Super Bowl 48 Recap: Seahawks Rout Broncos, 43-8
Seattle forced four Denver turnovers, and the Seahawks routed the Broncos, 43-8, to win Super Bowl 48 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday night. The victory gave the Seahawks their first Super Bowl title in franchise history.
Seattle's top-ranked defense forced Denver quarterback Peyton Manning into two interceptions and a fumble and dominated a Broncos' offense that set NFL records for points and yards passing this season.
The Seahawks never trailed in the game, taking an immediate 2-0 lead on a safety after Broncos center Manny Ramirez snapped the ball over Manning's head on the opening offensive play. Seattle took a 22-0 lead into halftime after game MVP Malcolm Smith returned Manning's second interception 69 yards for a score with 3:21 left in the second quarter.
When Seattle's Percy Harvin returned the second half kickoff 87 yards for a touchdown, the game's outcome was all but decided. Denver didn't reach the end zone until the final play of the third quarter, when Manning threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Demaryius Thomas.
Manning completed a Super Bowl-record 34 passes for 280 yards and the touchdown to Thomas, who had 13 receptions for 118 yards.
Seahawks' quarterback Russell Wilson completed 18 of 25 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
Despite concerns about game conditions during the first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold climate, the announced game-time temperature was 49 degrees and weather was never a factor.