NEWARK — Cold weather in New Jersey at this time of year in unavoidable.
The frigid temperature expected for Sunday’s Super Bowl in East Rutherford doesn’t bode well for the pass-happy Denver Broncos offense — even more so when the Seattle ground game and top-ranked defense is factored in.
Any precipitation just adds to the Seahawks advantage in a game where a neutral playing field is the main idea.
“It’s cold in Seattle, but not this cold,” Seattle WR Golden Tate said at Media Day Tuesday. “I’ve played here before and we are definitely comfortable. I don’t think it’s going to effect how we play as much.
“It’s not so much the cold weather, but maybe bad weather. For a receiver, if there is rain, you have to change your gloves and it’s tougher to catch. You have to really focus. And if there is wind, that pushes the ball around.”
The forecast has brightened some for Sunday, with game-time temps expected to hover above freezing with just a 10 percent chance of precipitation. That percentage is down from the 40 percent mark forecasters had it at earlier this week.
“We don’t worry about the weather,” Seahawks defensive lineman Chris Clemons said. “The weather is what it is and there is bad weather in Seattle. We don’t really think weather will be a problem for us, but both teams understand that it’s going to be an issue.”
A man of few words, Marshawn Lynch gave his brief take on the conditions Thursday afternoon. The Seahawks running back will play a big factor regardless, but poor weather would likely force the ball into his hands early and often.
“Sounds like a fun day,” he said. “I mean, I get to run into a lot of people.”
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is often criticized for his play in low-temperature games and has enough pressure on his shoulders to cement his legacy as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, to ever play the QB position. Add in a Seattle defense that boasts a secondary with standout corner Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas and a below 40-degree situation that Manning is just 8-11 in during his career.
“Every game takes on its own identity,” Manning said Thursday. “I still think it has a lot more to do with the opponent than the elements. I’ve always felt that way, that if you are moving the ball or not moving the ball, it has something to do with how you are playing as an offense and how the defense is playing. I still believe that it comes down to how you are executing.”
There shouldn’t be any doubt that Manning can win his second Super Bowl Sunday. The playing field, however, lends the advantage to the team that reached the game by running the ball effectively and playing great defense, not the team that has one of the scariest aerial attacks in the history of the league.
“If you’re running bad plays on first down, and having second and 12s and third and 10s, you are probably not moving the ball whether you are playing in 80-degree weather or playing in cold weather,” Manning said. “That’s what we are focusing on this week, just trying to be on top of our execution, knowing that you have to be on top of it against a defense as good as this one.”
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