Fans of the Seattle Seahawks in Apia celebrated sweet success last night after their team crushed the Denver Broncos, 43- 8, at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, at Super Bowl XLVIII.
During the final, supporters of both teams who belong to the N.F.L Club Samoa gathered at the Island Bar and Grill at Matautu to watch. Club member, Cliff Bartley, said there is a huge N.F.L following in Samoa and yesterday’s gathering was an opportunity for everyone to get together.
“This is our usual grand final gathering for the Super Bowl,” said Mr. Bartley. “May the best team win!” According to Mr. Bartley, club members also had the opportunity to place small bets on the game so that “when it is all over, someone will win a little bit of money.”
“It’s just something to make the club more exciting,” he said. Mr. Bartley said there were a lot of Seahawks fans. “Unfortunately I’m a Bronco fan.”
When Mr. Bartley was interviewed, the Seahawks had already claimed a demanding lead. “I hope the Broncos could turn things around.”
BlueSky played a key role in yesterday’s gathering, bringing the game live through its Moana TV.
THE GAME In the end, Seahawkes won in overpowering fashion, punishing Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos 43-8. The Seahawks' relentless defence, the NFL's tightest, never let the five-time NFL Most Valuable Player get going, disarming the highest-scoring offense in league history.
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Seattle (16-3) was too quick, too physical and just too good for Denver, and that was true in all areas. What was hyped as a classic matchup between an unstoppable offense and a miserly defence turned into a rout.
Punctuating Seattle's dominance were a 69-yard interception return touchdown by linebacker Malcolm Smith to make it 22- 0, and Percy Harvin's sensational 87-yard kickoff runback to open the second half. When the Seahawks, up by 29 points, forced a Denver punt early in the third quarter, the 12th Man and there were legions of them in MetLife Stadium began chanting "L-O-B, L-O-B." As in Legion of Boom, the Seahawks hardhitting defensive secondary line.
The loss by the Broncos again raised questions about Manning's ability to win the biggest games. He is 11 wins and 12 losses in the postseason, 1-2 in Super Bowls.
He never looked comfortable against a defence some will begin comparing to the 1985 Bears and 2000 Ravens other NFL champions who had runaway Super Bowl victories. Seattle forced four turnovers; Denver had 26 all season.
The Seahawks looked comfortable and at ease, and not just their defence, which lost All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman to an ankle injury in the fourth quarter.
Russell Wilson, who has an NFL-record 28 wins in his first two pro seasons, including playoffs, had a 23-yard TD pass to Jermaine Kearse late in the third quarter to make it 36-0.
Wilson also hit Doug Baldwin for a 10-yard score in the final period in what had become one of the most lopsided Super Bowls.
For the fifth time in six meetings between the NFL's No. 1 offense and defence, the D dominated. Only Denver in 1990, when it lost in the biggest romp in Super Bowl history, 55-10 against San Francisco, failed with the top defence.
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