In his second season, he completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,357 yards and 26 touchdowns, with only nine interceptions, while also rushing for 539 yards and another score. His 101.2 passer rating ranked him seventh in the NFL, and made him the first quarterback in history with a triple-digit passer rating in his first two seasons. His top target was Pro Bowl receiver Golden Tate, who caught 64 passes for 898 yards and five touchdowns. Tate was also a major asset on special teams, returning 51 punts for 585 yards . Other key targets included Doug Baldwin and tight end Zach Miller .
Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch was the team's leading rusher with 1,257 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also a reliable receiver, hauling in 36 passes for 316 yards and two more scores. The Seahawks' offensive line was led by Pro Bowl center Max Unger. Kicker Steven Hauschka ranked fourth in the NFL in scoring and second in field goal percentage (.943, 33/35).
Running back Knowshon Moreno recovered the ball to prevent a Seahawks touchdown, but he was downed for a safety to give the Seahawks a 2–0 lead. Seattle's score just 12 seconds into the game was the quickest to start a game in Super Bowl history, surpassing the kickoff return by Devin Hester to start Super Bowl XLI seven years earlier. Following the free kick, receiver Percy Harvin gained 30 yards on an end around run to set up Steven Hauschka's 31-yard field goal, making the score 5–0.
On the third play of Denver's ensuing possession, Manning was intercepted by Kam Chancellor, giving Seattle a first down on the Denver 37. In command of the offense was 16-year veteran quarterback Peyton Manning. Now in his second year as the team's starter, Manning posted one of the best seasons of any quarterback in NFL history, leading the league in completions, attempts, yards and touchdown passes. His 5,477 passing yards and 55 touchdown completions both set new NFL records. His total of 450 completions was the second-highest in NFL history, and his 115.1 passer rating ranked second in the league that season. Overall, they made Denver the first team in NFL history ever to have four players with at least 10 touchdown receptions in a season.
Running back Knowshon Moreno was the team's leading rusher with 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns, while also catching 60 passes for 548 yards and another three scores. Rookie running back Montee Ball was also a big contributor with 554 rushing yards, four touchdowns and 20 receptions. The team's offensive line featured Pro Bowl guard Louis Vasquez. On special teams, Pro Bowl kicker Matt Prater ranked second in the NFL in scoring and first in field goal percentage (.962, 25/26).
His only miss of the year was from 52 yards and his successful attempt from 64 yards against Tennessee in Week 14 broke an NFL record that had stood for 44 years. Smith acquitted himself reasonably well while filling in for Wilson for most of the second half of the Week 5 loss, completing 10 of 17 attempts for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Even so, the change from Wilson to Smith is obviously a big downgrade for the Seattle offense, and for the fantasy values of DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Seattle led 22–0 at halftime and ultimately went 36–0 up before allowing Denver's first and only score on the final play of the third quarter. They became the first team in a Super Bowl to score on a safety, a kickoff return for a touchdown , and an interception return for a touchdown.
The Broncos were held to almost 30 points below their scoring average. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, a five-time NFL Most Valuable Player award winner, threw two interceptions in the first half. Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, who returned one of those interceptions 69 yards for a touchdown, recovered a fumble and made nine tackles, was named Super Bowl MVP. This was as uncompetitive a game as you can imagine. There was literally not a single Jets player that played well. The kicker Sergio Castillo was atrocious, missing three field goals.
The punter Braden Mann was atrocious, repeatedly getting off short punts that set up the Seahawks in great field position. Sam Darnold was atrocious, completely ineffective against the NFL's worst pass defense and throwing multiple passes that should have been interceptions right into Seahawks' hands that were dropped. The Jets run defense was completely dominated by the Seahawks. The Jets secondary was destroyed by Russell Wilson and company.
There were a couple of nice individual plays. Marcus Maye made a spectacular interception in the end zone. But overall the Jets were horrific in every phase of the game. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who left the game in the fourth quarter with an injury to his right middle finger, completed 11 of 16 passes for 152 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Wilson passes incomplete short middle intended for Hollister.
Wilson passes short left to Metcalf for 9. Wilson passes short left to Carson for 5. Wilson passes incomplete deep middle intended for Metcalf.
