In case you stopped watching after the first play, here’s what you missed in Super Bowl XLVIII…
THE WEATHER
The hype surrounding the inclement weather amounted to absolutely nothing as the temperature in the Meadowlands held up at around 10ºC all night with little wind and no snow. With the weather having virtually no effect on the game, some are already saying that cold weather cities could be added to the regular Super Bowl rotation. Roger Goodell is salivating at the thought of tapping into large markets such as Washington and Chicago. So how about Buffalo in 2018?! No one? Cool.
THE GAME
We should have seen it coming. A game that started with a botched Denver snap ended in complete Seattle domination. The Seahawks controlled all three phases of the game on Sunday, defeating the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII—the third largest Super Bowl victory margin in NFL history. Despite the anticipation for Denver’s top ranked offence to meet Seattle’s no. 1 ranked defence, the game never lived up to the hype—the Broncos’ prolific attack was shut down from the moment Joe Namath and his thrift shop coat came onto the field. Russell Wilson evaded rushers and converted on some key third downs; the defensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and forced Peyton Manning into some errant throws; and oft-injured Percy Harvin even had an impact, returning the opening second half kick for a touchdown. In other words, the game was never close—Seattle looked bigger, faster, and meaner. Macklemore must be so thrilled.
THE MVP
Don’t be ashamed. We all predicted this one wrong. Outside linebacker Malcolm Smith—a relatively unknown player outside of Seattle—took home the Super Bowl MVP honours, becoming just the sixth defensive player to win the award. Smith recorded nine tackles, a fumble recovery, and most importantly, returned an interception for a touchdown leading the way for Seattle’s destruction. Some other key notes about Smith: he played for Seattle Head Coach Pete Carroll at USC. He picked off the pass that Richard Sherman tipped to clinch the NFC championship. He was awarded a 2014 Chevy Silverado for winning MVP. Not bad for a former seventh-round pick. Macklemore would be proud.
THE HALFTIME SHOW
Bruno Mars was probably the most exciting part of the Super Bowl. He killed it. His performance will likely go down as one of the best Super Bowl halftime spectacles ever. The Red Hot Chili Peppers also showed up without shirts on to play “Give It Away,” which was pretty cool too, except for the part where I could name 40 other Pepper songs that I would rather hear. Just please, no Macklemore next year. Please.
