LB Von Miller had two strip-sacks in Super Bowl leading to 14 Denver points.
Advertisement
Siemian’s first (real) start: Most eyes, of course, will be on second-year QB Trevor Siemian in his National Football League starting debut. The last time that happened was 1970, when the season began with a Super Bowl rematch pitting Kansas City and Minnesota. Sports junkies will no doubt delight in once again seeing Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s on field antics, but above all they’ll be itching to see a rematch between the Carolina and Denver teams, who squared off for Super Bowl 50, where the Broncos triumphed. Coach Gary Kubiak is fourth coach to win Super Bowl in first season.
The Norman-less Carolina secondary: All-Pro CB Josh Norman, who received the franchise tag from the Panthers, was released this summer in a curious move, leaving rookies James Bradberry (second-round pick) and Daryl Worley (third-round pick) as the starting corners. Siemian was 27-of-43 for 285 yards, one TD and two interceptions for a 70.4 rating in the preseason, and it’ll be interesting to see how much rein he gets to throw downfield after checking down and throwing mainly underneath the coverage in August.
“I’m not going to look at them like they’re rookies”, Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. That’s the key question with a national audience watching these two teams meet for second straight NFL game of outcome.
Given the choice, Panthers Coach Ron Rivera would not open the season this way. The Cats welcome back Kelvin Benjamin who was sidelined for all of last season and he will be a huge part of this Panthers offense and will slide right back into the WR1 role opposite the likes of Devin Funchess and Ted Ginn and will provide another reliable option through the air for Cam Newton.
The Panthers went on a remarkable run in the regular season, losing just one game on their way to a 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Advertisement
DOUBLING DOWN: Denver’s dazzling defense was one of the best ever, and it doesn’t look like the Broncos will retreat minus Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan. Benjamin led Panthers with 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014. Broncos have replaced seven starters on offense and two on defense. While he has his fair share of fans, his detractors are certainly numerous. “It’s going to be up to him to get us in the right situations and we also have to help him, too, and keep him in the right situations”.
