The final score of Super Bowl XLVIII was so surprising in part because the Denver Broncos' offense was predictable. Seattle knew what Denver's offense liked to do, and the Broncos didn't deviate much from the script.
"We picked up on a lot of stuff," Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett said Tuesday on NFL Network's "NFL AM." "When you get two weeks to study, we picked up on a lot of tendencies."
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Bennett said the Seahawks were very prepared for what the Broncos were doing, which dovetails with what cornerback Richard Sherman told TheMMQB.com's Robert Klemko after the game.
"We knew what route concepts they liked on different downs, so we jumped all the routes," Sherman said. "Then we figured out the hand signals for a few of the route audibles in the first half. ... Now, if Peyton had thrown in some double moves, if he had gone out of character, we could've been exposed."
Bennett also mentioned that safety Kam Chancellor's hits early in the game helped set the tone. Seattle's physical style was hard for Denver to handle. There were no big plays after the catch.
This Seahawks victory was more about execution than Xs and Os, but the Broncos didn't help themselves by staying so focused on the short passing game.
*The "Around The League Podcast" taped our Super Bowl XLVIII recap from MetLife Stadium right after the game. *
