Denver Broncos vs. Seattle Seahawks: What Are the Experts Saying About Denver?

Super Bowl XLVIII rematch or Super Bowl XLIX preview? That's the question on a lot of our minds. 

This Sunday's game between the AFC's Denver Broncos (2-0) and the NFC's Seattle Seahawks (1-1) is huge. 

As we all know, the Seahawks embarrassed the Broncos in last year's Super Bowl, winning 43-8. As far as we can tell, though, Denver is over the loss and ready to move on. They are looking to punch another ticket to the big game this season, and in a rather hapless AFC, there may not be many teams standing in their way. 

The Seahawks, meanwhile, look to get back on track after losing last week to the San Diego Chargers. They are obviously still a great football team, and they are at their fiercest in Seattle at CenturyLink Field. They'll play host to the Broncos this Sunday, and all accounts point to them not being too hospitable.

We're certainly in for a treat this Sunday!

Here are what a few experts, writers and analysts have to say about the matchup. 

San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates looked like himself circa 2005 last weekend against the Seattle Seahawks. He made the Seattle linebackers who were attempting to cover him look like semi-pros, and as a result, he found the end zone thrice. 

Jeff Legwold, ESPN's Denver Broncos reporter, suggests that Broncos tight end Julius Thomas might be the key to victory. Thomas is tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions with four, so he's no stranger to the end zone. 

Whatever Denver's M.O. will be on Sunday, in regards to Thomas or any other player, we won't know until kickoff. This includes wide receiver Wes Welker, who will make his return to the field on Sunday after his four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs was reduced to only two games. 

Legwold reported that Denver quarterback Peyton Manning has been very tight-lipped in interviews this week. 

"I can't really speak to the San Diego game plan, the Green Bay game plan [in Week 1 against the Seahawks], and I can't speak to our game plan," Manning said. 

As reported by ESPN's Seattle Seahawks reporter Terry Blount, Seattle head coach Pete Carroll had a simple answer this week when asked about his team's mood heading into Sunday's marquee matchup. 

"Serious, really serious," he said. 

Not only do the Denver Broncos have the league's best offense, but Seattle is coming off a tough 30-21 loss against the San Diego Chargers. 

Losing is not something the defending Super Bowl champions have experienced much of lately, so there's no doubt that it hit them hard. 

If we've learned anything from this Pete Carroll-led Seattle squad over the past couple seasons, it's that when they say they mean business, they certainly do.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter Ari Liljenwall writes that people should take the Seattle Seahawks loss to the San Diego Chargers last week with a grain of salt. 

The Seahawks will be just fine on Sunday, according to Liljenwall, and he also notes that "narratives surrounding teams can fluctuate [quickly]" during the season. 

Long story short, the Seahawks are mortals, and their loss in Week 2 generated such a strong reaction because of its rarity. The last time the Seahawks went down before last Sunday was Dec. 22 of 2013, when they lost at home to the Arizona Cardinals. 

Liljenwall makes a good point here. Great teams lose; let's not overreact. 

Denver Post reporter Mike Klis is always good for an interesting fact or two during the week. This week, he posted this one on Twitter that really surprised me (and him as well, apparently):

I didn't know this: There hasn't been a Super Bowl rematch the following season since 1997 when Packers, who won SB XXXI, beat Pats, 28-10.

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) September 18, 2014

So Broncos-Seahawks this Sunday is first SB rematch in 17 years. And here I've been saying this isn't really a rematch. This game is HUGE!

— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) September 18, 2014

I think Klis says it perfectly in that second tweet—"This game is huge!"

Sixteen of Bleacher Report's finest writers and analysts made their weekly picks for Week 3, and only one, NFC South lead writer Brent Sobleski, picked the Denver Broncos to win in Seattle this Sunday. 

My colleague Gary Davenport, who puts together the weekly article and was one of the 15 Bleacher Reporter analysts to pick the Seattle Seahawks, noted in the article that Broncos wide receiver Andre Caldwell told Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today that this is more than just a "regular" game for the team. 

Denver may have more than just a win on their minds; they might be looking for a sweet piece of revenge. 

As for Sobleski's record with picks this season, he's only 15-17 yet was the only one of the Bleacher Report pundits to pick the Cleveland Browns over the New Orleans Saints last week. 

Maybe he's on to something with these individualistic picks...

As of Friday morning, the sharks in the desert are favoring the Seattle Seahawks at home in this matchup by five points. 

Now, Vegas gets it wrong sometimes just like the rest of us, but they are pros and have some pretty fancy algorithms and cheat sheets that help them to predict the future as best as humanly possible. 

That being said, five points is far from a huge spread at home, and given the fact that most consider Seattle to have an above-average home-field advantage, the conservative line should indicate that Sunday's game will be very close. 

The line did open at 3.5, however, meaning that bettors are favoring Seattle. 

Expect a close one on Sunday. This game is a real treat (how it is not the Sunday Night Football game is amazing to me) and football fans everywhere should be looking forward to it. 

I look forward to some big hits, close calls and ultimately a Denver victory. I'm saying the Broncos pull off the upset, winning 31-28 in overtime and moving to the 3-0 on the year. 

But hey, no one asked me. 

Enjoy the game folks!

All stats courtesy of NFL.com.