Ask the Experts

January 30, 2014

What will happen in Super Bowl XLVIII?

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp to Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: What will happen in Super Bowl XLVIII?

MICAH JAMES

As impressive as the Seahawks were in outlasting the 49ers in the Conference Championship, I have the sense that Seattle wouldn't have pulled out that win on a neutral field. Denver's offense wasn't the same high-octane, 50-point juggernaut we've seen throughout the season, yet Peyton Manning still threw for 400 yards in the Broncos' win. The saying is "defense wins championships" but unless the weather in New Jersey makes it impossible to throw a football, I believe we'll see the Broncos put the finishing touch on a dominant offensive season. Denver 32, Seattle 24.

James, the FFMagicMan, won the FSTA Accuracy Rankings Challenge in 2012, finishing first out of 61 expert entries with an unprecedented Top-9 finish in each of the four measured skill positions. You can frequently hear him on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio and every week on his fantasy football podcast, Trick Plays, with co-host Coach Dennis Esser. Find James on Twitter and on Facebook, and check his website every week for the latest up-to-date player rankings.

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

It's a true tossup, but given the venue and conditions, I lean towards the defense -- and the Seahawks. X-factor: Russell Wilson's ability to make plans on the move. Seahawks 27, Broncos 23.

Pianowski has been playing fantasy football for 20 years and writing about it for 17. He joined Yahoo! Sports in 2008 and has been blogging 24/7 on RotoArcade.com ever since.

MICHAEL NAZAREK

The Broncos will edge the Seahawks in a close game on a late field goal by Matt Prater, 24-21. This is assuming there is no big snowstorm during the game.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.

IAN ALLAN

I love the matchup, and I think it could go either way, but I will give a slight edge to the Broncos. It doesn’t look like weather will be a factor, and with the way the rules are structured now, it’s just really tough for a defense — even a great defense like Seattle — to shut down a high-powered offense like Denver. Both teams went 13-3 in the regular season, but Denver was more impressive. There was only one other game for them where the outcome was really in doubt (the 51-48 shootout at Dallas). With the Seahawks, they probably should have lost at Carolina, at St. Louis and at Houston, and they were down 21-0 at home against the Buccaneers. Seattle’s offense has gone six games in a row without scoring more than 2 TDs, while Denver’s defense is playing pretty well. I am giving the Broncos a slight edge.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.

CORY BONINI

Balls will be thrown and caught. Fans will cheer and boo. Copious amounts of alcohol and nachos will be consumed. One team will win, another lose. Tears of joy and sorrow will be shed. Oh, the outcome of the game ... I lean Seattle ends up being too much for Denver's defense to handle, but the end result will be wholly based on whether Marshawn Lynch can go Beast Mode. Seattle immediately has an advantage the moment the Broncos have to commit extra defenders to the box on a regular basis. Denver's secondary is shaky enough when they have help, but being in three- and four-man coverage schemes will give Russell Wilson chances for big plays. I still cannot overlook Peyton Manning's pedestrian record in the postseason. Seattle sneaks out a W in a close one.

Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers services including daily news, draft guides and in-season advice. Completely free, KFFL.com is your destination for fantasy baseball, football and NASCAR cheat sheets, tips, sleepers and much more. KFFL.com has won more than a dozen expert championships and was listed as "One of the 10 essential sports-related online destinations for fans, athletes and fantasy owners" by Time.com. KFFL.com is property of USA TODAY Sports Media Group.

DAVID DOREY

I am looking for a lower scoring game through the first half, then Denver jumps out to a lead in the third from which the Seahawks never catch up.

Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.

SAM HENDRICKS

Sure defenses usually beat offenses in the Super Bowl, but 2013 was a special year for Peyton. Record breaking in so many ways that Peyton finds a way to win in the cold of East Rutherford. Yes cold not snow. Windy maybe and cold but no precipitation. Manning is the MVP with 350 yards passing and 2 TDs despite 2 picks. Lynch scores a rushing TD but Russell Wilson flops with just 200 yards passing as the Denver defense takes revenge on those "haters" who talked up the Seahawk side. John Elway is relieved. Final DEN 27-SEA 24.

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.

ERIC CATURIA

A first-time champion, with its star back hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy, will don oversized T-shirts on the podium following a struggle of contrasting styles. Indeed, I'm sticking with my preseason and pre-playoff pick for top dog of the 2013 campaign: the Seattle Seahawks. Despite all the accolades in the back pocket of Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, past and present, it's difficult to envision a scenario in which this season's likely MVP penetrates a defense characterized by both bravado and fortitude. First and foremost, history is not on the side of the Broncos: of the 12 highest-scoring offensive attacks in a single year, only two -- the 1999 St. Louis Rams and 2009 New Orleans Saints -- sauntered home with the Lombardi Trophy. Moreover, the Seahawks are particularly stingy against the pass, yielding an outstanding 172 yards per game, while boasting the supreme secondary in all of football. Led by Richard Sherman, who cancels out one half of the field, the defense is poised to flush Manning and either bring him down or force turnovers, as evidenced by 44 sacks and 39 takeaways during the regular season, the latter good for No. 1 in the league. If Seattle's defense lives up to the billing, and Marshawn Lynch continually chips away at a somewhat battered Denver deterrence devoid of its marquee pass rusher (Von Miller) and chief cornerback (Chris Harris), the victor is undoubtedly clear. Seahawks 30, Broncos 21.

Caturia is a writer/editor of NFL, MLB, and NBA content for RotoWire. He can be found on Twitter @etcat30.

ANDY RICHARDSON

I go back and forth, which I guess is a favorable sign for the kind of game to expect (uh, not that my prediction will affect the outcome). The two competing issues in my mind are 1) Peyton Manning is having an all-time season and is going to finish the job, and 2) The better defense tends to prevail in these games. In a way it's like the Giants-Patriots game after the 2007 season; New York's elite defense ruined Tom Brady's perfect season. Nothing will surprise me with this game, but my slight lean is that Denver simply has too much offense -- more by far than any opponent Seattle faced all season -- to be stopped, while Seattle's offense isn't quite good enough to keep up. I'm calling it Denver 27, Seattle 23, but a 23-20 Seahawks win wouldn't surprise me either. I think it will be one of the best Super Bowls we've seen.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for 12 years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.

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