Time: 4:25 p.m. Sunday, KASA, KRSJ 100.5 FM.
Opening Line: Denver by 1.
Record vs. Spread: Seattle, 12-5-1; Denver, 12-6.
Series Record: Broncos lead 34-19.
AP Pro32 Ranking: Seahawks, No. 1; Broncos, No. 2.
Last Meeting: Broncos beat the Seahawks 31-14, Sept. 19, 2010.
Last Game: Seahawks beat the 49ers 23-17; Broncos beat the Patriots 26-16.
Seahawks Offense: overall (17), rush (4), pass (26).
Seahawks Defense: overall (1), rush (T7), pass (1).
Broncos Offense: overall (1), rush (15), pass (1).
Broncos Defense: overall (19), rush (T7), pass (27).
Associated Press
Streaks, Stats & Notes
Super Bowl XLVIII features a matchup of the NFL’s top-rated offense (Denver) and the league’s No. 1 defense (Seattle) – the sixth time that has happened. The team with the top defense has won four of the previous five, with the only exception being Denver falling to San Francisco 55-10 in 1990.
Only once have the teams ranked first in yards gained and allowed met in the Super Bowl: 11 years ago when defense-minded Tampa Bay routed Oakland 48-21.
These two teams were AFC West rivals until the Seahawks moved to the NFC West for the 2002 season.
Seattle is playing in its second Super Bowl in team history, having lost to Pittsburgh in its only other appearance in the 2006 game.
The Seahawks’ Pete Carroll is in his first Super Bowl as a head coach. He won two NCAA championships – but vacated one – as the head coach at USC.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has 27 wins in his first two seasons, including the playoffs, which ties him with Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger for the most in the Super Bowl era. He could join Roethlisberger, New England’s Tom Brady and St. Louis’ Kurt Warner as the only quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl within his first two seasons. Wilson had a 101.2 passer rating, the only quarterback in NFL history with a 100-plus rating in his rookie and second seasons.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, who created a stir during the week by cutting short media availabilities, rushed for 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns this season, his third in a row with at least 1,200 yards and 10 or more scores. He has run for six touchdowns and has four 100-yard rushing performances in six career playoff games. He needs five yards rushing to pass Shaun Alexander (564) for the most in franchise postseason history.
Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin was knocked out of the NFC divisional playoff game against New Orleans with a concussion, but he has been medically cleared. He has yet to play a full game in his first season with the Seahawks.
Wide receiver/kick returner Golden Tate led the Seahawks with a career-high 64 catches and 898 yards, while Doug Baldwin had 778 yards receiving in the regular season and caught six passes for 106 yards in the NFC championship game.
Cornerback Richard Sherman highlighted the Seahawks’ defense that led the NFL in takeaways (39), interceptions (28), points allowed (231), total defense (273.6 yards) and pass defense (172 yards). Sherman’s eight interceptions led the league, the first Seahawks’ player to do so since Eugene Robinson in 1993. He tipped a pass intended for Michael Crabtree that was intercepted by Malcolm Smith to seal the NFC title-game win over San Francisco.
Seahawks’ kicker Steven Hauschka made 33-of-35 field goals in the regular season and led the NFC with a franchise-record 143 points. He has converted all six field goal attempts in the playoffs.
The Broncos are playing in their seventh Super Bowl, tied with New England for the third-most in NFL history and just one behind Dallas and Pittsburgh.
Denver has won its last two Super Bowl appearances, both coming in consecutive years (1998 and ’99) with John Elway, now the team’s executive vice president, at quarterback.
John Fox, who missed a month during the season to have open-heart surgery, is the sixth head coach in NFL history to lead two franchises to the Super Bowl. His Carolina Panthers lost 32-29 to the Patriots in 2004.
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is 1-1 in Super Bowl appearances, both with Indianapolis. He set the NFL’s single-season high marks with 5,477 yards passing and 55 touchdown tosses. He needs 116 yards passing to surpass Brady (6,424) for the most in NFL postseason history, and his 36 postseason touchdowns rank fourth all-time.
Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno had 1,038 yards rushing, the first time he reached the 1,000-yard milestone in his pro career, and he had a career-best 13 touchdowns – 10 on the ground.
Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas had seven catches for 134 yards and a touchdown in the AFC championship game. He is the first Broncos player with two seasons of 1,400 yards receiving.
Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker has 79 catches for 762 yards and five touchdowns in 11 career postseason games.
Broncos tight end Julius Thomas set a team record for the position with 12 touchdown catches this season.
Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey is playing in his first Super Bowl in his 15 NFL seasons.
Broncos’ kicker Matt Prater is over the flu bug that caused him to miss three practices before the team flew to New Jersey. He set the NFL record with a 64-yard field goal in December, and he is 30-of-31 on field goal attempts this season, including 5-for-5 in the playoffs.
Associated Press
