SEATTLE — No one is going to build up Super Bowl XLVIII as a battle of the quarterbacks the way the AFC Championship was portrayed, with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady squaring off in duel of future Hall of Famers.
What transpires in two weeks at MetLife Stadium will be far different. Standing there trying to put a dent into Manning’s legacy will be Russell Wilson, a second-year-player who when standing straight up barely comes to Manning’s shoulders and has a style that is as different from Manning’s as you can get.
“It’s a tremendous honor,’’ Wilson said Sunday night of facing Manning. “I want to be like him one day in terms of all the things he’s done and how he’s gone about his business.’’
For all he’s done, Manning has one Super Bowl victory on his résumé and Wilson can match that if his Seahawks, after surviving a slugfest of an NFC title game to beat the 49ers 23-17, can knock off the Broncos.
“To go against a guy who is definitely going to be a Hall of Famer is a tremendous honor,” Wilson said, “but it’s not going to be me versus him.’’
Indeed, the Seahawks, primarily a running team, do not rely on Wilson the way the Broncos lean on Manning. Still, Wilson was coolly efficient against the 49ers, completing 16 of 25 passes for 215 yards and one touchdown, a 35-yard scoring strike to Jermaine Kearse to give the Seahawks the winning points early in the fourth quarter.
“Playing in New York, it’s going to be a great moment,’’ Wilson said. “We can’t wait.’’
Wilson gets to go against the Broncos defense, which is not nearly as tough as the 49ers, but he won’t be on the field when Manning is doing his thing. The task of dealing with Manning falls to the Seattle defense, which allowed the fewest points in the league this season and was the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense, featuring the “Legion of Boom” secondary.
“We wouldn’t have it any other way,’’ cornerback Richard Sherman said. “They’re an unbelievable, record-setting offense with a Hall of Fame quarterback. That’s as tough as you can get in a Super Bowl, the No. 1 defense vs. the No. 1 offense. It doesn’t happen like this too often, both No. 1 seeds make it. It’s a testament to the hard work of both teams and I’m sure it will be a fantastic game.’’