The moment we have all been waiting for. Super Bowl 50. The stage is set. The Denver Broncos vs. the Carolina Panthers. Peyton Manning vs. Cam Newton.
All of America will be tuned into what could be Peyton Manning’s final NFL game. What Manning has accomplished in his career is nothing short of amazing. He will go down as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, regardless of the result on Sunday night. This has been a down year for him, and many say that the only reason the Broncos are where they are is because of their defense. While I do agree that their defense was great this season, it would be foolish to think that Peyton Manning wasn’t in the locker room, team meetings, or team events helping out each and every one of his teammates. Even when he was hurt and not able to play, chances are he was right there helping Brock Osweiler throughout the entire season. In their AFC Championship win (20-18) against New England, Manning finished with 176 yards, 2 touchdowns and posted a 90.1 passer (QB) rating. This was one of his better games this season, and it came at the right time. The Denver front 7 made sure Tom Brady was uncomfortable all day long with constant pressure, while the secondary didn’t give the Patriots’ wide receivers any room to breathe.
He’s young, talented, and he has a huge chip on his shoulder. His name is Cam Newton and he’s the quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. This man will be the future of the NFL once Brady, Manning, Brees, and Rodgers retire. While Peyton Manning and the Broncos want to give Manning his 2nd ring, the Panthers have other plans. Cam Newton has been proving his critics wrong all year long and he doesn’t look to stop now. Posting 3,837 yards, 35 touchdowns, and a 99.4 passer (QB) rating, Newton could very well be the MVP this year. Much like Denver, the Panthers defense has been fantastic all year long. Their tenacity and athleticism has put them on a different level than other defenses in the league. However, their offense has been much better than that of Denver’s. Mike Shula has installed a system that plays to the strengths of Cam Newton and that has been the reason they have been so successful. It’s especially impressive that Newton did all of this without his star wide receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, whose season ended before it even started with a torn ACL. In their NFC Championship win (49-15) against Arizona, the Panthers were head and shoulders above the Cardinals and dominated in every aspect of the game. Cam Newton finished with 335 yards, 4 touchdowns (2 passing, 2 rushing), and posted a passer (QB) rating of 117.4. On the flip side, the Arizona offense were out of sync all night against Luke Kuechly and company.
Keys to success for the Denver Broncos: It seems pretty obvious, but the Broncos have to do their best to contain Cam Newton. We all know that Cam Newton can’t be shut down. He is simply too versatile, though you can contain/limit him. Von Miller is the best player on the Denver defense; he needs to show up big time and lead by example. A repeat performance from the AFC Championship on defense for the Broncos would be ideal. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was as close to perfect as you can get.
Keys to success for the Carolina Panthers: The Panthers need to get Jonathan Stewart involved from the get-go or else they’ll be in trouble all night long. You can’t be one-dimensional against a defense as good as Denver’s. It’s also very important to involve Cam Newton in the run game, as well as some trickery to keep Von Miller and the front 7 honest. Mike Shula has called some outstanding games this season, he’ll need to stick with what he’s been doing all year. Denver Cornerback Aqib Talib called Shula a “football genius,” earlier this week. The league has definitely taken notice of what Mike Shula has done with this Panthers offense.
On Sunday, the two teams will go head-to-head for the final game of the NFL season in which should leave viewers on the edge of their seats. Carolina has never seen a defense as good as Denver’s, but on the flip side, Denver has never seen an offense as creative as Carolina’s so it should be interesting to see who gets the better of who. Ultimately, I think the Broncos will play their hardest game of the season to give Manning his 2nd ring and allow him to finish his career on top.
Prediction: Carolina Panthers 27-31 Denver Broncos
Photo credit via MCT campus: Journalists walks by a gate during a tour on Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2016, of Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., site of Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. (David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/TNS)
