Broncos Look To Correct Problems That Cost Them Super Bowl In Rematch With Seahawks

Denver Broncos vs Seattle Seahawks

Week 3 - 09/21/14

Time: 1:25 PM PDT

TV: CBS

Location: CenturyLink Field

Line: Seahawks -5.5 (Bovada)

For only the sixth time in NFL history, and the first since the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots faced off in 1997, there will be a Super Bowl rematch during the following regular season as the Broncos take on the Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.

Though it's being called a Super Bowl rematch, the Broncos have 10 different starters then the team that lined up in New Jersey last February: RB Montee Ball, LT Ryan Clady, CB Chris Harris Jr., WR Emmanuel Sanders, LB Von Miller, S Rahim Moore, CB Aqib Talib, SS T.J. Ward, DE DeMarcus Ware, and DT Derek Wolfe. The Seahawks have just one starter who did not play, rookie tackle Justin Britt.

The Broncos went into the offseason following their Super Bowl loss with a plan to acquire veteran costless agents who would bring a tougher, nastier style of play that would fix the holes exposed by the Seahawks, and win the Super Bowl. On Sunday, they will get a good idea of how far along they are in making that plan a reality. Win or lose, if the Broncos play a competitive game they will come out of Seattle feeling pretty good about where they are as a team. Play like they did in the Super Bowl and it won't bode well for achieving their ultimate goal, winning the big game.

The Seahawks come into the game against the Broncos looking to put last week's loss in San Diego behind them. Win and they can chalk up the loss to the hot temperature or looking past the Chargers because they were focusing on the Broncos game. They lose and doubt will begin to seep into their thoughts and the idea of a repeat will become more distant.

The game being played in Seattle gives the Seahawks a sizeable advantage. The Seahawks are 16-1 at home since 2012 and have one of the best home-field advantages in the NFL. In Russell Wilson's two-plus seasons, he is 18-1 at home, including playoffs. The one loss came last season in a 17-10 upset by the Arizona Cardinals. The Broncos haven't played in Seattle since November 17, 2002 when Brian Griese and the Broncos defeated Matt Hasselbeck and the Seahawks 31-9.

2014 Record

Denver Broncos

Overall:

2-0 (1st, AFC West)

Home:

2-0

Road:

0-0

Seattle Seahawks

Overall:

1-1 (T-2nd, NFC West)

Home:

1-0

Road:

0-1

Head-To-Head Record

Regular Season:

Broncos lead 34-20

Playoffs:

Seahawks lead 2-0

At Seattle:

Seahawks lead 14-13

Last Time Met:

02/04/14 in Super Bowl XLVIII. Broncos lost 43-8 as everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The game began with a high snap that shot passed Peyton Manning and rolled into the endzone for a safety. The Broncos offense never did recover. Demaryius Thomas set a Super Bowl record for receptions with 13 catches for 118 yards and the Broncos only touchdown.

2014 Stats:

Last Game

Broncos

09/14/14 - Kansas City Chiefs. Won 24-17 as the Broncos defense conducted a goal-line stand to preserve the victory. On fourth-and-goal from the Broncos' 2-yard line, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton deflected a Alex Smith pass in the endzone to secure the Broncos win. It was the second straight game that the Broncos defense preserved a win in the final minutes.

Seahawks

09/14/14 at San Diego Chargers. Lost 30-21 as Chargers tight end Antonio Gates catches three touchdown passes. The Chargers kept Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense off the field by dominating the time of possession. With the Seahawks unable to get the Chargers offense off the field, the Seahawks defense was worn down and unable to respond.

Starters:

What To Look For As The Broncos Take On The Chiefs:

Peyton Manning And The Offense Must Keep The Pedal To The Metal

The first two games of the season have seen the offense come out of the gate fast, outscoring their opponents 45-17. In the second half the offense has gone into low gear with the opposition outscoring the Broncos 24-10.

For the Broncos to come out of CenturyLink Field on Sunday with a victory, the offense must not let up on the Seahawks after they gain a lead. The Seahawks offense has the capability to be explosive and chew up yardage quickly. If they still have a sliver of hope, they will keep coming after the Broncos.

Welcome Back Wes Welker

Wes Welker had his four game suspension reduced following the NFL's new performance-enhancing drug policy being enacted. Welker tested positive in the offseason for amphetamine use.

Emmanuel Sanders and Julius Thomas filled in well for Welker in the first two games of the season, catching a combined 25 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns. Both will continue to be a big part of the offense going forward but Welker's contributions to the offense are enormous as he scored 10 touchdowns last season.

Welker and Manning are both on the same wavelength when it comes to executing the offense. Welker has the same ability as Manning to read the defense and know where to go to exploit their weaknesses. Because of his trust in Welker, Manning will go to him when critical yardage is needed, especially on third downs. If Welker can stay away from the concussions that have plagued him over the last 10 months, the Broncos offense should be able to come close to matching the pace it set in it's record-setting season a year ago.

Countering Percy Harvin and the "Jet-Sweep"

The Seahawks utilized Percy Harvin out of the backfield twice in Super Bowl XLVIII in what was known as the jet-sweep. Neither time did the Broncos have an answer for it. Harvin ate up large chuncks of yardage on handoffs: Rushing for 30 yards and 15 yards.

Due to injury, Harvin played just one regular season game with the Seahawks since arriving from Minnesota in a trade. Not having much to go on, Harvin and the jet-sweep came as a surprise to the Broncos in the Super Bowl. They knew Harvin was a weapon, they just didn't know how lethal he would become in the Super Bowl.

Going into Sunday's game, the Broncos have had a preseason and two regular season games worth of tape to view of Harvin and have faced the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs' versions of the "sweep." They now know what to expect, they just have to counter Harvin's talent.

The Broncos defense must stay focused and not bite on the fake to Marshawn Lynch. The jet-sweep unfolds quickly with Russell Wilson handing the ball off as soon as it's snapped to Harvin, who is already in motion, then fakes giving the ball to Lynch. If the defense goes after Lynch, Harvin will have a wide open half of the field to chew up large chunks of field.

It's important that the defensive linemen not get tunnel vision on Lynch and let Harvin slip by with the ball, as happened in the Super Bowl. If Harvin is able to gain the edge and get into the secondary, it will be up to the corners to seal that edge quickly or else large chunks of yardage will be given up. The Seahawks picked up 51-yards and a touchdown on the sweep last week against the Chargers.

Containing Russell Wilson

For the third straight week the Broncos will be facing a mobile quarterback who can extend drives with his feet as well as his arm. Wilson has rushed nine times this season for 47 yards with an average of 5.2 yards per run, his longest for 13 yards.

The Broncos were unable to contain Wilson in the Super Bowl as he ran three times for 26 yards, keeping drives alive by running away from the pass rush when the pocket collapsed. On Sunday, the Broncos secondary will need to maintain coverage when Wilson begins to scramble. Von Miller, who has been the qb spy the past three weeks, and DeMarcus Ware will get the pressure on Wilson. It will be up to Derek Wolfe and Terrance Knighton to provide pressure up the middle in order to effectively contain Wilson.

Dealing With The Crowd Noise

Everyone knows that CenturyLink Field is the loudest stadium in sports. The Broncos underestimated the Seahawks' fans and their ability to generate noise at the Super Bowl. On Sunday, they won't be making that same mistake as they will utilize the silent count from the very first drive. It will be difficult to operate the kind of offense the Broncos run since so much of it is called from the line of scrimmage and the crowd noise will cover any of Manning's audibles. If the Broncos can score quickly and keep scoring on succesive drives, they will control the crowd and make running their style of offense much easier.