Where the Super Bowl will be won... or lost

In what has been dubbed the Weed Bowl  — Colorado and Washington were the first two states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana — the season’s final showdown will be the first to be played outside in cold temperatures. It is also the first Super Bowl to be played on artificial turf since Super Bowl X. Here’s a breakdown of the good, the bad and the ugly...

Denver Broncos

Peyton Manning, with  his plethora of records, is arguably the best quarterback of all time.  

On Sunday, his bionic arm and masterful mind will lead his herd of offensive power into the Super Bowl. But the offence is not in question. The real challenge will be for the Broncos’ erratic defence up against a dominant Seattle offence. The Broncos have given up an average of 24.9 points per game in regular season or a total of 399 points over 16 games. 

If the Broncos want to stop the Seahawks flying away with victory, the defence will need to: 

• Force Wilson to throw and stay in the pocket

• Increase their pass rush 

• Tame the beast of Marshawn Lynch 

What they got going in:

• Five players with 10 or more touchdowns each

• Three games where they’ve scored at least 50 points

• 457.3 yards per game

The Broncos clinched their playoff berth in Week 14 after defeating the Tennessee Titans. 

They enter the Super Bowl with a regular season record of 13-3. This will be Peyton Manning’s third Super Bowl appearance and his first in orange. Manning and the Indianapolis Colts won Super Bowl XLI in 2007.

Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson may be a second-year quarterback and a newbie to the Super Bowl, but don’t let that fool you. 

Once this kid gets into a groove, look out. Even worse, don’t let him call his own number. In just two seasons in the NFL, Wilson has rushed for 1,028 yards. 

His offensive weapons include the likes of the Candyman Marshawn Lynch. Once Lynch gets into Beast Mode, he’s a terror to any defensive line.

But what the Seahawks have really going for them is their punishing defence, starring Richard ‘don’t nobody talk about me’ Sherman. He along with the Legion of Boom (LOB) defence, have given up only an average of 14.4 points per game in regular season or 231 points in 16 games. 

Some say their regular season appointments are hardly the likes of Peyton Manning, but tell that to Drew Brees and Colin Kaepernick. If the Seahawks want to prevent the Broncos from stampeding over their first Super Bowl win in franchise history, they will need to:

• Penetrate the Broncos’ pass-protection wall

• Get inside Peyton’s head

• Instil solid man-to-man coverage on the likes of Welker and Decker

What they got going in:

• Marshawn Lynch and his third-straight 1,000-yard season

• First 11-1 start in franchise history

• 14-game win streak at home between 2012 to 2013

The Seahawks were the first team to clinch their playoff berth in the postseason and they also enter the Super Bowl with a regular-season record of 13-3.  

This will be Wilson’s first Super Bowl appearance, while the Seahawks last appearance in a Super Bowl was in the 2005 season, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-10 in Super Bowl XL. 

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Bobbi Singh on  Twitter (@sportschickca).