Donald suffers rib injury on the play and his return is questionable. The drive would start with three consecutive runs by Freeman and a first down. Lock would finally have a clean pock on his first pass of the third quarter and he checked it down to the flat for a three yard gain. A short run would setup a third and five for Lock. Lock again had a clean pock, but overthrew Spencer badly who was just beyond the sticks and open. The Broncos opted to kick the field goal instead of going for it.
In order to avoid a big kickoff return, Matt Prater kicked the second half kickoff short, hitting the ground at the Seattle 12-yard line. But it did not stop Harvin from picking the ball out of the air and taking off for an 87-yard touchdown return that increased Seattle's lead to 29–0. The touchdown took place 12 seconds into the second half, exactly the same amount of time that the Seahawks took to score the safety in the first half.
It was also the first time that consecutive Super Bowls had kickoff returns for touchdowns (Jacoby Jones' return in Super Bowl XLVII being the previous one, which was also the second half opening kickoff). After an exchange of punts, Eric Decker gave Denver good field position with a 9-yard return to the Denver 45. Two plays later, Manning completed a 23-yard pass to Demaryius Thomas, but cornerback Byron Maxwell knocked the ball out of his hands and Malcolm Smith recovered it, returning the ball seven yards. An unnecessary roughness penalty against Denver added 15 more yards onto the end of the play, giving Seattle the ball at the Denver 42-yard line. Two plays later, Russell Wilson hit tight end Luke Willson for a 12-yard completion on third-and-7 and later completed a 19-yard pass to Ricardo Lockette.
On the next play, he threw a short pass to Jermaine Kearse, who broke four tackles as he took off for a 23-yard touchdown reception bringing the score to 36–0. Aided by a 15-yard run from Harvin on the first play, Seattle quickly got the ball into the red zone. QB Russell Wilson did not have his best game either with 152 yards, a TD and INT with just 16 passes thrown. Penalties were a killer on scoring plays for them and Wilson wasn't even able to finish the game.
Similar to Matthew Stafford, Wilson suffered an injury to the middle finger of his throwing hand and had to sit out the fourth quarter. Goff passes incomplete short middle intended for Higbee. Wilson passes short left to Dissly for 1. Wilson passes incomplete short middle intended for Dissly.
Wilson passes incomplete deep left intended for Metcalf. However, any momentum Denver might have gained was quickly snuffed out as Seattle tight end Zach Miller recovered Prater's onside kick attempt on his own 48-yard line. Now, first-half Seattle might be the best offense in the NFL, and they started to show that once agin with their next opportunity. Wilson found Penny Hart for seven, then Will Dissly on a slippery underneath route that led to a 39-yard catch-and-run. The drive stalled a bit from there, but the big play put Myers in range for a 44-yard field goal. In a situation that's been automatic for the last 21 months, it seemed a simple matter of course that Seattle would extend their lead to six.
Instead, Myers' streak hooked left and the Vikings defense dodged a bullet. It would be the closest Seattle would get to scoring for the rest of the game. The Bills' defense came up with a stand on the Seahawks' second drive.
Rookie running back DeeJay Dallas ran for a first down and quarterback Russell Wilson completed three straight passes to get to midfield. Wilson's pass to tight end Greg Olsen put Seattle at Buffalo's 5-yard line. Running back Travis Homer couldn't get a first down on third-and-1 and Seattle went for it on fourth down. Wilson was picked off by Bills' safety Jordan Poyer in the end zone. Allen completed passes to Brown and Diggs and running back Zack Moss ran 10 yards for a first down before the end of the quarter. Reed down, but able to walk off under his own power.
Wolford can't find a receiver, scrambles up the middle for no gain. Wolford passes short middle to Kupp for 15 and a first down at the Seahawks' 48. Wolford passes incomplete short right intended for Woods. Pass slightly behind Woods, but catchable and he had a lot of room to run. Wolford passes incomplete short right intended for Kupp.
Wolford passes short right to Akers for 1. Wolford passes incomplete short middle intended for Everett. Akers runs and stopped for a 2-yard loss. Goff passes incomplete short right intended for Kupp. Replays show Akers was clearly down before he was stripped of the ball. Wilson should've thrown the football away there.
Wilson passes incomplete short middle intended for Metcalf. Goff passes incomplete short middle intended for Kupp. Wilson passes short left to Metcalf for 15. That's an inexcusable mistake by the Seahawks on such as crucial play. That would be the end of Drew Lock's night. No, seriously, that was the last drive for him in this game.
