Richard Sherman has no love for the rival San Francisco 49ers, but he does respect them.
It's likely little consolation to the 49ers, but the Seattle Seahawks star believes the instant-classic playoff game against the Niners was the true decider of NFL supremacy.
On NFL Network
NFL Replay
will re-air in full the
Seattle Seahawks' 43-8 victory over the
Denver Broncos in
Super Bowl XLVIII on Tuesday, Feb. 4, at 9 p.m. ET.
"The NFC Championship was the Super Bowl," Sherman told TheMMQB.com's Robert Klemko in the wee hours of Monday. "The 49ers were the second-best team in the NFL."
In light of Sunday's laugher over the Broncos, Sherman has a point. The NFC title game was a tit-for-tat matchup that came down to the final play. Colin Kaepernick shined in a great performance that dwarfed what Peyton Manning was able to accomplish Sunday night, and Kap did it on the road. And, unlike the 49ers, the Broncos seemed intimidated by the Seahawks on the game's biggest stage.
*The "Around The League Podcast" recapped Super Bowl XLVIII live from MetLife Stadium right after the game. *