Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has admitted that his side's display in the Super Bowl was made even more special by nullifying the Denver Broncos offense.
The Broncos had scored a record 606 points in the regular season, but failed to make an impact on Seattle's defense during Sunday's match, managing just one score in a 43-8 defeat.
Newly-crowned NFL MVP Peyton Manning ended a record-breaking campaign in disappointing fashion as he threw two interceptions in the first half, and Quinn was proud of how his side dealt with the threat of the 37-year-old.
"I don't know if it's more gratifying because it's against him, but we certainly have a lot of respect for what their offence did this year," Quinn is quoted as saying by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
"If we play our style against this year's best offence, that's as prideful as anything - knowing that our style works.
"When you face a quarterback like him, you better be able to affect him. We didn't talk about sacks. We talked about, 'can we get him off the spot?'"
The victory saw the Seahawks pick up the Vince Lombardi trophy for the first time in their history.