Super Bowl XLVIII

"2014 Super Bowl" redirects here. For the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 2014 season, see Super Bowl XLIX.

Super Bowl XLVIII
DateFebruary 2, 2014
Kickoff time6:32 p.m. EST (UTC-5)
StadiumMetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
MVPMalcolm Smith, linebacker[1]
FavoriteBroncos by 2[2]
RefereeTerry McAulay[3]
Attendance82,529[4][5]
Ceremonies
National anthemRenée Fleming[6]
Coin tossJoe Namath and Phil Simms
Halftime showBruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers
TV in the United States
NetworkFox
AnnouncersJoe Buck (play-by-play)
Troy Aikman (analyst)
Pam Oliver and Erin Andrews (sideline reporters)
Mike Pereira (rules analyst)
Nielsen ratings46.4 (national)[7][8]
56.7 (Seattle)[7][8]
50.5 (New York)[7][8]
51.4 (Denver)[7][8]
US viewership: 111.5 million est. avg., 167 million est. total
Market share69 (national)[7]
Cost of 30-second commercial$4 million[9]
Radio in the United States
NetworkWestwood One
AnnouncersKevin Harlan (play-by-play)
Boomer Esiason (analyst)
James Lofton and Mark Malone (sideline reporters)

Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 2013 season. The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43–8, the largest margin of victory for an underdog and tied with Super Bowl XXVII (1993) for the third largest point differential overall (35) in Super Bowl history.[10][11] It was the first time the winning team scored over 40 points while holding their opponent to under 10. This became the first Super Bowl victory for the Seahawks and the fifth Super Bowl loss for the Broncos, at the time a league record (it would later be tied by the New England Patriots following their Super Bowl LII loss) for the most of any team. The game was played on February 2, 2014, at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey,[12] the first Super Bowl played outdoors in a cold-weather city and the first Super Bowl to be played on February 2.[13]

The Seahawks posted a 13–3 record and were making their second Super Bowl appearance in nine years. The Broncos were making their seventh Super Bowl appearance after also posting a 13–3 record.[14] This marked one of the few times that two former divisional rivals met in a Super Bowl, as the Seahawks and Broncos were in the same division (the AFC West) from 1977 to 2001.[15]

Seattle led 22–0 at halftime and ultimately went up 36–0 before allowing Denver's first and only score on the final play of the third quarter. The Seahawks set a record by making the first seven scores of the game; previously the record was four. The 36–0 lead was by far the largest shutout lead in Super Bowl history; the previous record was 24–0, shared by the Miami Dolphins over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII and the Washington Redskins over the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril scored a safety on the first play from scrimmage. They became the first team in a Super Bowl to score on a safety (12 seconds into the start of the game which set the record for the quickest score), a kickoff return for a touchdown (12 seconds into the second half), and an interception return for a touchdown. The Broncos were held to almost 30 points below their scoring average.[16] Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, a five-time NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award winner, threw two interceptions in the first half. Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, who returned one of those interceptions 69 yards for a touchdown, recovered a fumble and made nine tackles, was named Super Bowl MVP. This is the fifth Super Bowl where the winning team outscored the losing team in every quarter.[1]

In the United States, the game was televised by Fox; with an average audience of 111.5 million viewers that peaked at 115.3 million during the halftime show featuring Bruno Mars.[17] The game was briefly the most-watched U.S. television broadcast of all time, until it was surpassed by Super Bowl XLIX the following year.[18] The game's inaugural Spanish-language telecast on Fox Deportes was also the highest-rated Spanish-language cable telecast outside of soccer. Seattle also tied the 1992 Dallas Cowboys for the third-largest blowout in Super Bowl history, behind Super Bowl XXIV in 1990, a 55–10 San Francisco 49ers victory over the Denver Broncos, and Super Bowl XX in 1986, a 46–10 Chicago Bears victory over the New England Patriots. This was also the first time since 1991 that the #1 scoring offense (Broncos) went up against the #1 scoring defense (Seahawks).[19]

