Seattle Seahawks vs Denver Broncos Match Player Stats On Feb 02, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Feb 2, 2014

Seahawks 43, Broncos 8: Malcolm Smith returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown to highlight a dominating defensive performance as Seattle bottled up Peyton Manning en route to a runaway victory in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Percy Harvin returned the second-half kickoff 87 yards for a TD and the Seahawks' top-ranked defense forced four turnovers to befuddle Manning and a record-setting offense that scored the most points in NFL history (606). Russell Wilson threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns while Smith earned the Most Valuable Player award as the Seahawks won their first NFL championship and made Denver the first franchise to lose five Super Bowls.

In only the fifth matchup in Super Bowl history pitting the league's No. 1 defense against its top-rated offense, it was no contest as Seattle picked off Manning twice to bolt to a 22-0 halftime lead and scored the first 36 points, blanking the Broncos until the final play of the third quarter. The Seahawks scored 12 seconds into each half and Wilson ensured there would be no comeback by throwing second-half TD passes to Jermaine Kearse and Doug Baldwin.

Manning finished 34-of-49 for 280 yards and one TD but threw a pair of killer first-half interceptions that led to two touchdowns, fumbled once and had the opening snap of the game sail past him for a safety. The one-sided loss dimmed the legacy of the league's only five-time MVP, who fell below .500 in the postseason (11-12) and to 1-2 in three Super Bowl appearances.

The game got off to an ominous start for Denver as the first snap from scrimmage went over Manning's head and into the end zone for a safety 12 seconds in - the fastest score in Super Bowl history. Two field goals by Steven Hauschka made it 8-0 before an awful overthrow by Manning was intercepted by Kam Chancellor, setting up Marshawn Lynch's 1-yard TD burst for a 15-0 lead three minutes into the second quarter.

Manning had the Broncos on the move late in the period when he was hit on the arm by Cliff Avril, and Smith settled under the floater and brought it back for a 22-0 advantage with 3:21 left in the half. It marked the third-largest halftime deficit in Super Bowl history - with Denver on the wrong end all three times.

The Broncos attempted a short kick to open the second half, but Harvin - playing in only his third game of the season after undergoing offseason hip surgery - fielded the bouncing ball and zig-zagged up the middle for a score. Demaryius Thomas (Super Bowl-record 13 catches for 118 yards and one TD) fumbled with 5:55 left in the third quarter and Wilson capitalized by hitting Kearse with a 23-yard scoring strike to make it 36-0 with 2:58 left in the third.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Harvin helped Seattle become the first team in Super Bowl history to score with a safety, interception and kick return. ... Manning joined Rich Gannon and Kurt Warner as the only QBs in Super Bowl history to have multiple interceptions returned for touchdowns. New Orleans' Tracy Porter brought one back 74 yards against Manning and the Indianapolis Colts four years ago. ... The safety at the start of the game eclipsed a kickoff return by Chicago's Devin Hester in Super Bowl XLI against Manning's Colts, who came back to win 29-17. ... Seahawks CB Richard Sherman, who led the league with eight interceptions, exited in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.