Super Bowl XLVIII Predictions

[dolphins4life]

I never saw this coming at all. 

[dolphins4life]

Can't wait to read the NFL quarterbacks on facebook thread tomorrow

[el diablo]

For the "DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS PEOPLE"

2012- SF #3 ranked defense. Ravens ranked #16.....RAVENS won

2011- Pats ranked #31 in defense. Giants ranked #27 (somebody with a shit defense had to win)  **Not to mention in the AFC Championship game and NFC Championship game the Ravens lost to Pats and the 49ers lost to Giants. Ravens #3 rated defense and 49ers were 4th rated defense that year. Defense wins championships though?

2010- Steelers with the #2 rated defense....Lost to GB!


Yeah, defense wins championships  

Enough said.

[MikeO]

Thank god this game is over.....it was terrible!

[Landshark]

Malcolm Smith is the MVP.  First time since 2002 when local legend Dexter Jackson got it that a defensiveplayer was named Super Bowl MVP

[Spider-Dan]

I definitely underestimated SEA and they were the better team.  They moved the ball on DEN at will nearly all game.

However, DEN's complete implosion turned what should have been a good game into a laugher.  DEN wouldn't have beaten OAK playing like that.  That game looked like Seattle vs. Colorado State.  The inexplicable safety, the dumb INTs, the repeated fumbles... I felt like I was watching a NE game from the early aughts, when their opponents would do everything in their power to hand the game to them.

[el diablo]

Congrats to Seattle for playing a TEAM game. Enjoyed every minute of it.

[VidKid]

I think San Fran 'may' have done the same thing to Den since their style of D is similar to Sea. In the end, 'Defense wins championships' holds true again.

But really.. WTF?!?!  Was this necessary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6oiy11-eWc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Landshark]

I think San Fran 'may' have done the same thing to Den since their style of D is similar to Sea. In the end, 'Defense wins championships' holds true again.

You hear that MikeO??

[MikeO]

You hear that MikeO??

whats your point? You found 1 person to agree with you and you ignore the facts and reality of the past few years results where teams with the lower ranked defense and sometimes the worst defenses in the league won Super Bowls. Those results don't count only yesterday's does? Wake up!

How come SF with the #3 overall defense didn't win the SB last year? Defense wins championships? The year Pitt had the #2 ranked defense in the league how did they lose to GB in the SB? Defense wins championships? How did the Giants/Pats even MAKE the SB, one defense ranked 31 the other 27th. Defense wins championships? Or in that year how did they beat the 49ers and Ravens in the conference championship games...both had Top 5 defenses...defense couldn't get them to a super bowl...but defense wins championships.....except when it doesn't and facts blow up that statement! Give me a break.

[VidKid]

I believe it to be more of a statement of the better defensive team IN the Superbowl. Not necessarily the overall league.  Looking at the level of play in the playoffs, a lot of times D steps it up even more than the stats show from the reg season.

Currently the stats show the 10 year avg number of teams in the playoffs with a top D is 7.5. Of those teams that advance, the 10 year avg is 5.11. (source = NFL)

They do state that 2011 was the first time this avg was completely missed (in the 10 yr range mentioned) but since all stats have outliers, I'd say that the 'almost strike' season is partially to blame. Even though, in the end, the Giants D played extremely well in the playoffs and beat the 'prolific' NE offense after defeating GB in GB and ATL in ATL, both good offenses.

Last year i believe Baltimore had a top 10 D and San Fran was just outside the top 10. And this year, D again.

Not getting involved, just mentioning NFL stats...

[Dave Gray]

I think that the point of "Defense Wins Championships" isn't even what people think it means.

It's this:
Offense can win games, but over the course of a season, you're likely to run into bad matchups or have an off-day or what have you.  Defense is a more consistent team can take you further, on the average.  I don't even know if it's true, but that's the claim.

You can't look at any one game. 

But even this game wasn't specifically about defense.  Of course, Seattle's defense played well, but their special teams killed it and they controlled both lines of scrimmage.  It really was a team victory from top to bottom for Seattle.  And they just caught Denver having an off-day on top of it.

That game was such a turd.

[MikeO]

Last year i believe Baltimore had a top 10 D and San Fran was just outside the top 10. And this year, D again.

Not getting involved, just mentioning NFL stats...

Baltimore D last year was ranked 16th overall. SF was 3rd. Your stats are wrong

[MikeO]

I think that the point of "Defense Wins Championships" isn't even what people think it means.

It's this:
Offense can win games, but over the course of a season, you're likely to run into bad matchups or have an off-day or what have you.  Defense is a more consistent team can take you further, on the average.  I don't even know if it's true, but that's the claim.

You can't look at any one game. 

Teams with mediocre to bad defenses are in the playoffs and winning super bowls every year of late (except this year). When teams with a Top 5 or so defense win a bunch of super bowls in a row, year after year......then you can say "DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS".....until that happens it is a 100% false statement in today's NFL.

Seattle won this year...ok. Before then name the great defensive team that won a Super Bowl being carried week in and week out by their defense. You gotta go back a while. Like 6 years and the Steelers of 2008.  2009 Saints #1 offense, 20th ranked defense in the league won it all. 2010 Steelers #1 ranked defense LOSES Super Bowl to the better offensive team in GB. 2011 two teams ranked 31st and 27th in defense MAKE the Super Bowl, someone with a shit defense had to win. 2012 SF #3 ranked defense loses to Baltimore with the #16 ranked defense. Aside from Seattle name the great "defensive team" that won a super bowl in recent years? Like I said, the trend has turned.  Maybe Seattle is starting a new trend. These things usually go back and forth. BUT, today, in the year 2014 and in recent past years teams go further and win more super bowls in this league with an elite offense not an elite defense.

[Landshark]

Teams with mediocre to bad defenses are in the playoffs and winning super bowls every year of late (except this year). When teams with a Top 5 or so defense win a bunch of super bowls in a row, year after year......then you can say "DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS".....until that happens it is a 100% false statement in today's NFL.

Seattle won this year...ok. Before then name the great defensive team that won a Super Bowl being carried week in and week out by their defense. You gotta go back a while. Like 6 years and the Steelers of 2008.  2009 Saints #1 offense, 20th ranked defense in the league won it all. 2010 Steelers #1 ranked defense LOSES Super Bowl to the better offensive team in GB. 2011 two teams ranked 31st and 27th in defense MAKE the Super Bowl, someone with a shit defense had to win. 2012 SF #3 ranked defense loses to Baltimore with the #16 ranked defense. Aside from Seattle name the great "defensive team" that won a super bowl in recent years? Like I said, the trend has turned.  Maybe Seattle is starting a new trend. These things usually go back and forth. BUT, today, in the year 2014 and in recent past years teams go further and win more super bowls in this league with an elite offense not an elite defense.

Pull stats all you want.  Regular season doesn't mean squat once the playoffs roll around.  Baltimore had a reputation for being a defensive team and it was their defense that shut down Tom Brady in the AFC Title game last year, then shut down Kaepernick in the Super Bowl until the power went out. 

The Giants had a reputation for being a defensive team.  We all saw what they did in 2011.

If you want to mess with stats, here are some for you.  Five times in Super Bowl history, the top offense and the top defense have clashed.  In four of those times, the defensive team won.