11 a.m.: Super Bowl 50: Before they were pros (NFL Films).
Advertisement
TV: CBS (Channel 62 in Detroit).
But if the veteran Denver Broncos quarterback manages to mastermind an upset over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 it will be the crowning achievement of a career that once looked to be in terminal decline.
That unit struggled in the second half of the divisional-round win over Seattle, but it has a superior offense that scored 500 regular-season points to provide balance.
Denver had the NFL’s top-ranked defense in the regular season and hasn’t allowed a 100-yard game since Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
If defensive coordinator Wade Phillips can design a defense to slow down this running attack, he deserves a massive raise and a statue outside of Invesco Field at Mile High.
He’s won a record five league Most Valuable Player awards and has set numerous NFL passing records.
The notion that Manning’s place in history could change today at Levi’s Stadium, after so many seasons and so many games and so many accomplishments, might seem a bit odd.
The Panthers lost their best receiver, Kelvin Benjamin, during training camp, and have gotten by with a slew of youngsters and journeymen. Sometimes that means taking chances, such as a reverse to Ted Ginn Jr. that resulted in a 22-yard TD in the NFC championship game. With top pass-rushers like Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware putting pressure on the quarterback and Chris Harris and Aqib Talib patrolling the secondary, this defense can stop an aerial attack in a pass-heavy era of football. “I asked him and he said, ‘Cam Newton, sir.’ And I told him he had a great future”.
With Peyton Manning no longer able to carry a team with his arm, the Broncos have morphed into a run-first offense. The reality is that these two backs really do split carries.
“You forget that”, Sanders said.
“Even though we didn’t win a Super Bowl, it was just exciting to go to one”, Winder said.
However, if Denver’s dynamic defense can hold the Panthers’ explosive offense under 30 points, the Broncos could very well pull the upset. Norman will have his opportunities, as Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will look to throw short routes to his right side, which is Norman’s side in any case.
The Broncos can win this game if they somehow get an early lead, which will be quite a trick against a Carolina team who has grabbed huge leads in both of their previous playoff games.
Betting line: Panthers minus 5.5. Carolina’s edge rushers have a big edge against Denver’s turnstile tackles. They’ve had four kicks blocked this season and have given up kick- and punt-return touchdowns.
A year ago, the Denver Broncos did not have a coach. “I don’t know if it is, but because of that possibility, I hope that he can win this game and if he decides to hang it up, go out on top”. He stayed with them for eight years before signing with the Panthers.
In the Broncos’ AFC Championship win over New England, they monstered Patriots star Tom Brady, whose foot speed and mobility are comfortably the weakest parts of his game. Newton is certainly known for his excessive dancing when he scores or has a big play, certainly having a lot of fun playing the game.
The Carolina Panthers have a chance to win a Super Bowl and potentially lay claim to the best team ever on Sunday.
Advertisement
In the words of former Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame Receiver Michael Irvin this week: “He’s gonna need more than one Super Bowl victory”. Eugene Robinson, a starting safety for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, solicited an undercover policewoman for sex the night before the game.
