The Seahawks won the Super Bowl with a legitimately historic defense. The most important play of that Super Bowl performance—Malcolm Smith’s pick-six—illustrates perfectly how much of a team effort it was. Before Smith intercepted the ball, DE Cliff Avril caused an errant throw by bullrushing his blocker into Peyton Manning. How did Avril have the energy at the end of a 15-play Broncos drive? Because for the previous four snaps—three full minutes of game time—he’d been resting on the sideline while backup O’Brien Schofield manned his spot. Back to Smith: On a 3rd and 13 against the NFL’s greatest quarterback, how was Smith able to play such tight coverage in the flat? Because Richard Sherman was running stride-for-stride with the outside receiver, and Earl Thomas was helping over the top. Even though the Broncos needed 13 yards, Smith kept position in the short flat. When Avril tipped the pass, Smith was right there to snag it.

seahawks.com

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