If the Seattle Seahawks can stop Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, then bully for Richard Sherman.
To date, Manning has not been stopped.
A couple of teams outscored him. The San Diego Chargers once kept the ball away from him.
But no team has shut down Manning during his record- setting season.
Now comes Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, N.J., where the Seahawks are the last line of defense between Manning and the greatest quarterback season of all time.
“That’s the matchup everybody is going to be talking about, Peyton Manning vs. the Legion of Boom,” Hall of Fame quarterback and Fox color analyst Troy Aikman said during a conference call Thursday. “I’m excited to see it. That’s why I spoke about how disappointing it would be if conditions keep that part of it from happening the way we’d all like to see because of the impact the weather may have on the passing game.”
Inclement conditions — which figure to descend upon MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands when Super Bowl XLVIII kicks off Feb. 2 — might be one obstacle to Manning’s glove-handed passing game.
Seattle’s defense, though, has tortured quarterbacks rain or shine, home or road, while accompanied by deafening support or eerie silence. This season, the Seahawks ranked No. 1 in the NFL in total defense, passing defense, takeaways and scoring defense. Sherman led the league in interceptions and narcissism.
The Manning-led Broncos ranked No. 1 in passing, touchdowns and points.
During his news conference Thursday, Manning intimated he didn’t know much about Seattle’s defense — yet. It was like the straight-A student pretending to not know the answer, so the teacher would call on someone else.
“I’m just starting to get to know them and prepare for them,” Manning said of the Seahawks.
Further explanation might or might not come next week when the Super Bowl buildup kicks into high gear. Until then, Manning is leaving the analysis to others.
“Seattle, this is the best secondary he’s going to face, I know that,” Aikman said. “These guys are really good. They’re not going to try and fool him. Seattle lines up in what they’re doing virtually every snap and they just say, ‘Hey, we’ve got great players and we’re good enough to hold up.’ And they have. They’re the best pass defense in football.”
Sure, the Seahawks have the best passing defense this season. But the Broncos have the best passing offense of all time. Manning was considered great before. He has reached unprecedented levels this season with 59 touchdown passes and 6,107 passing yards while guiding the Broncos to a record 656 points (counting two playoff victories).
In the rare times Manning and the Broncos felt badly about themselves, they scored 33 and 31 points in losses to Indianapolis and New England, and had the ball for only 21 minutes while scoring 20 points in a loss to San Diego. Averaging 27 points in defeat isn’t exactly getting stymied.
What was it that made the Broncos go from really good last season, Manning’s first with the team, to record-setting great in year No. 2?
“Going faster,” said wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. “Going faster and everyone was on the same page in the second year. Getting together earlier.”
Aikman said it starts with the protection the Broncos’ offensive line gives Manning. But even those linemen credit Manning for his sixth sense in the pocket.
“Normally what happens as a quarterback is, you start to figure things out and each year you learn more and more and then when you really have command of the game, your body breaks down,” Aikman said. “And it looked like that was happening to him a couple years ago and he’s been able to weather it. He’s had to make some adjustments because he doesn’t have the arm strength he had prior to the injuries. I think he would be the first to tell you that, but he’s able to make it up because he has great anticipation, he recognizes what defenses are trying to do against him and then he’s got players that can get open and catch the football. It’s a great combination.
“And then you combine those things with this offense now in the league. The philosophy as far as the spread sets and attacking these defenses and getting off as many snaps as you can.”
Seattle’s defense has the next turn. The final turn.
Mike Klis: mklis@denverpost.com or twitter.com/mikeklis
