It should have been obvious all week, when nearly every football fan walking down the streets was clad in dark blue and lime green. But it didn’t register.
It certainly should have been clear on the way to the game, where people decked out in uniforms more legit than the ones Steve Largent and Jim Zorn donned back in the ’80s outnumbered those in orange and blue by at least a three-to-one margin. But even that didn’t sink in.
In fact, up until the first play of Super Bowl XLVIII in New York (really New Jersey), no one had any idea how much of a pro-Seahawks crowd would be on hand at MetLife Stadium. But the moment Peyton Manning stood behind Manny Ramirez for the first time, it sounded like all of the Pacific Northwest had made the trip to the Big Apple.
At that point, or perhaps seconds later when the ball sailed over Manning’s head and into the end zone for a safety, it became painfully obvious that for the first time in recent memory, one team would have a home-field advantage in the Super Bowl. And it wasn’t the one designated by the league as the “home” team, nor was it the one wearing their primary jerseys. It was the Seahawks, based solely on the sheer dominance their fans showed in the stands.
Two years ago, that fact, especially given that it seemed to shock the under-prepared Broncos, sent the game careening toward disaster from the opening snap. This time around, Denver needs to flip the script; they need to be the ones that are getting some help from the folks in the stands.
It’s time for their fans to answer the bell. The Broncos need them now more than ever.
During the regular season, Wade Phillips and Company were able to stymie some of the best offenses in football. In order to do so, they also kept some of the league’s top quarterbacks in check.
Aaron Rodgers rolled into the Mile High City with a perfect 6-0 record, his Packers firing on all cylinders in the early part of the season. He left with a loss that derailed Green Bay’s season, the result of his worst performance (14-of-22, 77 yards) as a pro.
Ben Roethlisberger came to Denver in the playoffs with perhaps the best offense in the AFC; his Steelers were tops in the conference in yards per game (395.4) and second only to New England in average points (26.4). The quarterback went home on the wrong end of a 23-16 score.
And Tom Brady visited the Broncos with all of his weapons in tow, a combination of talent that had been virtually unbeatable this season when on the field together. The reigning Super Bowl MVP left town bruised and battered, having endured 20-plus hits while putting only 18 points on the scoreboard.
Those are three impressive performances. For one defense to shut down all three of those offenses in one season, making a trio of the NFL’s best quarterbacks look wholly average in the process, proves that the Broncos are legit on that side of the football.
But those games all had one thing in common: They were played at Sports Authority Field. And the impact of that can’t be understated.
Denver’s defense feeds off the energy of 76,000-plus screaming their support. It’s what provides the extra boost that elevates their game to another level.
In part, this is because the Broncos pass rush is enhanced by crowd noise. Von Miller is deadly off the edge when the opposing tackles can’t hear the snap count, getting a split second jump that helps him get to the quarterback.
And it’s also due to the fact that the opposition has trouble making calls at the line of scrimmage; they can’t change plays very easily when they can’t communicate. That makes offenses less versatile, which gives Denver an edge.
If the Broncos are going to win Super Bowl 50, they are most likely going to do it on the back of their defense; that has been the group that has carried them all season long. So to increase the chances of that happening, Denver needs the X-factor present that has helped push that unit to new heights throughout the season.
On Super Bowl Sunday, Carolina blue can’t outnumber Broncos orange. The audience needs to be a partisan crowd, one tilted as far toward Denver as possible.
Which means there is only one goal in mind this week: Get to Santa Clara.
Buy a travel package and go in style. Hitchhike and scalp a ticket right before kickoff. Or something in-between.
Do whatever it takes to be inside Levi’s Stadium on the afternoon of Feb. 7, decked out in orange and screaming with every ounce of energy. Don’t wait for next time; there’s no time like the present.
A Broncos victory depends on it.
