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Feb 7, 2016

Today's the day: Broncos, Panthers set to meet in Super Bowl 50

Opposites will attract when the Carolina Panthers take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday in Super Bowl 50. Led by budding star Cam Newton, the dominant Panthers take on the Broncos in what is expected to be Peyton Manning's final game.

Peyton Manning

Opposites will attract when the Carolina Panthers take on the Denver Broncos on Sunday in Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

The Panthers, who finished the regular season 15-1, are led by energetic quarterback Cam Newton, who in his fifth NFL season is headed to his first Super Bowl. The Broncos, meanwhile, are led by veteran quarterback Peyton Manning, who many believe will be playing his final NFL game.

You can watch Super Bowl 50 live on CTV at 6:30pm et/3:30 pt.

The two teams took very different paths along the way, but both managed to reach the Big Game.

The Panthers raced through the regular season, reaching Week 16 before finally suffering their first loss of the season in a 20-13 defeat at the hands of the already eliminated Atlanta Falcons. Newton received the lion’s share of the credit for the team’s record, and deservedly so, with 45 total touchdowns on the season.

Like the Panthers, the Broncos jumped out to an undefeated 7-0 start before suffering their first defeat in Week 9. However, the Broncos strong start seemingly came in spite of their star quarterback and not because of him. Manning threw just seven touchdowns in the team’s first seven wins and tossed 11 interceptions. A low-point came when the Broncos needed overtime to defeat the Cleveland Browns in Week 6 as Manning turned the ball over three times. The Broncos dominant defence, however, consistently came to rescue, allowing just 16 points per game through their first seven contests. When Manning suffered a foot injury in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10, Brock Osweiler took over at quarterback and kept the Broncos on the playoff path with a 4-2 record. Yet, as Osweiler struggled to move the offence in Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, it was Manning who was called in to help the team to victory and clinch the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

In the postseason, the Panthers followed their regular season script of domination. The team raced to a 31-point halftime lead on the twice-defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round before holding on for a seven-point win. One week later, in the conference championship against the Arizona Cardinals, the Panthers took a 24-7 lead into half, but this time didn’t let up en route to a 49-15 blowout.

Unsurprisingly, the Broncos continued to advance in their typical nail-biting fashion.  The team trailed 13-12 in the fourth quarter of the Divisional Round against the driving Pittsburgh Steelers before a fumble recovery turned the tides and allowed them to pick up a 23-16 win. Facing Manning’s archrival Tom Brady in the AFC Championship, the Broncos narrowly avoided overtime thanks to a failed two-point conversion attempt by the Patriots with 12 seconds left on the game clock.

Now, the two teams’ respective paths have led them to game’s biggest stage with Manning out to cement his legacy, and Newton hoping to create his. 
 

Need to Know

Cam Newton
Carolina Panthers

2015 Regular Season Stats

  • Passing
    224.3 (24th)
  • Rushing
    142.6 (2nd)
  • Vs Pass
    234.5 (11th)
  • Vs Run
    88.4 (4th)

Throughout the 2015 season, the Carolina Panthers offence has run through Cam Newton. Surrounded by an underwhelming supporting cast and an over performing offensive line, Newton has elevated the play of his teammates and become the odds-on favourite to win the league’s MVP trophy.

 

The dual threat quarterback passed for 35 touchdowns on the season and, while he failed to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark passing, Newton added 10 touchdowns and 636 yards on the ground.

 

Newton’s top target, tight end Greg Olsen, was the only Panthers receiver top to 1,000 yards on the season. Receiver Ted Ginn Jr. finished second on the team with 739 yards – his highest mark since 2008 - and posted a career-high 10 touchdowns.  Ginn had a combined 747 yards and five touchdowns over his past three seasons split between the Panthers, Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

 

On the ground, Jonathon Stewart leads the rushing attack for the Panthers and ran for 989 yards and six touchdowns in 13 regular season games.

