Sunday Rundown: We finally got the Super Bowl we deserved

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward. 

Where was this game in February?

The NFL's first cold-weather Super Bowl failed to deliver. For starters, it wasn't especially cold. It wasn't especially entertaining, either. The Seahawks led from the first play from scrimmage, shredding the Broncos in all three facets of the game and ultimately prevailing 43-8. Peyton Manning's historic offense, the stuff of nightmares for opposing defenses all season long, was pitiful.

At CenturyLink Field on Sunday, we finally got the game the football gods withheld from us on that lukewarm February night. 

The Seahawks again jumped out to a lead, and their swarming defense again reminded us of Manning's mortality. The lead wasn't as insurmountable as in the Super Bowl, but the result didn't feel in doubt.

Then, suddenly, Manning was leading the Broncos on a furious comeback drive in the dying minutes. He was doing the near-impossible, quieting the Seattle crowd with a laser to Jacob Tamme to draw the Broncos within two. He was attempting the unthinkable, throwing at Richard Sherman on a two-point conversion attempt Demaryius Thomas secured, tying the game. 

And then, suddenly, Manning was walking off the field in defeat. 

The Broncos didn't touch the ball again after their tying score. Snapped back to reality, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks' offense marched down the field on the first possession of overtime and ended the game on a six-yard Marshawn Lynch run.

The result is the same as the Super Bowl, but the Broncos will leave this game in a far different emotional state. They were bullied by the Seahawks before, but they hung tough in Round 2. They know they can win Round 3.

If we're lucky, we'll get to see them try.

Eagles keep coming back

The Philadelphia Eagles are the first team in NFL history to win its first three games after trailing each of those games by at least 10 points.

What does that mean? For one, it suggests Chip Kelly needs to head back to the sports science laboratory to discover a way to get his team to start games stronger. The Eagles' defense, in particular, is far from a fully-functioning machine (and it would sure help if first-round pick Marcus Smith could find a way to get on the field). 

More importantly, though, it demonstrates just how unique this offense is. Kelly's built a scheme that's bizarrely player-proof. The Eagles' leading receiver a year ago, DeSean Jackson, lined up on the other side of the field Sunday. The team's star running back, LeSean McCoy, left in the first half with a head injury and returned to rush 19 times for just 22 yards.

No matter. Scoring points isn't a problem for this team, and the heavy lifting Sunday was done by receivers Jeremy Maclin (eight catches for 154 yards) and rookie Jordan Matthews (eight catches for 59 yards and two touchdowns). Next week, it will probably be someone else.

Is success of this sort sustainable? We'll soon learn just how deep these Eagles truly are. Injuries have left the offensive line in shambles, and Nick Foles was battered repeatedly (occasionally illegally) on Sunday. He showed tremendous fortitude by playing through an apparent shoulder injury, but he can't keep that up all season. 

After the game, cornerback Cary Williams said he feels burned out and his teammates feel the same way. Williams suggested Kelly is working the team too hard in practice. 

Conventional wisdom says this team can't keep winning this way, but this is no conventional team.

Redshirt rhetoric

Is there such a thing as a redshirt season in the NFL?

Coaches still talk about the value rookie passers glean from sitting on the bench and learning from a seasoned veteran - maybe more than ever - but that rhetoric doesn't hold up to scrutiny and always vanishes when jobs are on the line.

There's little evidence to support the notion that time on the sideline aids a rookie in his development. Aaron Rodgers is often cited as a beneficiary of time to learn, but there are countless counter-examples. Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson are all recent Day 1 starters who honed their craft not just on the practice field but also on Sundays. 

Time after time, we see that quarterbacks sink or swim based on merit and it makes little sense waiting to find out which outcome it will be.

We're about to see if the rookie passers in Minnesota and Jacksonville can swim. An injury to Matt Cassel and ineffectiveness on the part of Chad Henne means Teddy Bridgewater and Blake Bortles must graduate to the next stage of their development.

Early indications suggest they'll succeed. Though neither rookie was victorious Sunday, each looked poised in the pocket and guided his team on multiple scoring drives. Each looked every bit as capable as the veteran who supposedly had something of value to teach.

Both Bridgewater and Bortles will reportedly remain starters moving forward. Frankly, it's where they probably should have been all along.

Stray Thoughts

• The Jaguars are getting worse every week. Where is the trendy team many analysts identified as a team on the rise in the preseason?
• It seems unfair to note that Victor Cruz scored his first touchdown in 357 says. The season is four months long. No one scores touchdowns in the spring.
• For only the second time since Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach, the 49ers are a sub-.500 team. Colin Kaepernick simply isn't developing. Discipline has been a problem for this team. There's potential for this season to go way off the rails. 
• The Bills are proving you can only hide a bad quarterback for so long. This isn't a playoff team with EJ Manuel behind center. 
• Larry Fitzgerald is being phased out of the Cardinals' offense before our eyes. Is there any chance we see the long-rumored trade to the Patriots become a reality? More than ever, it seems like a perfect fit.
• Are the Bengals the best team in football? We'll find out soon. After their Week 4 bye, they play at the Patriots, home to the Panthers, at the Colts and home to the Ravens. 

Injury Ward

Recapping the day's most significant injuries. 

Matt Cassel, QB, Vikings
Fractured bones in foot, could miss rest of season
This is Teddy Bridgewater's team now.

Danny Woodhead, RB, Chargers
Ankle injury, season-ending surgery is expected
With Ryan Mathews expected to miss the next month with a knee injury, the Chargers are perilously thin at running back. Donald Brown's first game as lead rusher resulted in 31 carries for 62 yards. That won't cut it for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. 

Dennis Pitta, TE, Ravens
Hip dislocation (possible fracture), could miss rest of season
Pitta was distraught as he was stretchered off the field, likely because he's been here before. Pitta fractured his hip in training camp last year and it cost him most of the season. It's fair to wonder whether this recurrence will cost him a lot more.

DeAngelo Hall, CB, Redskins
Torn Achilles, out for the season
Hall's career may be over. Few 30-year-olds return from an injury as significant as this. If so, it's a sad end for a player who was never as good as he'd have you believe but frequently better than his many detractors claimed.

Ike Taylor, CB, Steelers
Broken arm
Like Hall, Taylor may have played his final snap as a pro.

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