The football is won in the trenches, again, the football is won in the trenches !!!!!
The team that runs the ball and protects its
quarterback win the super game!!. Here is a fact; 85% of teams with more
rushing yards has won the game while only a couple of teams have ever been
outrushed, allowed more sacks and won. Perhaps, what I am saying now is not a
great revelation but let´s see how statistics can give us an approach.
Denver Broncos runs the ball for 117.1 yds per
game for a total of 1873 having the 15th best running game while Seatle Seahawks do it for 136.8 yards
per game being the fourth best running team
with 2188 yds. In the protection quarterback issue, Seahawks defense has
pressured opposing quarterback on 32% of dropbacks this season, best in the NFL
and a 6% above the NFL average of 26%. Payton Manning was pressured on a league
low 14% of his dropbacks this season.
Ok, according the pressure over Manning I just
can say he has yet to be sacked this postseason while he´s been under duress on
only five of his 79 dropbacks holding the ball for 2.34 seconds from snap to
pass. Well, although Manning has a quick release, Seahawks opponents have held
the ball for 2.77 seconds from snap to pass, fourth longest in the NFL. They have
been able to get pressure even when relaying on a four man pass rush, sending
four or fewer pass rushers 73% of the time this season, actually this
percentage has been increased during postseason to a 96% based in a strong defensive
line rotation with seven defensive lineman playing at least 500 snaps for them
and surprisingly, none have played more than 58 percent of the team´s snaps. So,
according to statistics, Seahawks have generated pressure on at least 21% of
dropbacks in every game this season, something that Manning has had happen only
four times going 2-2 in those games !!!.
In the rushing issue, it´s so clear to see how
Denver Broncos has been playing this postseason with 120 yards per game to a
3.87 yards per rush attacking this Sunday a team who is allowing 134.5 yds to a
4.98 y/r. The impressive 3.79 y/r and 64.5 yds/gm for
Denver´s defensive performance this postseason may be well explained due the
fast point differential at the boxscore while holding the ball for 61.5% (35:36
min) trying to stop Marshall Lynch and a Seatle primary based rushing team who
average 144.5 yards per game to a 4.52 y/r.
Surprisingly, Denver Broncos is averaging 25
points per game during the postseason according to this long drives sustained
by them while Seatle is averaging 23 points facing in the last one a superior
defense than the one they are going to meet on Sunday.
The last fact; Broncos has averaged 8.8 plays
per drive this postseason, up from 5.7 in the regular and have recorded a first
down in all but one of their 16 postseason drives.
Tomorrow I will post some attractive data about
Manning and Denver´s passing statistics against the stingy Seatle´s defense.