Obviously, any Super Bowl that doesn’t pit the Philadelphia Eagles against the AFC representative is not the best possible matchup. In terms of who were the best two teams of the 2013-14 season though, this year the big game appears to have gotten it right.
For only the second time in the last 20 years, the No. 1 seed from the NFC will meet the No. 1 seed from the AFC when the Seattle Seahawks clash with the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2 at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands. It’s also the fifth time since the merger and first since 1990 that the NFL’s top-scoring defense will play the top-scoring offense.
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This should finally answer one of football’s greatest questions—does defense still win championships, or is the NFL truly and completely a quarterback-driven league?
From a purely Philly perspective, it’s probably a stomach-able matchup for most fans.
Peyton Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and it’s not like he’s won “too much” with just the lone Super Bowl ring thus far. The Broncos are generally a pretty neutral franchise as well and it’s their first trip back the big stage since John Elway’s last hurrah in ‘98.
The Seahawks aren’t exactly fan favorites, outside of a few names Eagles fans may have liked the home team to land at one time or another—notably Russell Wilson and Earl Thomas. That being said, while they’re not the most likeable squad, it’s just their second trip to the Super Bowl and first since ’05.
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Let’s face it, we’ve all been long sick of the typical New York/Pittsburgh/New England trio dominating the Super Bowl landscape.
I guess I’ll be rooting for Peyton, if for no other reason than I’d like him to finish his career with at least as many rings as his brother Eli has with the Giants. I tend to think Russell Wilson is a tad overrated, too, as he’s greatly benefited from the great defense and other complimentary pieces in Seattle.
Either way, I’m looking forward to what should be a great matchup. If nothing else, it’s nice to see the absolute two best teams from start to finish make it rather than the teams that got hot at the right time.