Wait? Did that really just happen?

Yes. Yes that really just happened. The Seahawks Defense just shut down the Broncos all night long, on their way to a staggering 43-8 victory. I may be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I've heard Joe Buck describe it as a "literal ass raping" and that "holy shit, the Seattle defense is taking a shit on Peyton Manning's chest, holy shit". How the hell did everyone somehow still overlook the Seahawks defense, which is now in my opinion the 2nd best in the Super Bowl era, just behind the '85 Bears. Here's how dominant the Seahawks were: If you only give Seattle credit for the first 12 seconds of each half, 24 seconds total, they still would have beaten the Broncos 9-8. Lets get through some misconceptions and some quick topics about last nights blowout

Peyton Manning can't win the big one:

You could've put any quarterback in Denver's roster, and absolutely none of them would have done better than Manning. The Offensive Line was down right dreadful, and played much more like a bull fighter practicing the Oley, than they did a professional athlete. Denver only rushed for 19 yards all game, and this allowed Seattle to stack up a lot of 3rd and Longs, making Manning wait longer in the pocket, and the OL decided to suck just as hard on 3rd down as they did on 1st & 2nd down, which is at least respectable because they are equal opportunists on every play. Blaming this on Manning also takes a lot away from the Seattle defense being downright dominant. The DLine got pressure all night and they were playing 10-10 as they were able to shut off whatever half of the field Richard Sherman was on. Just a fantastic defensive performance against one of the greatest QBs ever, who quite simply had no chance from the time the first snap sailed over his head, to the last snap. What a beat down, just don't point the finger solely at Manning.

How did Seattle dominate then:

There were a couple key plays that really changed the game in favor of the Seahawks early on. Of course the safety was a huge turning point, but Kam Chancellor leveling the shit out of Wes Welker and Earl Thomas blasting Demaryius Thomas on the first 3rd down of the game, really set a tone for the game. The Broncos receivers seemed tentative all night long, and it relegated Manning into throwing a lot of short screens and hitch routes that were more for completions than it was yardage. There's nothing wrong with those small yardage plays, but you have to be able to keep a defense honest by throwing deep. And the Broncos had almost no chance to do this, because as we've covered, the OL sucked more than Miss PacMan on a 2 for 1 night at the arcade. By keeping the throws in front of the first down marker, it allowed the Legion of Boom to intimidate the Broncos receivers by selling out for the hit because of how much the Seahawks were swarming to the football, as evidenced by Malcolm Smith winning the Super Bowl MVP, as he ran down field and ended up recovering a fumble that Byron Maxwell forced, and sitting in his coverage zone and allowing a batted ball to end up in his arms and take it to the house. He also ended up intercepting the Richard Sherman tipped pass to win the game versus the 49ers two weeks ago. Dude just does his job and allows good things to happen to him.

What's Next?:

There are several interesting players that will be free agents on both team. The Seahawks are trying hard to get a new deal done with Earl Thomas, as they have Richard Sherman due for a huge contract next year, and Russell Wilson will get a mammoth contract the year after. That means it is incredibly important to get Thomas on a front loaded contract now that will allow them to spread the cap for Sherman and Wilson. This also means that many of their contributing role players will seek huge paydays elsewhere. Golden Tate is a free agent and so are Doug Baldwin and Michael Bennett. Denver on the other hand will likely lose either Thomas or Decker as both are free agents that will test the market. I predict that they let Decker walk and lock up Thomas, while also trying to add some pieces to their defense. Seattle one of the youngest rosters ever for a Super Bowl champ, and the other 3 teams on the youngest 4 collective list won multiple championships. Denver on the other hand has an aging QB that is approaching 40, has no line and a history of neck injuries. This really felt like their last shot, but they could make one more run next year.