Championship-Caliber Defenses: Comparing the 2013 Seahawks and 2015 Broncos' Defensive Prowess
Throughout the 2010s, the NFL saw many formidable defenses. As the decade progressed the league made rule changes that supported the offensive side of the ball. For the most part, this has been great. Scoring has only gone up which has benefited ratings and fantasy football too. These two things have helped the growth of the league. The only people who aren’t happy with this are defenders. Due to the rule changes, playing defense has become even more of a challenge. This context makes these teams’ achievements even more impressive.
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2013 Seattle Seahawks - The 2013 Seattle Seahawks, other wise known as the “Legion of Boom” needs no introduction. This defense helped lead Seattle to the #1 seed in the NFC, eventually winning the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos led by Peyton Manning. Seattle beat Denver 43-8 in a lopsided blowout, as what made this even more impressive is that Denver is considered statistically the best offense in NFL history. On average, Seattle held their opponents to only 14.4 points per game while only letting opposing teams have 274 yards of total offense per game. This unit was led by its standout secondary which contained players such as Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor. This team will always be one of my favorites to watch due to the team playing during the first season that I followed the league. I am glad that I was able to appreciate this defense at such a young age.
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2015 Denver Broncos - The 2015 Denver Broncos are seen as the only other team that could compete with the 2013 Seattle Seahawks defense. This defense was equally as dominant throughout their campaign. Denver’s key to success was different than Seattle’s, it’s bread and butter was the defensive line. The standout players on the defensive line were Malik Jackson, Demarcus Ware, and the legendary Von Miller. In 2015, Denver led the league in sacks with a total of 52. Denver’s linebackers were led by Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan, while its secondary contained elite talents such as Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr., and T.J. Ward. Statistically, Denever only allowed opponents to score 18.5 PPG, 203 passing yards per game, and 80 rushing yards per game. Just like Seattle in 2013, Denver’s defense carried the team to the #1 seed in the AFC. Denver’s iconic moment came in the Superbowl against the 15-1 Carolina Panthers who were led by league MVP Cam Newton. In the middle of the first quarter, Newton was sacked by Von Miller resulting in a fumble picked up by Malik Jackson in the endzone to give Denver an early lead at 10-0. That was not all for Von Miller, there was more to come. Late in the fourth quarter, Miller again stripped the ball from Newton resulting in a fumble recovery for Denver in their own red zone. Denver would capitalize off this turnover by scoring a touchdown not much later to make the game 24-10, overall this play put the Panthers away in the game. Miller won Superbowl MVP with an impressive stat line of two and a half sacks, six tackles, and two forced fumbles.
NFL fans may never see a defense like either of these teams again. In this era, it is extremely rare to find a defense this dominant. The 2017 Jaguars and 2018 Bears impacted the game but did not lead their teams to a Super Bowl win. One day we will see a defense impact the game on this level again, but for now, we are left to appreciate both of these teams for what they did on the field.
