ACB Sports Presents: The Super Bowl

(Editor’s Note: This has been stated, but I was born and raised in Seattle, so I will again try and be neutral.)

6:25 pm ET – Super Bowl XLVIII – Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos

The last 2 weeks have been absolutely crazy in the city of Seattle. From listening to the fallout following “Sherman-gate” to watching the constant updates on what each team is eating, there has been a never-ending stream of information being fed to us. Who is healthy? Who is practicing where? What are people going to wear? Well, it’s always a big spectacle over the week’s leading up to the game, and it didn’t disappoint.

A friend of ours over at Cheeky Backheel continues to comment on the narratives that are inherent in this game:

1. Is it going to snow?
2. The “big mouth” of Richard Sherman versus the “quiet leadership” of Peyton Manning
3. The #1 Defense (Seattle) versus the #1 Offense (Denver)
4. The largest age difference between QBs in the history of the Super Bowl
5. The two top seeds meeting up
6. What breaks first: the Seahawks pass defense or the Broncos rush defense?
7. Is it going to snow?
8. Will Peyton be the best of all time if he wins?
9. Will Peyton retire if he wins?
10. Can the Seahawks win the game with no Super Bowl experienced players?
11. Can the Seahawks win without “The 12^th Man“?
12. Skittles
13. Is it going to snow?
14. For more, go here.

Here are a few stats to ponder:

1. Both teams were 13-3 this season
2. Both teams were 7-1 at home, 6-2 on the road
3. Denver scored more points than anyone (606)
4. Seattle allowed fewer points than anyone (231)
5. At the beginning of the season, the Seahawks had the 11^th ranked strength of schedule, and Denver was at 32
6. At the end of the season, the Seahawks had the 18^th ranked strength of schedule, and Denver was at 27
7. Denver has faced 3 of the top-10 defenses in the regular season, and 5 of the top-15 defenses (7 if you count playing Kansas City and San Diego twice). Their three losses came from these games.
8. Seattle has faced 1 of the top-10 offenses in the regular season, and 3 of the top-15 offenses (4 if you count playing San Francisco twice). They lost two of these meetings.

There has been a lot of talk about “which great QB have the Seahawks faced?” and “which great defense?” Who cares? This is football on the biggest stage there is – meaning that anything can happen. Just ask the 2007 Giants.

Nate Silver, predictor extraordinaire:

“This is only the eighth time that the two best teams have met in the Super Bowl,” he said. “Usually someone gets upset along the way, so that makes my job really tough.” Although “the numbers say it’s going to be a tie,” Silver is betting on the Seattle Seahawks, because their numbers were great last year, too. (Salon.com)

Winner: When Nate Silver says it’s too close to call, who are we to try?

The Mascots:

It’s not the best thing for us to actually break this down – why? Because ESPN already did. And they did it wonderfully.

Winner: The viewer. This is going to be freaking awesome.

The Beer:

The number one seeds from both conferences meet in the Super Bowl, from cities that have (arguably) the best beer in the country. This is going to be difficult. This is a list of breweries ONLY in the city proper, not surrounding areas.

Denver:

1. Black Shirt Brewing
2. Breckenridge BBQ & Brew
3. Bull & Bush
4. CAUTION: Brewing
5. Copper Kettle Brewing
6. Crooked Stave Brewery and
7. De Steeg Brewing
8. Denver Beer
9. Denver ChopHouse &
10. Diebolt Brewing
11. Great Divide Brewing
12. Hogshead
13. Jagged Mountain Craft
14. Our Mutual Friend Malt &
15. Pints
16. Prost Brewing
17. Renegade Brewing
18. River North
19. SandLot Brewery @ Coors
20. Station 26 Brewing
21. Strange Brewing
22. TRVE Brewing
23. Wit’s End Brewing
24. Wynkoop Brewing

Seattle:

1. Baron
2. Big Al
3. Big Time Brewery &
4. Elliott Bay Brewing
5. Elysian Brewing
6. Emerald City Beer
7. Epic
8. Fremont Brewing
9. Georgetown Brewing
10. Hale’s Ales Brewery &
11. Hilliard’s
12. Machine House
13. Maritime Pacific Brewing
14. Naked City
15. NW Peaks
16. Odin Brewing
17. Peddler Brewing
18. Pike Pub &
19. Populuxe
20. Pyramid Breweries,
21. Reuben’s
22. Schooner Exact Brewing
23. Two Beers Brewing
24. West Seattle Brewing

Winner: This is a joke, right!? 24 each!? Even if we are missing one or two, this is absolutely too close to call. Absolutely ridiculous, guys. Ridiculous.

Prediction:

Seattle 23, Denver 17

This is a strange number, but 4 of the winners this postseason scored 23 (the Seahawks scored 23 in both games), and the Seahawks have held all opponents in the playoffs under 20. The Broncos have not scored more than 26 in the playoffs, and that was against the Patriots, who were 10^th in total defense. This game is going to be close, and it is going to be really damn good.