Molly Keshin, Sports Editor
@mollykCourant
This coming Sunday, February 7, is the only Sunday to look forward to during the school year: Super Bowl Sunday. Even though millions of Americans are looking forward to endless amounts of wings and chips, as well as the legendary Super Bowl commercials, this 50th anniversary edition of the NFL Championship is going to be one for the books. This matchup is between two of the highest ranked teams in the league, the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.
I’ve gone back and forth between the two teams, and each team has its clear strengths and, seemingly, not many weaknesses. Super Bowl 50 appears to be one that is going to be hard to forget, as this matchup between classic QB Peyton Manning and young phenom Cam Newton. In order to get a grasp of who has the best chance of taking home the trophy, I had to break down both the Broncos and the Panthers. Here’s what I know:
Denver’s defense domination
The Denver defense is the strongest it has ever been, especially thanks to linebackers DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller. For the
first time in franchise history, the Broncos lead the NFL in total defense, ranking #1 in pass defense and sacks, #3 in run defense and #4 in scoring defense (click here to see how ESPN has broken down the stats). Teams to do the same in previous years have a 9-2 record in the Super Bowl, and no matter who their opponent is, it’s hard to mess with history.
Cam commands the offense
However, Cam Newton could be the one to do so. It is no doubt that Cam Newton is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, and most versatile quarterbacks in the NFL, and he also has history on his side. Quarterbacks making their Super Bowl debut have won four straight over quarterbacks with Super Bowl experience, and Peyton Manning’s two Super Bowl losses have come against quarterbacks making their debut. Manning himself even won his debut Championship, and he was much younger at the time. Cam Newton’s energy and power will surely make him a force that will be extremely difficult to shut down, especially in terms of his running game. You will not find many quarterbacks that fall into second place in total rushing yards behind the team’s leading running back, which in the Panthers’ case, is Jonathan Stewart, but as people have already figured out, Cam Newton is an exception to many rules.
Broncos’ change of focus: give up the pass
While Denver has a seemingly unstoppable passing defense due to DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller, the Panthers are much more of a rushing team. So, the Broncos have to be willing to give up the occasional long pass in order to effectively shut down Carolina’s offense. With cornerbacks like Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr., they will be able to handle most of the passing defense without the help of a safety. The defensive line for the Broncos has to zero in on Cam Newton, Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert if they really want to win this game. Also, they have to focus more on stopping the runner rather than looking for the blitz. Even though the Broncos have undeniable talent in terms of sacks, with Miller and Ware themselves being responsible for 11/20 of the hits on Tom Brady in the AFC Championship against the Patriots, Cam Newton may be a little harder to stop as he is very agile.
Turnover trouble
Another possible roadblock for the Broncos is their turnovers, especially interceptions, as they are first in the NFL with 23 interceptions thrown and ended the regular season with a plus-20 turnover differential. There is no question that Peyton Manning has trouble in this area, as he started in only nine games this season and threw 17 interceptions. For the Panthers, this is exactly the position they want to be in as they are the league’s leader in interceptions with 24, thanks to linebacker Luke Kuechly.
Battle of the bests: who can handle the pressure?
The fact of the matter is, both Denver and Carolina will have to play their best game in order to win. In this battle between the old school Broncos and the new, more modern style Panthers, they will each have to capitalize on every single error the other team makes. But, while the Broncos aren’t necessarily the favorite to win, this season they have proven that they know how to make good quarterbacks panic, they are used to battling in close games, and they do not flinch under pressure. This could potentially be Peyton Manning’s last Super Bowl and I am going to guess that he is going to be willing to lay all cards out on the table and put everything he has into this game. With the Bronco’s pure talent and inspiration, karma could just be on their side this Sunday.
Panthers’ “it” factor: is it enough?
The Panthers can rely on Cam Newton to lead them through this Championship as he has been the primary factor that allowed Carolina to average 31.3 points per game. He has a flow with his offensive line and receivers that will make him almost impossible to shut down, and his rushing game is something that the Broncos haven’t exactly seen much of this season. While the Panthers definitely do have the “it” factor, they may have to change their normal game plan and rely more so on passing if the Broncos do in fact zero in on Carolina’s rushing game.
There is no doubt that this game will be a close one, and the hype for this game has been unreal since the matchup is so strong. But, I think that the combination of this being Peyton’s last game plus the Broncos’ “game wrecking” defense and their ability to handle tight games, they will be able to outlast the favored Panthers. However in situations like these, I guess it is best to say that only time will tell who will get the ring this year.
