-8 is just one part of the festivities from Sunday night's game. Within that score, you had a few underlying stories that need to be pointed out. Some were great, some were awful, many were just plain "meh."
First off:
THE GOOD
Seahawks Defense
As the days leading up to the big game went on, it was clear many were hopping on the Seahawks bandwagon. And for good reason. Richard Sherman's tirade/speech after Seattle's win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship game set the tone and the mood that the 'Hawks, especially the defense, were ready for anything Peyton Manning and Denver had up their sleeve.
Who would have thought that a miscommunication between center Manny Ramirez and Manning, which resulted in a snap sailing over the quarterback's head into the endzone for a Seattle safety, would be as symbolic as it was. That one play eventually set the tone for the entire game. Manning's stats might look okay on the surface, but he was a train wreck during. He threw two terribly thrown interceptions while facing pressure, one that was taken back by LB Malcolm Smith for a score.
Perhaps the Broncos thought they had it in the bag heading into Sunday. Regardless, Manning and company looked totally unprepared for the biggest game of the year. This game also solidifies Seattle's dominance in the NFC heading into 2014.
Radio Shack Commercial
The 80s wanting their Radio Shack back, by far, was the best commercial of the night. If you are too young to remember the 80s, or if you weren't even born in the 80s, then you wouldn't understand it. But it was perfect. Between a quick glimpse of Hulk Hogan, Alf, Cliff from Cheers and Dee Snyder dressed up in Twisted Sister garb, this commercial definitely made a statement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUwwZHdx6SU
The Shack, best known for asking for your address when buying a simple pack of batteries, will never be the juggernaut Best Buy is. But at least they're trying.
THE BAD
The Running Game
The game itself is self explanatory, but I can say that the running game on each team was by far the worst part. 162 yards total between both teams was a disgrace. The only player who salvaged that number was a sharp Percy Harvin, who took 2 balls and went off with 45 yards. Marshawn Lynch eeked in the only rushing score of the game, but only managed 39 yards off 15 carries. Knowshon Moreno, the soon to be free agent, might as well start packing his bags now. He barely got anything going with a mere 17 yards.
Bud Light Commercials And A Car No One Can Afford
While there are people who watch the game itself, there are just as many who watch the game for the commercials. I'll be honest. These commercials seem to be getting worse and worse each year. Bud Light is a crappy beer. Seeing 20 different commercials with that damn blue bottle is annoying. The Maserati Ghibli commercial was one of those commercials that looked cool in the beginning. But once you realized it was for a car, a car that most of us can't even afford, it lost it's luster. I guess if you make $100,000 a year, you'd take interest.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmpiwU50f5w
By the way, I looked it up: The 2014 Maserati Ghibli will have a starting price of $65,600.
THE UGLY......I MEAN MANNING
If it was another quarterback, I wouldn't be so harsh. But this is Peyton Manning. The 2014 MVP. The guy who defied the odds from neck surgery and won his way back into our hearts. His season shouldn't have ended like that. But even Superman has his kryptonite. To Seattle, Manning was just another quarterback in the way of their goal. Peyton has had bad games in the past, but this one is the worst one I've ever seen in person. It just wasn't his night. And it clearly wasn't a night meant for one more Super Bowl win. To possibly ride off into the sunset like John Elway. For Manning, it's back to the drawing board, see how Denver can improve and hopefully we'll see one more magic rabbit pulled out of Manning's hat in 2015.