The biggest concern for the NFL after it decided to let New York’s MetLife Stadium host Super Bowl XLVIII was that weather would become a large factor in determining the outcome of the game. As of now, the forecast for the Super Bowl is cold and rainy — quite unlike the games we’ve seen in recent years that were played in domes or warm climates.
Regardless of what any football analyst says, the weather is the absolute largest X-factor in Super Bowl XLVIII.
The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos play nearly polar opposite styles of football. Denver’s Peyton Manning and his record setting offense want to make the game a track meet where he can air it out all day to his cast of Pro Bowl-caliber receivers, while cornerback Richard Sherman and the Seahawks “Legion of Boom” wants to slow the game down and stop Manning from driving as much as they can.
If the weather forecast holds out and it is cold and rainy on Super Bowl Sunday, then the Seattle Seahawks will win their first ever Super Bowl. A cold, rainy game plays right into their hands as they are a ground and pound team that lives off running the ball with Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch. Russell Wilson has the ability to make a throw if he needs to, but he also has the ability to get outside the pocket and run for some yards himself. Add that to the top ranked defense in the NFL, and this team should be praying for the absolute worst weather possible on Sunday.
Manning has put up the best statistical season by any quarterback in NFL history. Breaking nearly every offensive record there is, the Broncos have had few issues scoring points this year.
Manning won’t be as lucky as he was during the AFC Championship game when he benefitted from sunny, 60 degree weather and his Broncos beat the New England Patriots 26-16. He will have difficulty passing the ball against the Seahawks superb secondary, but add onto that a cold, driving rain, and it only adds up for disaster for the Broncos. Although Denver running backs Knowshon Moreno and Montee Ball have done a decent job all year, if Manning can’t establish the pass game, the Seahawks front seven should be able to keep them in check.
If the weather forecast stays the same, Manning’s historic season will run short and he will lose his second straight Super Bowl appearance. There have been four quarterbacks who have led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns, as Manning did this season. The three quarterbacks before him all lost in the Super Bowl.
The more physical, defensive teams normally find a way to win in February over the more offensive, finessed teams. With bad weather in the forecast, this only helps Seattle’s cause. On Sunday, Russell Wilson will lead the Seahawks to their first ever Super Bowl title over Manning’s Denver Broncos.