- Final0SD
BUF22
1022
10 - Final1DAL
STL34
3134
31 - Final2WSH
PHI34
3734
37 - Final3HOU
NYG17
3017
30 - Final4MIN
NO9
209
20 - Final5TEN
CIN7
337
33 - Final6BAL
CLE23
2123
21 - Final7GB
DET7
197
19 - Final8IND
JAX44
1744
17 - Final9OAK
NE9
169
16 - Final10SF
ARI14
2314
23 - Final OTOT11DEN
SEA20
2620
26 - Final12KC
MIA34
1534
15 - Final13PIT
CAR37
1937
19 - Final14TB
ATL14
5614
56 - Final15CHI
NYJ27
1927
19
Final/OT
Coverage: CBS
4:25 PM ET, September 21, 2014
Lumen Field, Seattle, WA
Top Performers
Passing: P. Manning (DEN) - 303 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: M. Lynch (SEA) - 26 CAR, 88 YDS, 1 TD
Receiving: E. Sanders (DEN) - 11 REC, 149 YDS
Just over seven months after the Seattle Seahawks annihilated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, the teams are set to go at it again Sunday.
The unbeaten Broncos are looking forward to Wes Welker's return ahead of this much-anticipated showdown against Seattle, which is back home looking for answers after a surprising Week 2 loss.
Russell Wilson threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns while the Richard Sherman-led defense shut down the Broncos in a 43-8 rout at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2, the most lopsided Super Bowl victory in over 20 years.
This marks just the sixth time Super Bowl participants will face each other the following season.
"We've moved passed it, it happened, but we want to make our stamp on the league," Broncos safety David Bruton said. "As of right now it's just another game. We can't change the outcome of last season."
While the Broncos got a bit of revenge by winning the preseason opener for both teams last month, Seattle is expecting their best shot Sunday.
"I'm sure this is a really important game to them again. As it is to us," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. "I think there was something going on in the preseason. I think it was a big deal for them. I don't blame them one bit."
The Seahawks opened 2014 with an impressive 36-16 rout of Green Bay before falling 30-21 at San Diego last Sunday. Wilson threw for 202 yards and two scores, but Philip Rivers' passer rating of 124.2 was the highest against Seattle since Week 8 in 2010.
"They're quiet. They're quiet and serious," said Carroll, whose team's nine-point defeat was its largest since November 2011. "We don't take these easily. There are very high expectations that we live with here and everybody knows that. The main thing is everybody took to heart the changes and adjustments and the things that we can fix."
The Broncos (2-0) are coming off a closer-than-expected 24-17 win over Kansas City last Sunday. Peyton Manning was 21 of 26 for 242 yards and three TDs, giving him six and no interceptions.
The Chiefs had a chance to tie things up or take the lead but couldn't convert from the Broncos' 2 in the final minute.
"Hey, we're 2-0 going on the road trying to be 3-0 and that's the best place you can be: undefeated," cornerback Chris Harris said. "And we have lofty goals and all the fans have lofty goals for us. They expect us to kill everybody every week. You all (reporters) probably do, too. But it's the NFL. Teams are coming to play us like it's the Super Bowl every week."
The Broncos faced a similar scare in Week 1 but held on to beat Indianapolis 31-24. They're averaging 343.0 yards of total offense after racking up 457.3 per game last year.
Getting Welker back should help. The five-time Pro Bowler was reinstated and practiced Wednesday for the first time since Sept. 1 after the NFL agreed to a new performance-enhancing drug policy, cutting his four-game suspension for offseason amphetamine use in half.
Welker had 73 catches for 778 yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns in 13 regular-season games last year.
While the Broncos' results haven't been very convincing, they know they have a chance to make a big statement in Seattle.
"There's not a lot of 58-0 games in this league," coach John Fox said. "It's all a concern but when you look at the first quarter of our season, every team is a 10-win team. One's the defending Super Bowl champs and we trot to their place this week.
"I don't think anybody's playing their best football of the year after Week 2. And I'd say it's a fair assessment that we aren't, either. That's something that you try to do is improve every day and every week. So, hopefully we're playing our best football well into the playoffs."
Newcomer Emmanuel Sanders stepped up in Welker's absence, catching 14 passes for 185 yards. Tight end Julius Thomas has 143 yards and four touchdowns.
Manning leads the NFL with a 126.5 passer rating while Wilson isn't far behind at 114.7. Wilson has thrown 34 touchdowns and seven interceptions in going 18-1 as a starter at home, including playoffs.
The Seahawks have held teams to an average of 13.3 points during those games, allowing more than 20 twice. Denver hasn't visited Seattle since a 31-9 victory Nov. 17, 2002.
Recent Blog Posts
Matchup
DEN | SEA | |
|---|---|---|
| W-L | 2-1 | 2-1 |
| Avg Points | 6.7 | 8.7 |
| Avg Points Allowed | 8.7 | 6.7 |
| Home Record | 2-0 | 2-0 |
| Road Record | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| Division Record | 1-0 | 0-0 |
| Conference Record | 2-0 | 1-0 |
| Complete Standings | ||
Passing Leaders
| Denver | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Nix | 59.2 | 1271 | 7 | 3 |
| Seattle | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
| S. Darnold | 62.1 | 1290 | 8 | 8 |
| D. Lock | 72.9 | 422 | 4 | 0 |
Rushing Leaders
| Denver | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Dobbins | 87 | 293 | 3.4 | 3 | |
| B. Nix | 29 | 110 | 3.8 | 2 | |
| Seattle | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| E. Wilson | 111 | 403 | 3.6 | 3 | |
| J. Price | 28 | 119 | 4.3 | 0 | |
Receiving Leaders
| Denver | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Waddle | 26 | 276 | 10.6 | 1 | |
| R. Harvey | 25 | 217 | 8.7 | 1 | |
| Seattle | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | |
| J. Smith-Njigba | 58 | 867 | 14.9 | 8 | |
| C. Kupp | 18 | 199 | 11.1 | 1 | |
Team Averages & NFL Ranks
| TEAM OFFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | DEN | |
| SEA | ||
| Yards Passing | DEN | |
| SEA | ||
| Yards Rushing | DEN | |
| SEA | ||
| TEAM DEFENSE | TEAM | PER GAME AVERAGE |
| Yards Allowed | DEN | |
| SEA | ||
| Pass Yds Allowed | DEN | |
| SEA | ||
| Rush Yds Allowed | DEN | |
| SEA |
Head to Head Matchups (Since 2001)
| Seattle leads 4-3 | |
|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2014 | DEN 8, SEA 43 |
| Sep 19, 2010 | DEN 31, SEA 14 |
| Dec 3, 2006 | DEN 20, SEA 23 |
| Nov 17, 2002 | DEN 31, @SEA 9 |
| Dec 9, 2001 | DEN 20, SEA 7 |
| Oct 14, 2001 | DEN 21, @SEA 34 |



