In 2007, the New England Patriots enjoyed a perfect 16-0 regular season, and then beat both of their AFC opponents to become only the second team in NFL history to reach the Super Bowl with a perfect, undefeated record! They had scored more points than any team ever had before in history, had scored more touchdowns (offense, defense, and special teams combined) than any other team in league history, and their superstar quarterback threw more touchdown passes than anyone else had in a single season before, on his way to earning NFL MVP honors that season. The Patriots were not only undefeated, but they had the largest average margin of victory of any team in NFL history! Think about that for a moment: of all the teams in every single season in history, no one had ever looked as dominant as those New England Patriots of 2007!
Yet, all that people remember of them was the one loss, because it came at the worst possible time! Everyone remembers the miracle play, known often simple as "The Catch", when Dave Tyree struggled, but ultimately caught the ball on the side of his helmet for a first down, and that was after Eli Manning broke out of sure tackles that would have meant a sack on third down. It would have been fourth and forever, and very well may have iced the game.
Everyone remembers how wide open Plaxico Burress was in the end zone, and perhaps quite a few people remember that the usually sure handed Asante Samuel, at the time considered perhaps the finest cornerback in the league, dropped what would have been a sure interception to clinch the victory, and the Super Bowl title, and the historic undefeated season, for the Patriots.
Yes, everyone remembers those key plays that really were crucial in denying the Patriots their one immortal moment in history.
People have now forgotten just how dominant that team was, and how so many people assumed, before the Super Bowl was actually played, that those New England Patriots were the best team in NFL history.
The 2013 Denver Broncos were not quite as dominant as the 2007 Patriots, but they were still pretty darn good! The offense actually scored more points than the 2007 Patriots, setting a new record for offensive dominance and explosiveness! Peyton Manning threw for more touchdown passes (55) and more yards in a single season than any other quarterback had thrown for before in NFL history! And their defense looked like it was holding up pretty well, also!
In short, the Broncos looked like the complete package.
The Broncos raced out to a 6-0 start before dropping their first game. They still had a strong record, and some very impressive wins, sweeping their closest division rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, who themselves had raced out to a 9-0 start. Ultimately, the Broncos would finish with a 13-3 record, best not only in the AFC West (which they won easily), but also in the AFC. The road to the Super Bowl, at least in the AFC, would go through Denver.
After building a solid lead early against the Chargers, the Broncos really had to hang on in the second half, but ultimately survived that challenge. They then won the big showdown when Tom Brady and the Patriots came to town in the AFC Championship.
That put the Broncos right where they figured to be all along - the Super Bowl! They were sixty solid minutes of football away from the Super Bowl title that many had penciled them in for from the preseason.
Of course, we all know that was where it all fell apart for them. Right from the first snap, at that!
The Broncos were pushed around by a far superior team from beginning to end in the Super Bowl, and it was eerily reminiscent of the eighties, when the Broncos perennially made it to the Super Bowl, only to get outplayed, outcoached, outmuscled and outhustled by a much better NFC team. This team just happened to be the 2013 Seattle Seahawks! But they exposed many weaknesses that no other opponent of Denver had even come close to exposing at any point in the season before that. In fact, Seattle made Denver look like a semi-professional team, as the Broncos defense collapsed, and their normally prolific offense, which had looked like a well-oiled machine throughout the 2013 season, suddenly looked completely weak and ineffective. It was a long, hard, embarrassing evening before a national television audience for the Denver Broncos on that first Sunday in February, and it was so bad, that it still lingers all of these months later!
It is not the fact that the Broncos lost the Super Bowl that shocked so many. In fact, many people were expecting the Seahawks to win.
What made it so shocking was just how easy the Seahawks made it look. Again, the Broncos were a record smashing team last season. Entering the Super Bowl, this was supposed to be a classic match up of styles. Denver's high-scoring, flashy offense, versus Seattle's tough, physical defense. Yes, traditionally, most of the time, great defense beats great offense. But this was the best offense in NFL history we're talking about! Surely, they were capable of putting up a strong fight, at the very least!
Apparently not, however. Seattle felt that they were the better team, and wanted to leave no doubt on Super Sunday. Indeed, they left it all on the field on that day and, sure enough, they left absolutely no doubt that they were the better team, by far.
As good as Denver's offense looked all season was how bad it looked on that Sunday. In fact, it was that the Broncos had looked so good all season that made their complete lack of ability to get anything really going so shocking. Like those 2007 Patriots, what a time to have your worst game of the year, by far! But at least those Patriots almost won. It took some strong drives and miracle plays for the Giants to beat a very tough New England team back then. By contrast, you pretty much knew this Super Bowl was over well before halftime!
Like those New England Patriots, though, the Broncos went from looking like a record-smashing team on the cusp of history as one of the truly great team in history, to a team that was defined by their very worst moment of the season.
43-8! Who could have expected it to be that bad?
So, the reputation for being another high-powered, video game style offense for last year's Denver Broncos was ruined forever by the very high profile, blowout loss to Seattle. Denver could not match the physical intensity of Seattle. The Broncos had scored at least 20 points in every game that they played last season, going into that Super Bowl. But they only had one truly successful drive in the entire Super Bowl game, and to my mind's eye, quite frankly, they were a bit lucky not to have gotten shut out!
They have had all offseason to think about it, too!
But they did not simply stand idly by, trying not to change anything, and hoping that perhaps, this season, they could get back to the Super Bowl, and hope that a less physical team than Seattle would show up.
Apparently, John Elway was serious about winning a championship, and not simply getting to the Super Bowl. So, he beefed up the defense, and the offense was retooled. It might not be as explosive an offense as it was last season, but they still have Peyton Manning, and that will likely be enough to get a few wins, and quite a solid passing game, right there!
It remains to be seen how the Broncos will do this season. But, I suspect that there is good reason for optimism. And watching this video, you really get the sense that Peyton Manning feels good about it, so that's definitely a positive for the team!
Here is the link to the video clip and story:
Peyton Manning on Super Bowl loss, new Broncos Yahoo! Sports Reports 2:03 mins
http://sports.yahoo.com/video/peyton-manning-super-bowl-loss-210251408.html
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