The start of the second half was disastrous for the Panthers, with a missed field-goal attempt and an interception of Cam Newton. He’ll also have the weight of history. Records that once stood for decades are now seemingly broken every season. However, Ealy tipped and picked an errant pass from Manning, and Carolina regained possession.
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Not the best night for the Broncos offense.
Prediction: I believe the Broncos will hang around in the first half, but ultimately won’t score enough points to upend Newton and the Panthers.
The four-play scoring drive was set up by Jordan Norwood’s Super Bowl-record 61-yard punt return that took the ball down to Carolina’s 14-yard line. While Talib’s stint with the Patriots ended in a loss at Denver in the AFC Championship in 2013, the former Kansas Jayhawk did help the Patriots reach two straight AFC title games. He had no control over the defense that kept burying his quarterback.
But Carolina have not seen a defence – or, especially, a pass-rush – as good as Denver’s, and that is the reason I think the tested Broncos will pull off an upset.
But the trigger for Carolina is establishing the running game.
Still, old man Manning faces his doubters and some think the Panthers defense is just as good as Denver’s. Denver’s top-ranked defence, the one that ran roughshod over Tom Brady in the NFC championship, simply wouldn’t let Newton get comfortable.
Thanks to Miller and Co., Peyton Manning did not need to do much to earn his second Super Bowl ring: The Broncos’ 194 total yards were the fewest ever for a Super Bowl victor.
The question that has percolated in the build-up to this game concerns whether Manning, who is 1-2 in Super Bowl appearances, will walk away from his playing career when the clock hits 0:00. This is not a statistical accident or something that has begun to change in recent years.
“He was stressed”, cornerback Bradley Roby said of Newton.
In fact, the statistics are even worse for Carolina than they first appear. In the postseason, the Panthers have returned two of their six interceptions for touchdowns, both of which are National Football League bests. Green Bay beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II, and the Kansas City Chiefs dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
According to ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and linebacker DeMarcus Ware addressed the team Saturday Night during their team meeting and became very emotional. Since then, seven top-ranked defenses have made the game.
They will be who they are, and they should be.
Denver was the 12th team to bring the NFL’s top-ranked defense to the Super Bowl, and 10 times the top-ranked defense has won.
The Panthers could never establish a running game with Jonathan Stewart held to 29 yards on 12 carries and one touchdown run while battling through a foot injury.
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The Panthers have run for at least 100 yards in 31 straight games, including the playoffs. In Carolina the Broncos “D” is facing the league’s top offense, which scored 500 points and had 59 touchdowns in the regular season. Meaning the Panthers are expected to win by more than 5 points.
