In Peyton Manning, the Seahawks defense will face a quarterback who set NFL single-season records in passing yards and touchdown passes this season.
During Tuesday’s media day, though, members of that defense stressed that Manning didn’t get the Broncos to the Super Bowl all by himself. Defensive end Chris Clemons pointed out Knowshon Moreno’s 10 rushing touchdowns as a reason to take the running game seriously and avoid falling into a trap that safety Earl Thomas thinks some teams fell into by focusing too much on the Denver passing attack.
“A lot of people sleep on their running game because of Peyton Manning and what he’s able to do,” Thomas said. “These guys have elevated in the playoffs. I think a lot of defenses get lost in the passing game and that’s how these guys are getting off. We really understand the formations as far as the running attack. That’s what’s going to allow us to play with confidence and dominate.”
Linebacker Bobby Wagner, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel and others on the Seattle defense echoed their teammates’ thoughts on the potency of the Broncos running game, which has produced at least 100 rushing yards in all but four games this season. Stopping it and the passing game is certainly easier said than done, but the Seahawks are, at the very least, well aware of what they’ll need to do.