Super Bowl 2014: Seahawks, Broncos and other Super Bowl grades

Feb 2, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson (22) walks off the field after loosing to the Seattle Seahawks 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Denver Broncos

• Overall Team Grade: F … This team looked like they had already quit at halftime. They were rattled on the very first play from scrimmage with the safety, and they never recovered. The offense needs to toughen up, because the Seahawks were more physical and had their way with Denver.

• Coaching: F … This team didn’t look ready. The Broncos rarely try to challenge the Seahawks, and they didn’t make the necessary adjustments early on. When they were down 28-plus points they punted and later on, they went for it on fourth down. The way this game was going, every drive would have been four-down territory with the way the Broncos were playing on both sides of the ball.

• Peyton Manning: D … They only reason I’m not giving him an F is because I respect Manning, plus he was getting little to no help from anyone. He didn’t help his cause much, but not all of this loss goes on Manning.

• Running game: F+ … Did the Broncos even dress a running back in this game? The leading rusher was Knowshon Moreno with 17 yards on five carries. Just awful.

• Receivers: D- … They caught the short passes all night with the longest catch going for 23 yards by Demaryius Thomas, who finished with 13 receptions for 118 yards. Wes Welker had eight receptions for 84 yards. Nobody else on the team had over 27 yards receiving. They let the Seahawks’ defense control their every move.

• Defense: F … Might have been their worst performance of the season. I know they were on the field a lot, but they didn’t challenge the Seahawks much in the game. Seattle’s offense finished with 341 yards and were 7-of-12 on third down (58 percent). The Broncos allowed 6.2 yards per play (55 plays).