 

Where the Panthers offence centres around Newton, the defence is ripe with star power. Linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis form the league’s premier interior duo, while Josh Norman emerged this season as a shutdown corner. Davis racked up 105 tackles on the season and finished second on the team with five and a half sacks, but will playing with a cast on his right forearm after breaking it in the NFC Championship. Along the defensive line, Kawann Short has emerged premier pocket pusher, posting 11 sacks from the defensive tackle position.

 

A defence which averaged just 19.2 points against per game and an offence with an NFL-high 31.2 points proved to be a winning recipe for the 15-1 Panthers.

 

Playoffs

 

The Panthers dominated the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of their Divisional Round matchup, shutting down the Seahawks offence and using the ground game to score on four of their five first-half possessions. The team failed to score in the first half but, with a 31-point halftime lead, managed to hold on for the 31-24 win. Against the Arizona Cardinals, the speedy receivers Ginn and Corey Brown showed off their talents as the team jumped out a 17-0 lead after the first quarter. The Panthers defence intercepted Carson Palmer four times and the offence continued to roll in a 49-15 rout. 

Von Miller
Denver Broncos

2015 Regular Season Stats

  • Passing
    248.1 (14th)
  • Rushing
    107.4 (7th)
  • Vs Pass
    199.6 (1st)
  • Vs Run
    83.6 (3rd)

Despite the quarterbacks stealing the narrative in Denver all season long, the Broncos advanced to the Super Bowl based on the strength of their defence.

 

Denver finished the regular season first in yards per game defence, giving up just 283.1 per game, and fourth in scoring defence, giving up just 18.5 points per game. And while their yards per game average took a hit in the postseason, giving up an average 366 yards against the Steelers and Patriots, their points allowed went down, giving up an average of just 17 points against their two AFC foes.

 

The defence is led by pass rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and defensive backs Chris Harris and Aqib Talib, all named to the Pro Bowl. Miller in particular had his talents on full display in the AFC Championship, sacking Patriots QB Tom Brady two and a half times and intercepting him once.

 

A pending unrestricted free agent, the player taken directly after Cam Newton in the 2011 NFL Draft is due for a major pay raise. Imagine if he gets the Super Bowl bump as well.

 

Playoffs

 

The Broncos got to Santa Clara the hard way. After a first round bye, Denver survived a scare against the banged-up Steelers when Peyton Manning orchestrated a late touchdown drive set up by a Pittsburgh fumble. The next week Manning got the best of Brady with a big assist from his defence, who sacked the Patriots quarterback four times and picked him off twice.

Players to Watch

Luke Kuechly
Carolina Panthers

Pro Bowl Players - 10 (Six offensive, four defensive)

 

Cam Newton It’s unlikely any quarterback meant more to their team this season than the 26-year old Newton. Newton proved to be among the league’s elite and much more than just an athletic quarterback. Newton posted career-highs in yards, touchdowns and passer rating and threw a career-low 10 interceptions. He is the centrepiece of the Panthers offence and the face of the franchise.

 

Jonathan Stewart The Panthers ranked second in the NFL in rushing during the regular season and Stewart was the leader of that attack. Stewart ran for 106 yards against the stingy Seahawks defence in the Divisional Round and rushed for 83 yards against the Cardinals. If Stewart finds early success, the Panthers passing game will benefit with play-action deep shots.

 

Greg Olsen The field-stretching tight end owns the most reliable hands on the Panthers and is Newton’s go-to option in high-pressure situations. Olsen caught six passes in each of the Panthers first two playoff games, crossing the 100-yard mark against the Cardinals. The Broncos allowed Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski to rack up 144 yards in the AFC Championship and Olsen could create similar matchup problems.

 

Tedd Ginn Jr/ Corey Brown The two high-flying receivers are extremely dangerous in space and the Panthers continue to scheme to get the two involved. Ginn scored on a 22-yard end-around against the Cardinals and Brown made a defender miss and then used his speed to score on an 86-yard touchdown pass.

