Can the Seahawks defense be the best ever? (Part 2)
By Colin Floyd
Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) is dropped buy Seattle Seahawks defense in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Last week we took a look at how your 2013 Seattle Seahawks (did I mention Super Bowl Champs?) defense compared to what are considered some of the greatest defenses of all time. And while they held their own in most of the typical statistics, this week, we will examine the most important thing within the world of football: The Lombardi Trophy.
While the ’85 Bears sack total of 64 may be out of reach, the Hawks’ performance in Super Bowl 48 has a legitimate shot at being named “The Greatest” as far as Big Game performances go.
Defense |
Yards Allowed
Points Allowed
Sacks
Interceptions
Forced Fumbles
’76 Steelers
(Did not make it to SB 10)
’85 Bears
W(46-10)
123
10
7
2
4
’00 Ravens
W(34-7)
152
7
4
4
2
’02 Bucs
W(48-21)
269
21
5
5
1
’13 Seahawks
W(43-8)
306
8
1
2
4
As you can see, there is a similar trend here: defense wins championships. While the Bears held their opponent to the least yards, we must consider the fact that statistically, the Hawks went up against the greatest offense of all time, and held them to 8 points (which they did not score until the 3rd quarter). They also did not allow the Broncos to convert a single first down attempt until the second quarter.
All things said, there will always be speculation as to who is “the best ever” in terms of defense, but looking at it purely statistically; it’s hard to not include the 2013 Seattle Seahawks on that list.