Super Bowl 2014 MVP: Malcolm Smith gets the honors

Malcolm Smith had a great game for the Seattle Seahawks, and was named the Super Bowl XLVIII MVP for his troubles.

By James Brady@jamesbradyisme Feb 2, 2014, 10:06pm EST

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith is your Super Bowl XLVIII MVP. The Seahawks dominated the Denver Broncos from start to finish, winning the game 43-8, and Smith was an integral part of that domination.

Smith managed the second interception of the game, but this one was much bigger. That's because it went for 69 yards and a touchdown, lifting Seattle to a 22-0 lead and officially marking this game as "getting out of hand." Smith also managed nine tackles on the day, five solo, and two passes defensed.

Smith was also the one who recovered the Demaryius Thomas fumble that led to another Seattle score. He becomes the third linebacker in history to win the Super Bowl MVP award, joining Ray Lewis and Chuck Howley, as noted by Jon Zimmer.

Smith wins a brand new Chevy Silverado pickup truck, continuing the tradition of giving the MVP winner a new car. Last year's MVP, Baltimore's Joe Flacco, got a Corvette.

Kam Chancellor was the other player that would have made sense from Seattle's defense. He was all over the field on Sunday and was in on nine total tackles, five of which were solo. He was credited with two pass deflections, and also had an interception to go along with it. Chancellor is an integral part of what is considered the best secondary in the NFL, and one of the best we've seen

It makes perfect sense that the MVP come from Seattle's defense.

The Seahawks were solid on offense, but its the way they managed to halt the Denver Broncos offense, the most productive offense in NFL history, that was most impressive. Seattle managed to snag two interceptions, had a safety to begin the game, forced a big fumble and generally made life a nightmare for Peyton Manning.

Manning, heading into this game, was one of the favorites to be named MVP. With the kind of offensive production Denver managed to put up this season, it was no surprise. Seattle's defense was always prepared to deal with Manning, but it is definitely surprising they held him as effectively as they did.

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson had a solid enough game, but it was understated from a statistics standpoint. Marshawn Lynch was largely ineffective for much of the game, holding a 2.6 average yards per carry before the Seahawks began running down the clock.

Percy Harvin was really the only offensive player that would make sense on offense, but that's factoring in his special teams contributions as well. Harvin carried the ball on two separate end-arounds for 45 yards, helping to set up big scoring drives. He also was a scoring drive himself in the third quarter, returning the opening kickoff for 87 yards and a touchdown.