Wilson finished the game 18/25 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Baldwin was his top receiver with five catches for 66 yards and a score, while Kearse added four catches for 65 and a touchdown. In addition to his 87-yard kickoff return touchdown, Harvin was Seattle's leading rusher with 45 yards, even though he only carried the ball twice. Chancellor had nine tackles and an interception. Manning completed 34/49 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions.
His top target was Demaryius Thomas, who caught 13 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Welker added eight receptions for 84 yards. Linebacker Danny Trevathan had 12 tackles.
Moreno was Denver's leading rusher, but with just 17 yards. Overall, Denver's record setting offense gained only 306 yards, with just 27 yards on the ground. The Seahawks then played in the NFC Championship Game at home against the rival San Francisco 49ers; the two teams had each won once against the other during the regular season. Despite entering halftime with a seven-point deficit, the Seahawks took the lead in the fourth quarter thanks largely to Colin Kaepernick losing one fumble and throwing two interceptions. The two teams exchanged field goals into the fourth quarter, with the 49ers actually taking a 9-6 lead early in the final frame.
The 49ers defensive front was dominant for much of the game, but spending a ridiculous amount of time on the field wore them down. The 49ers had a lot of bend but don't break, and while it kept the Seahawks out of the end zone for most of the game, it still tired out the 49ers. And Russell Wilson had just enough magic midway through the fourth quarter to get the go-ahead score on a ridiculous maneuver and throw. Myers field goal came at the end of an 11-play, 46-yard drive led by quarterback Geno Smith, who's playing for the injured Russell Wilson .
Smith has performed well filling in for Wilson, connecting on his first touchdown pass since 2017 earlier in the fourth quarter. Matthew Stafford, who was battling an index finger injury on his right hand most of the game, completed 25 of 37 passes for 365 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Rams wide receiver Robert Woods caught 12 passes for 150 yards and Darrell Henderson led all rushers with 78 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Matt Gay then kicked a 47-yard, game-clinching field goal to close out the scoring. Backup quarterback Geno Smith stepped in and completed 10 of 17 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver DK Metcalf. He was granted one final shot to lead a game-winning touchdown drive but threw an interception on the first play with under two minutes remaining.
Wilson exited in the fourth quarter after he sprained the middle finger on his throwing hand. Before exiting, he completed 11 of 16 passes for 152 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. A timetable for his return is currently unclear, coach Pete Carroll said. The interception, snagged by Jalen Ramsey in the second quarter, was the first first turnover by Seattle (2-3) since its Week 1 victory over the Colts. Buffalo nearly forced another three-and-out but the defense was called but cornerback defensive back Tre'Davious White was called for pass interference on third down.
Two plays later, Wilson skied a pass along the left sideline to wide receiver D.J. Rams getting good numbers with run game. The Seahawks are not as effective on offense as the Arizona Cardinals, but they can put points on the board. They continue to give up quarterback sacks, allowing 11 so far in just four games. The Rams defense has recorded 12 sacks to date, so that should favor the Rams. But Russell Wilson is certainly stretching the field this year, averaging 9.6 yards per pass attempt, scoring nine touchdowns, and throwing no interceptions.
The game's inaugural Spanish-language telecast on Fox Deportes was also the highest-rated Spanish-language cable telecast outside of soccer. This was also the first time since 1991 that the #1 scoring offense went up against the #1 scoring defense . Seattle also holds the current record for quickest score in Super Bowl history, when they took a 2–0 lead just 12 seconds into the game. Then, they scored to take a 29–0 lead just 12 seconds into the third quarter.
The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43–8, the largest margin of victory for an underdog and tied for the third largest point differential overall in Super Bowl history with Super Bowl XXVII . It was the first time the winning team scored over 40 points while holding their opponent to under 10. This became the first Super Bowl victory for the Seahawks and the fifth Super Bowl loss for the Broncos, at the time a league record for the most of any team. After Myers missed a 44-yard field goal, his first miss in his last 38 attempts, the Vikings marched down into Seattle territory and burned most of the time off of the second quarter clock. Cousins then got his third touchdown pass of the first half, this time hitting Justin Jefferson for a 3-yard score to make it going into the locker room at halftime. Both teams have struggled to find pace on offense.
