Okay, so the other day, I got this itch, you know? I started thinking back to the Super Bowl in 2014. That was Super Bowl XLVIII, if I’m remembering right. It just popped into my head, and I figured, hey, why not dive back into some of the numbers from that game? I like to keep track of these things, sometimes just for my own curiosity.
My Little Deep Dive
So, I decided to make it a bit of a project. First off, I just wanted to refresh my memory on the basics. Who played, who won, the score – that sort of stuff. I remember it was the Seattle Seahawks against the Denver Broncos. And man, it was a bit of a one-sided affair, wasn’t it?
I started by just trying to recall what I could. Then, I went to my usual spots for looking up old game details. I didn’t want anything too fancy, just the straightforward stats. I grabbed a notepad, old school style, because sometimes writing things down helps me see the patterns, you know?
I started pulling up the box score. That’s usually my first stop. It gives you a good overview. I jotted down the final score. Seahawks 43, Broncos 8. Wow, yeah, that was a thumping.
Digging into the Numbers
Then I started looking at individual performances and team stats. I was curious about the quarterbacks, for instance. Peyton Manning was with the Broncos then, and Russell Wilson for the Seahawks.
- I found that Manning actually threw for a lot of yards, something like 280. But, and this is a big but, he had a couple of interceptions, and one of them was returned for a touchdown. That’s a killer.
- Wilson, on the other hand, was efficient. Not massive yardage, around 206 yards, but he had two touchdown passes and no interceptions. Smart football.
The running game was another area I looked into. Percy Harvin had that electrifying kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half. That really felt like the nail in the coffin. But for regular rushing, Marshawn Lynch for the Seahawks had a touchdown, even if his total yards weren’t huge for a Super Bowl. The Broncos really couldn’t get their running game going at all, which put even more pressure on Manning.
Defense and Special Teams were huge. I mean, obviously, with that score. That early safety for the Seahawks, just 12 seconds into the game, that set the tone. It was wild! And Malcolm Smith, the Seahawks linebacker, got MVP. He had an interception return for a touchdown and a fumble recovery. When a defensive guy gets MVP, you know that side of the ball dominated.
I also noted down the turnover battle. That was a big one. The Seahawks forced four turnovers, if I recall correctly, and they didn’t turn the ball over themselves. You just can’t win a Super Bowl giving the ball away like that.
What I Reckon
So, after spending a bit of time going through all this, it really just reinforced what I remembered: the Seahawks’ defense, the “Legion of Boom,” was just on another level that day. They completely shut down a record-setting Broncos offense.
It’s funny looking back at these things. You remember the big moments, but digging into the stats again really paints the full picture. It wasn’t just one thing; it was a total team effort from Seattle, especially on defense and special teams. Anyway, that was my little trip down memory lane with the 2014 Super Bowl stats. Always interesting to revisit these big games.