The NFL is Poop - Conference Championships

The Ones That I Want
Only once in the past 20 years have the top seeds from each conference played each other in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for him, Peyton Manning lost that game, to the Saints.
Note: The Bills 4th straight Super Bowl loss, was the previous time, in January 1994, Super Bowl XXVIII.
One of the drawbacks of this wild card era is that frequently teams that are inferior, had so-so regular seasons, not just make, they win they Super Bowl. It has led to a long run of mostly exciting games for about 15 years now but regular season success is rarely ever rewarded. But both these teams earned the top spots in their conference because they were better all year, and they used their home-field advantages, the thin air and 12th man (the second of which I still believe is greatly overrated) and held serve against worthy adversaries.

This Super Bowl will also feature the #1 offense vs. the #1 defense. The last time that happened was the first Super Bowl the Bills lost, to the Giants, on Scott Norwood's miss. This might be a better predictor of the type of game we're going to see. Seattle;s big physical corners are going to try to beat up the Denver receivers and Denver will likely try run routes to get their receivers into favorable coverages, screens and quick slants.

15th Times the Charm
In the 15th matchup of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, Manning clearly got the better of his heretofore more successful counterpart. Manning was precise in his short throws and even though people say he has lost some arm strength he threw some beautiful balls that were turned into great catches by his receivers.
Brady on the other hand was not at his best, missing a wide open Julian Edelman early in the game and later also missed some throws that I thought he could have made. These things happen. Not even the best players can play at their best in every single game. If they did, it wouldn't be fun to watch. Also the Patriots vaunted running game (a little sarcasm there) only managed 64 yards, putting more pressure on the passing game.

Manning's Legacy
I have always been a pretty big Peyton Manning doubter, considering him a great quarterback who far too often was unable to make the big play to lead his team to victory in a big game, very often making the game-losing mistake instead, like the Tracy Porter pick-6 in Super Bowl XLIV. But at this point, 3 Super Bowl appearances, every NFL record, win or lose he's the perfect cross between Dan Marino and Joe Montana and he has to be one of the 2 or 3 greatest QBs of all time.

Timing is Everything: The Russell Wilson Story
I have never been a huge Russell Wilson fan, and I still think a large part of his success is due to the team he is on, but he certainly deserves a lot of credit for winning this game for the Seahawks. Yes, he made some bad plays, the intentional grounding, but he hit two huge plays, and they were both plays that very few other NFL QBs could have made. The first one came early in the game, a ridiculous 51-yarder to Baldwin who was being double-covered. But he caught it and it set up the Seahawks first points, a field goal that cut the lead to 10-3. And of course the second was a ridiculous bomb to Jermaine Kearse to give Seattle a 20-17 lead. That was a risky play. If they don't make that the 49ers get the ball with the lead and good field position. But Wilson, as seems to be his MO, made the play when it absolutely needed to be made.

Night Kap
On the other hand you have Colin Kaepernick who was great early, but turned it over 3 times in the 4th quarter. This game showcased everything we know about Kap, he's got a great arm, is really fast, but he makes mistakes.
Personally, I blame a lot of his problems on the game plan. I thought the play-calling in the second half was atrocious. You have to give the Seahawks credit, they are good. They should have attacked with crossing routes, rollouts, and even designed Kaepernick scrambles. Instead it seemed the 49ers wanted to hit the big pass to the outside, 2 of which were picked. And 2 more could have been (the TD to Boldin and another pass on the last drive, to Crab, I think). And on that last play, why go for broke there with 20 seconds left and 2 timeouts? And if that was the decision why rush it? Why not take a timeout? Whoever decided that is the one who needs to take the blame.

Ball Don't Lie
One of the craziest sequences ever occurred in the 4th quarter when Seattle fumbled on consecutive plays. And funny thing about this sequence is San Francisco recovered the first one, and the ball went to Seattle. Seattle recovered the second, and the ball went to San Fran. On the first one, NaVorro Bowman had a clear recovery (this type of play will be reviewable next year) but he must have gotten it pulled out in the pile, understandable since his knee had just been torn to shreds.
But on the very next play, Wilson and Lynch botched the handoff, and though the Seahawks jumped on it, it was 4th and goal, so the 9ers got the ball back, rightfully.

Picture of the Week
Peyton Manning bobbles a snap

If the Super Bowl Were Played Today
Denver Broncos 27 Seattle Seahawks 13
Something just feels right about Peyton Manning winning the Super Bowl this year and cementing his legacy. I have not been overly impressed by the Seahawks offense, and no matter how good their defense plays, you know Manning will still put up points.