 

Thomas Davis It remains to be seen how well the star middle linebacker will perform playing through a broken arm, but Davis will be heavily relied upon to slow the Broncos running game and force Manning to test the Panthers secondary.

 

Luke Kuechly The All-Pro linebacker will be in a constant chess match with the veteran Manning, trying to adjust play calls and confuse the future Hall of Famer. Kuechly has returned an interception for a touchdown in each of the Panthers playoff games so far and will go for the hat trick against the Broncos.

 

Josh Norman The star cornerback likely draws a matchup against the monstrous Demaryius Thomas. Thomas has 35 pounds and inches on Norman, but the cornerback has risen to the occasion in every game this season while being named All-Pro for the first time.

Peyton Manning
Denver Broncos

Pro Bowl Players - 4 (All defensive)

Peyton Manning Manning has a chance to go out on top like Broncos legend and GM John Elway; an opportunity it appeared he wouldn’t be afforded as recently as Week 17. A combination of Brock Osweiler struggling and Manning playing just well enough gives the 39-year-old his fourth crack in the Super Bowl. Manning avoided throwing any interceptions in the AFC Championship but it’s still a toss-up as to who shows up this Sunday, Good Peyton or Bad Peyton.

 

Von Miller Miller had been on the football fans’ radar since he was drafted 15 minutes after Cam Newton in 2011; after his destructive performance against the Pats in the AFC Championship, he’s on everyone’s radar. Newton is certainly a harder target to take down than Brady, but if Miller can be a disruptive force in the Panthers’ backfield it will help Denver’s secondary considerably.

 

Demaryius Thomas Manning’s not the same quarterback he once was, but a receiver like Thomas can mask a lot of his flaws. Thomas can be a game changer, but will have to have his best game of the postseason after totaling just 52 yards the previous two games.

 

Derek Wolfe Miller makes more plays that will find their way onto a highlight reel, but Wolfe is almost as valuable for the Broncos defence’s front seven. Wolfe’s stat line against the Patriots last week needs no defending, but his real value often times goes unnoticed. While pressure from Miller and Ware off the edges is great, if there’s no pressure up the middle a QB as deft as Brady can simply step up into the pocket and still make plays. Wolfe led the charge making sure that didn’t happen.

 

CJ Anderson As much as soon people are hoping it to be true, Manning simply isn’t what he once was. So if the Broncos need to rely on their offence at all, Anderson will become a key figure. A big game from Anderson would help Denver move the chains and take pressure off Manning in the passing game. The bad news, Anderson has been fairly pedestrian this postseason after an inconsistent regular season. And the Panthers’ run defence finished fourth in the league, giving up just an average of just 88.4 yards per game.

 

Chris Harris The Panthers have Josh Norman, the Broncos have Chris Harris and Aqib Talib. Cam Newton can beat a defence in a number of ways, but if Harris and Talib can shut down the Panthers’ receivers, Newton becomes less effective. The Broncos’ strength is rushing the passer without bringing too many extra bodies, thus sacrificing coverage abilities; Harris and Talib need to have big games to make sure Denver can stick to the script.

Top Matchups

Luke Kuechly Ronnie Hillman
Best Head-to-Head Matchups

Cam Newton vs Wade Phillips

 

We were reminded constantly the Broncos’ AFC Championship win over the Patriots wasn’t Tom Brady vs Peyton Manning, it was Tom Brady vs Wade Phillips. Well, the Broncos defensive coordinator has another big, head-to-head matchup this Sunday, this time taking on Cam Newton. From one MVP candidate to another…

 

Newton’s skillset varies extensively from Brady’s, but a similar game plan could work for Phillips and the Broncos’ defence to have success. Denver was all about pressure against the Patriots, hitting Brady 20 times, the most this season, and never letting him get in his groove in the pocket.

 

Newton is more effective outside the pocket but if the Broncos can get constant pressure on the dual threat quarterback, it could eliminate one of Newton’s major weapons – his legs. That said, if Newton can escape the initial wave of pressure, he could have days to run.

