Denver Broncos: Keys to Beating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII

August 18 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) in the second quarter of a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Broncos and Seahawks will square off on Sunday with the title of Super Bowl Champions on the line. These two teams did not meet in the regular season but they did meet in the preseason. The Seahawks beat the Broncos easily in Seattle in the preseason, but this Sunday when these two teams meet the stakes will be much higher. Here are my keys to victory for the Broncos:

Shut Down the Seahawks Running Game

Marshawn Lynch has been playing well as of late. Lynch has carried the offense to victories throughout the season so the Broncos need to make sure they shut him down. The Broncos have done a good job shutting the run down so far in the playoffs. They cooled off two running backs, Ryan Mathews and LaGarrette Blount, that were playing well before their games against the Broncos. It was no coincidence that the Broncos won both of these games, because they held these backs in check. The Broncos will have to do the same to Lynch this weekend if they want to win.

Winning the Turnover Battle

The Broncos cannot turn the ball over on Sunday against the Seahawks. The Seahawks defense is very good and the Broncos cannot end drives by giving the Seahawks the ball in good field position. In the Super Bowl every drive is a big deal so the Broncos cannot squander any opportunities they have to score against the Seahawks defense.

On the flip side, the Broncos defense needs to get takeaways. The more the Broncos defense is off the field the more rested they will be to shut down the Seahawks offense. Generating turnovers will also put the ball into the Broncos offense’s hands more, which translates to more opportunities to put points on the board.

Keep Focused on the Game

Playing in the Super Bowl is a huge honor that not all players get a chance to experience. There is a lot of other things that go along with the game. From team photos, to interviews, to the excitement of just being there, there are a lot distractions that come along with Super Bowl weekend. The Broncos have to stay focused and not get caught up in all the other festivities of Super Bowl weekend. They have to come prepared on Sunday to win the game. This is a business trip for the Broncos and they need to play like it if they want to celebrate a Super Bowl victory after the game.

This will be a matchup for the ages with the Broncos top ranked offense against the Seahawks top ranked defense. If the Broncos do these things well I believe that they have a great chance to come out on top and be crowned Super Bowl Champions.

The Broncos and Seahawks kickoff Super Bowl XLVIII at 4:25 p.m. MST on Sunday.

Go Broncos!

Make sure you follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.