Because the game was one-sided from start to finish, Super Bowl XLVIII is widely regarded as one of the most disappointing Super Bowl games of all time,[20][21][22][23] although it is also viewed as a crowning achievement of the Seahawks’ 2013 defense.[24][25][26]

  1. ^ a b Patra, Kevin (February 2, 2014). "Seahawks' Malcolm Smith wins Super Bowl XLVIII MVP". NFL.com. National Football League. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  2. ^ Burke, Chris (January 20, 2014). "Super Bowl XLVIII odds: Denver Broncos open as favorite over Seattle Seahawks". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  3. ^ Brinson, Will (January 15, 2014). "NFL names Terry McAulay referee for Super Bowl XLVIII". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2014.
  4. ^ "Super Bowl Winners". NFL.com. National Football League. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  5. ^ Jorgensen, Jack (February 2, 2014). "Super Bowl 48: Official attendance announced as 82, 529". Fansided. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "Renee Fleming to sing National Anthem at Super Bowl XLVIII". NFL.com. National Football League. January 21, 2014. Archived from the original on April 23, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Jon (February 3, 2014). "Super Bowl 48 Local Ratings: Seattle Up, Denver Down, K.C. Leads". Sports Media Watch. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  8. ^ a b c d "Super Bowl XLVIII most-watched TV program in U.S. history". NFL.com. National Football League. February 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Horovitz, Bruce (September 3, 2013). "Super Bowl ad fever hits early this year". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  10. ^ Young, Kenley (February 2, 2014). "So just how bad was this Super Bowl rout, historically?". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  11. ^ "mcubed.net : NFL : Super bowl scores sorted by margin of victory". mcubed.net. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  12. ^ "Super Bowl XLVIII – Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos – 2013 NFL Playoffs". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  13. ^ "Owners warm up to New York/New Jersey as Super Bowl XLVIII host". National Football League. Associated Press. May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 27, 2010. It's the first time the league has gone to a cold-weather site that doesn't have a dome ... the NFL will wait and see how this foray into the great outdoors in winter goes. Then the league might OK another bid
  14. ^ "Top stats to know: Super Bowl matchup". ESPN. January 19, 2014. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference FirstTimeSinceXLIII was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Acee, Kevin (February 2, 2014). "Manning no match for swarming Seahawks". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
  17. ^ Soshnick, Scott (February 3, 2014). "Despite rout, Super Bowl sets TV ratings record -Fox". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 20, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  18. ^ Patra, Kevin (February 2, 2015). "Super Bowl XLIX is most-watched show in U.S. history". National Football League. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  19. ^ Vergara, Andre (February 2, 2017). "The history of the Super Bowl's seven No. 1 defense-vs.-No. 1 offense matchups". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  20. ^ Goldberg, Jeff (February 9, 2022). "5 Worst Super Bowl Games of All Time, Ranked". Sportscasting.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  21. ^ See, Spencer (February 9, 2023). "10 Worst Super Bowls Ever, Ranked". ClutchPoints. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  22. ^ Davis, Nate (February 4, 2023). "Ranking all 56 Super Bowls from best to worst: Where do Chiefs, Eagles games rate on dramatic scale?". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  23. ^ "Ranking every Super Bowl 56-1: Tom Brady-led Patriots played in best games; here's where Rams-Bengals fits". February 11, 2023. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  24. ^ "Thursday Round-Up: 2013 Seahawks Ranked Among Top 5 Defenses of All-Time". www.seahawks.com. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  25. ^ Lee, Nick (June 11, 2020). "Revisiting the Dominance of the 2013 Seahawks' Defense". Sports Illustrated Seattle Seahawks News, Analysis and More. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  26. ^ Alexander, Mookie (June 17, 2020). "Football Outsiders ranks 2013 Seahawks as NFL's best team of the decade". Field Gulls. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.