By defeating the Chiefs 27-20 in impressive fashion on January 16, the number two-seeded Patriots earned the right to play Peyton Manning and his number one-seeded Broncos in Denver on Sunday, for the ticket to play in Super Bowl 50. The Broncos are not going to win this game if Manning is careless with the football. And Manning may not be done.
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I am going for the Broncos defense to hold out and Manning to get one last chance at a second Super Bowl ring.
The top two teams in both the AFC and NFC took advantage of a playoff bye followed by home games last weekend to reach their respective conference title games this Sunday. Brady still has two years left on his deal and if he completes that contract, his earnings will grow to $181.8 million.
If Denver finds a way to slow down New England’s up-tempo offense, the Broncos will advance to their eighth Super Bowl, which would put them in a four-way tie with Dallas, Pittsburgh and New England for most Super Bowl appearances. Brady isn’t looking to beat Manning, and Manning isn’t looking to beat Brady. Manning doesn’t take a back seat to many, but he is second to Brady in numerous all-time playoff passing statistics. Brady on the other hand, has historically struggled against the Broncos, and in Denver specifically.
Reasons to cheer for them • The Broncos have a strong following in Utah and Manning is an exemplary pro athlete, even if his marketing presence becomes overwhelming at times. Wade Phillips loves to play man defense, which causes for the corners to get exhausted if they are on the field too long. However, having defeated Brady and the Patriots in a Super Bowl twice myself, I know they can be beaten.
Unfortunately, the options to live stream the Patriots vs Broncos will be slim. Whenever Rob Gronkowski is singled up against a linebacker or safety he will go there, and I just love Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola against Chris Harris and Bradley Roby (James White against the linebackers could also have a big game).
An AFC Championship Game would again be the setting for the fourth battle between the legendary quarterbacks. “I idolised the quarterbacks who have been in this position, and you dream about the opportunity”.
It’s easy to see how closely these teams are matched up when it comes to the history, but it’s not as much about the head coaches as this one is being hyped for the veteran quarterbacks who are future Hall of Famers and meeting for the 17th time. Neither quarterback played particular well but it was Eason who made the crucial mistake late in the 4th quarter.
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The Panthers’ Super Bowl odds improved from +500 to +200 after they looked the part of Super Bowl contender in a 31-24 divisional-round win against the Seattle Seahawks where they scored 31 consecutive first-half points. The Broncos had trouble running the ball early in the season, but once their O-line jelled and the running backs adjusted to coach Gary Kubiaks zone-blocking scheme, things started to come together.
