Super Bowl XLVIII did not turn out to be the classic game that would go down in history, nor did it even turn out to be a game. Despite the abundant amount of confidence the public had in the Denver Broncos winning the Super Bowl, the Seattle Seahawks dominated the Broncos in all facets of the game.

The biggest cause for the monstrous gap in score was the Denver Broncos’ four turnovers, one of them being returned for a touchdown, compared to the Seahawks 0. This was in large part due to the Seahawks’ swarming defense that had a league-leading 39 takeaways on the year. Also, the Denver Broncos totaled 26 giveaways on the season, trailing only the Cincinnati Bengals for the most turnovers out of all playoff teams.

Another stat that was astonishing is the lack of a rushing attack by the Broncos, as they only garnered 27 yards on 14 attempts, compared to the Seahawks 135 yards on 29 attempts. Seattle’s success on the ground was in large part due to the big play ability of Percy Harvin and Russell Wilson, in tandem with running back Marshawn Lynch. However, the Broncos should have been able to run the ball better than they did, despite Peyton Manning’s off game and the lack of attempts, as they only averaged 1.9 yards per carry.

The public needs to accept the fact that the Seattle Seahawks were a much more prepared, dominant team, and that defense can still win championships. Do the Broncos have more talent? Maybe, but the Seahawks played with a riveting passion ignited by a fueling fire that was created by public doubt in their abilities.

In fact, the public had so much faith in the Broncos that NFL Access tweeted that Floyd Mayweather placed a $10.4 million bet on the Broncos. This was however denied by Mayweather after the Super Bowl, as he claimed that if he were to place a bet, he would have put it on the Seahawks. Also, a furniture salesman in Houston named Jim McIngvale offered customers of Gallery Furniture a deal where anyone who spends over $6,000 receives their money back if the Seahawks win the Super Bowl. This cost him $7 million. This was first reported by ABC affiliate KTRK.

With the talent, big-play ability, and motivation ignited by public doubt that the Seahawks carried with them, you get the outcome of a lopsided, uncompetitive Super Bowl that was watched by a record audience of 111.5 million people, according to Nielsen.