Before Super Bowl XLVIII, I thought one of the biggest potential mismatches was Seattle's nickel defensive line vs. the Broncos' offensive line.

I couldn't be certain the Seahawks could get quick pressure, because Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning gets rid of the ball so quickly. But they did, and it was perhaps the biggest factor in Seattle's dominating win.

Denver had some receivers open, especially early on before the game got out of hand. But the Seattle pass rush wouldn't let Manning get to them.

The Broncos had three potential big plays in their first two series, and didn't hit any of them. The first one, Manning might have misread the coverage. The Seahawks played "man free lurk" on second-and-7 on their second possession, with safety Kam Chancellor as the lurk defender. Eric Decker easily beat Richard Sherman on an in-breaking route but Manning never looked to him, perhaps because the Seahawks were in a coverage they usually don't run. Seattle obviously game-planned this look for the Broncos to take away their crossing routes, with Chancellor in the position of enforcer. Any crosser, he's waiting there. And he hit Demaryius Thomas hard after he caught the shallow cross.

On the next play, Seattle's pass rush started to take over. On third-and-5 the Seahawks rushed just three and dropped eight in "Cover 3" zone. That coverage took away Demaryius Thomas on a wheel route. Safety Earl Thomas jumped the underneath crossing route by Knowshon Moreno. But Wes Welker was open on a crossing route in front of Chancellor. Manning never saw him because Seattle end Cliff Avril drove right tackle Orlando Franklin back into him, creating some quick pressure. Manning threw to Julius Thomas, who was tackled 2 yards short of the first down.

Story continues