 

Phillips has a sterling reputation as a defensive coordinator and has two weeks to game plan against Newton and the Panthers. If anyone can slow down the likely MVP, and nobody has been able to yet this year, it could be Phillips.

 

CJ Anderson vs Luke Kuechly

 

If the Broncos have to rely on their offence at all this Sunday, a run game will be essential. After an up and down regular season, the combo of CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman has been steady but far from spectacular in the postseason. It’s asking a lot for them to improve on their last two games, taking on an even better run defence than their previous two opponents, the Pats and the Steelers, spearheaded by the league’s top linebacker, Luke Kuechly.

 

If Kuechly and Co. can contain Anderson and Hillman, it puts more pressure on Manning to make things happen in the pass game, potentially against added secondary help with the run game sewn up.

 

And that becomes a lot to ask Manning, who’s barely completing 50 percent of his passes and averaging less than 200 yards per game this postseason.

 

Demaryius Thomas vs Josh Norman

 

If Anderson and the run game can’t help out Manning, he’ll need some help from his receivers. Again, the Broncos seem to be running into an unfortunate situation. After being held to pedestrian numbers in their first two postseason games, one of either Demaryius Thomas (averaging 26 yards per game in the playoffs) or Emmanuel Sanders (averaging 73 yards per game in the playoffs) will be lining up opposite the league’s top cornerback this year, Josh Norman.

 

Thomas has proven he has the talent to go up against, and beat, the league’s top corners, so if he picks Sunday to break out and have a big game, it would do wonders for Manning and Denver’s confidence on offence.

 

That said, Norman is the top corner Manning will face this postseason. It is likely a worst case scenario if Manning is forced to attack Norman and the Panthers’ secondary in the Super Bowl. At best for Manning, Norman shuts down a side of the field and keeps his numbers low like the previous two weeks. At worst, Manning throws his first couple interceptions everyone has been waiting for this postseason because…

 

Peyton Manning vs his playoffs demons

 

The old saying goes, “offence wins games, defence wins championships.” The Broncos will likely need that to ring true once again because on top of Manning’s very real physical limitations this late into his career, he also has that nasty reputation for struggling when the spotlight is the brightest.

 

Manning’s managed to avoid interceptions so far this postseason, but has been less than impressive and done little to dispel the notion his game takes a hit when the pressure is on.

 

Manning has a Super Bowl so it certainly can be done, but especially at this late in his career, serious questions can be raised about whether he can do it himself anymore. Manning has to be somewhere between efficient and “not a train wreck” and the Broncos’ defence will have a chance to win him his second Super Bowl.

Notes from the Past

Terrell Davis
Super Bowl History

Super Bowl records: Panthers (0-1) Broncos (2-5)

Carolina Panthers - Super Bowls

 

Super Bowl 50 - Broncos vs. Panthers

 

Super Bowl XXXVIII - New England Patriots 23 vs. Panthers 29 (MVP: Tom Brady)

 

 

Denver Broncos - Super Bowls

 

Super Bowl 50 - Broncos vs. Panthers

 

Super Bowl XLVIII - Seattle Sehawks 43 vs. Broncos 8 (MVP: Malcolm Smith)

 

Embedded ImageSuper Bowl XXXIII - Broncos 34 vs. Atlanta Falcons 19 (MVP: John Elway)

 

Super Bowl XXXII - Broncos 31 vs. Green Bay Packers 24 (MVP: Terrell Davis)

 

Super Bowl XXIV - San Francisco 49ers 55 vs. Broncos 10 (MVP: Joe Montana)

 

Super Bowl XXII - Washington Redskins 42 vs. Broncos 10 (MVP: Doug Williams)

 

Super Bowl XXI - New York Giants 39 vs. Broncos 20 (MVP: Phil Simms)

 

Super Bowl XII - Dallas Cowboys 27 vs. Broncos 10 (MVP: Harvey Martin, Randy White)

Cam Newton
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By TSN.ca NFL editors Ben Fisher and Mike Hetherington