I played a thrilling solo session of Pizza Box Football yesterday afternoon in preparation for the big event tomorrow. Could Peyton Manning lead the Broncos to victory against the NFL’s toughest defence? Let’s see.
First Quarter
Seattle kicked off but the return left Denver in good field position. Unfortunately, Manning was sacked on his very first play and Denver were forced to punt three plays later. Seattle moved the ball quite effectively and capped their opening drive with a field goal
Denver 0 Seattle 3
Denver fumbled a completed pass on their next drive giving Seattle the ball on Denver’s 23 yard line. No further progress led to a second field goal, doubling Seattle’s lead.
Denver 0 Seattle 6
Denver ended the quarter on their own 32 yard line.
Second Quarter
First play saw Manning get his first decent passing gain with 20 yards and they continued on the ground until they had to accept a field goal rather than anything better with ten minutes remaining in the half.
Denver 3 Seattle 6
The next drive saw Denver’s defence go to sleep as they first gave up 26 yards on the run and a 48 yard rushing touchdown. Ugly stuff.
Even uglier was the PAT attempt giving Seattle just six rather than seven extra points.
Denver 3 Seattle 12
Denver kept plugging away on their next drive but an interception around midfield deepened their agony. Seattle were, however, unable to capitalise and a missed long field goal attempt at least kept Denver with some hope.
Third Quarter
Russell Wilson started the third quarter in conservative mood although his running backs made sure they kept the ball. 32 yard and 24 yard gains took them to the Denver goal line and they forced their way in with Denver looking a beaten side.
Denver 3 Seattle 19
With little to lose, Manning strung a couple of good completions together to bring the Broncos to the Seahawks 25 yard line but with a fourth down and 2, Denver went for the yards rather than the field goal – and piled over with a 4 yard gain to keep the game alive. This obviously sparked the offence into life as the next play saw Manning deliver a touchdown pass to reduce the deficit to just 9.
Denver 10 Seattle 19
Seattle kept the ball for the rest of the quarter but it ended with Denver back in possession on their 33 yard line.
Fourth Quarter
Manning could sense the tide had shifted but with time running out he needed some big plays. 13 and 19 yard pass completions as well as 11 and 15 yard rushing first downs certainly looked to be the right medicine and a ten yard pass into the endzone brought the game down to a one score game.
Denver 17 Seattle 19
Seattle fans were biting their nails as their team tried to wind the clock down but they eventually had to punt the ball to Denver for one final push. Manning was in his stride now and a couple of fifteen yard passes brought them just about into field goal range. Not wanting to give up the ball, the next couple of plays stayed on the ground before one of the running backs broke through for a twenty yard gain. With just seconds left on the clock, Denver completed a remarkable comeback with a successful field goal to win the Superbowl.
Final Score:
Denver 20 Seattle 19
What a great finish!
P.S. I have no allegiance to either team. That is probably the best session of Pizza Box Football I’ve experienced and let’s hope the real thing is as exciting.