It's been seven months since the Seattle Seahawks took down the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, and though the stakes aren't quite as high this time around the two teams will meet again on Sunday. Surprisingly, there's not a combined 4-0 record between the two of them; the Seahawks fell to the San Diego Chargers in Week 2, but the Broncos are undefeated after two dominant performances.
Broncos vs. Seahawks 2014: Super Bowl rematch set for Week 3
The Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks will meet in a game with smaller stakes, but the same amount of intrigue as the last time.
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Seattle's vaunted defense couldn't handle San Diego, or more accurately, it couldn't handle quarterback Philip Rivers. The veteran passer had a QB rating of 124.2, the highest QB rating for a player going against the Seahawks since 2010. Denver, meanwhile, has hit few speed bumps, absorbing the loss of wide receiver Wes Welker for two games without much issue.
Let’s take a closer look at both teams below.
Meet the Broncos
The Broncos weren't overly dominant in their two wins, but they were comfortable victories over the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs nonetheless. The passing offense is lagging far behind last season, which is no surprise given that Peyton Manning headed the most prolific offense in NFL history a year ago. You know, no big deal.
But that offense has been without wide receiver Wes Welker for two games, and the squad is still making adjustments to the running game since Knowshon Moreno went elsewhere in free agency. Welker is poised to make his season debut in this game and he should be a favorite target for Manning, who is good at spreading the ball around. Whatever the case, the Broncos have the No. 11 passing offense in the league at this point, and it will be facing a huge test in the Seattle defense.
Denver's defense has seen better days. They've been solid against the run, albeit against a Chiefs team that lost Jamaal Charles to injury and a Colts team that won't give up on Trent Richardson for some reason. Against the pass, though, they've allowed a ton of yardage, and while the Seahawks aren't exactly the most prolific offensive team this one could get ugly.
Meet the Seahawks
Nobody expected the Seahawks to lose to the Chargers in Week 2, especially after a dominant performance against the Green Bay Packers. Philip Rivers was excellent and had the Seattle defense on its heels. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson wasn't able to put anything together and threw for just 202 yards. Such a number isn't out of the norm for Wilson, who is capable of making some big plays and makes few mistakes but isn't known for lighting up secondaries.
Seattle’s running game is performing well, with a big game in Week 1 and a solid one in Week 2, despite the loss. They’ll be looking for the tough yards against Denver’s run defense, but Wilson will need to have one of his rare big games to keep up with the offensive production that’s expected out of the Broncos.
This matchup is just about as compelling as it was when these two teams met for the Super Bowl. A great offense against a great defense with pluses and minuses on the opposite sides of the ball. It should be a good one.
Injuries
Broncos:
Out: LB Lerentee McCray (knee)
Questionable: LB Danny Trevathan (knee)
Probable: DT Marvin Austin (non-injury), S David Bruton (shoulder), S Quinton Carter (knee), T Ryan Clady (foot), G Ben Garland (ankle), CB Christopher Harris (knee), K Brandon McManus (groin), LB Von Miller (groin)
Seahawks:
Out: CB Tharold Simon (knee)
Questionable: LB Bruce Irvin (ribs)
Probable: S Kam Chancellor (ankle), TE Cooper Helfet (knee), RB Marshawn Lynch (back), RB Christine Michael (hamstring), TE Zach Miller (ankle), LB Mike Morgan (hip), LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (hamstring)
Follow the Fun
Broncos:
Seahawks:
Odds
Seattle is going to be favored at home until it finally starts losing there. The Seahawks opened as 3.5-point favorites but could be found favored by 5.5 points on some books later in the week, according to OddsShark.
Next Week
The Seahawks will have a bye week in Week 4, and will travel to take on the Washington football team on Mon., Oct. 6. Denver also has a bye week before taking on the Arizona Cardinals at home on Sun., Oct. 5.
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