"Battle in the Bay: Super Bowl 50 Preview"
Two years ago, the Broncos walked out of MetLife Stadium humiliated and scarred by the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. But now, they’re back and the only thing standing in their path to glory is Ron Rivera’s Carolina Panthers. All indications are pointing that this particular game could be the very last for Peyton Manning. Manning has all the accolades in the world, but losing another Super Bowl may put a damper on his legacy. Yes, Manning holds numerous records, but the stat that means more is the record 1-2 (Super Bowl record). Manning had the worst statistical season of his career throwing nearly twice the amount of interceptions/touchdowns (9 TD, 17 INT). Despite that, he has cut down on the turnovers this postseason and not really needing to put up the astronomical numbers most of us expect out of Peyton. This can be credited to the play of the Broncos defense which is the best Manning has ever had on his side. The Broncos new version of the “Orange Crush 2.0” poses a great pass rush to go along with a lockdown secondary that ranks best in the league allowing 199 yards per game and total yards at 283. With that said, Manning will need to have one more strong performance paired with the consistency of the defense if he wants to end his career on a great note.
Ron Rivera knows a thing or two about great defensive play and playing on a team that is not losing. Rivera played on the famous 85’ Bears squad that finished that season 18-1 (including the playoffs) that culminated in a 46-10 rout of the Patriots in Super Bowl 20. As it stands right now, his Panthers are 17-1 and looking to put the finishing touches on a memorable season. They are led by league MVP Cam Newton and accompanied by a suffocating defense that features linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis along with the supreme play of corner Josh Norman. Panthers come in with a top-flight offense that averaged 31 points per game. Panthers’ offense feeds off a defense that led the NFL in takeaways with 39 and was a +20 in the plus/minus turnover margin. The Panthers have quietly put together arguably one of the greatest seasons in NFL history based on their record. But great cannot be finalized until they hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Keys for both teams to win:
Broncos:
Protect Manning
Do not turn the ball over
Do not commit the costly “dumb penalties”
Get Cam frustrated
Panthers
Win the turnover battle
Keep Cam clean
Pound the rock
Make Manning uncomfortable
Overview/Prediction:
Many have the Panthers as the overall favorite to win, while others believe that the Broncos have the defense that can force this game to stay close. This can potentially swing in Denver’s favor when it comes to crunch time with all of the experience that they have. The Panthers are coming in really hot knocking out the two-time defending NFC champs and crushing the Cardinals who many believed to be the best team in the league. To be honest, it’s really hard to go against the Panthers. The Broncos defense has kept Peyton Manning’s career on life-support but the Panthers seem too much for the Broncos. I’m going with the Panthers winning with a score of 23 to 16 with Luke Keuchly winning the MVP.
