The much anticipated Super Bowl rematch lived up to the hype on Sunday as the Seattle Seahawks battled against the Denver Broncos, eventually winning 26-20 in overtime.
All football fans remember the beat down that the Seahawks put on the Broncos in one of the most lopsided Super Bowl victories in recent memory with a score of 43-8. Many fans found Sunday's game more thrilling.
“The last five minutes of that game, plus the overtime, was more exciting than the entire Super Bowl,” said freshman Philip Glazman. “So much more intensity.”
The Super Bowl trashing was great for Seahawks fans, but the game did not live up to the hopes of other fans who wanted to see the best football game of the season between the league's top teams.
The lack of thrill in that game only increased the demand for an intense rematch just three weeks into the NFL season.
The Bronco’s first play of the game resulted in a lost fumble, which was eerily similar to the Bronco’s first play of Super Bowl XLVIII. Right off the bat, Seattle seemed to be in control once again.
Despite their strong play, the Seahawks only had a 14 point lead going into the fourth quarter, but just as the Broncos appeared to be down and out, they showed signs of life late in the fourth quarter.
Denver climbed back from a 17-3 deficit with a comeback capped off by Peyton Manning, the Bronco's quaterback, leading his team 80 yards down the field against the Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” and scored in the last minute of regulation.
After a two-point conversion, the Broncos tied the game and forced overtime.
This was the thrilling finish to a game that fans were looking for in the last Super Bowl.
“This is what should’ve happened in February, I’m glad this time around it was actually a game,” said Ramapo freshman Gerassimos Giannoulis.
This time around, the game had people on the edge of their seats.
The Seahawks won the coin toss and received the kick to start overtime. This was quarterback Russel Wilson’s time to show that Manning was not the only one capable of leading his team down the field.
Wilson used a more mobile method to progress downfield, scrambling for crucial first downs. Denver’s defense didn’t have an answer for Wilson’s running plays. He rushed 21 yards in overtime for a total of 40 yards in the game.
Marshawn Lynch, Seahawk's runningback, scored a touchdown on a six-yard rush to end the game before Manning could touch the ball.
Because of the NFL’s sudden death overtime rules, Manning stood helplessly on the sidelines as the Seattle offense marched down the field and eventually into the end zone. He never had a chance for another game-saving drive.
Sunday’s game was an epic battle between two football powerhouses that finally whet the appetite of fans who were not satisfied with the Seattle’s blowout Super Bowl victory last season.
azurita@ramapo.edu
