Newton finished the game going 19-for-28 with 335 yards passing, 47 yards rushing and two rushing touchdowns. The Panthers intercepted Carson Palmer four times and recovered his two fumbles. “Oh man, I’m playing the sheriff”, he said in reference to Denver quarterback Peyton Manning.
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Carolina cruised into its first Super Bowl since 2004 with a 49-15 win over the Panthers Sunday. This time around, the Broncos have the top defense, one that just punched Tom Brady and the Patriots in the mouth for 60 minutes in a heavyweight bout of two legendary quarterbacks in this league. That offense is nothing without Cam Newton.
In the unlikely event that there was any doubt about Cam Newton’s skills, the team he will face in the Super Bowl were quick to dispel them on Monday.
The Panthers managed to intercept the Cardinals twice in the fourth quarter – including one by Luke Kuechly who ran it back for 21-yard ‘pick six’.
Like his former head coach, Mike Ditka, did in 1986, Rivera is looking to become a Super Bowl-winning head coach for the first time. Manning didn’t play like Manning but he played good enough to help the Broncos get the victory and earn a trip to the Super Bowl that is for sure to be a great one.
The Kansas City Chiefs were two games removed from Super Bowl 50 but they will have a few connections to the Panthers-Broncos Super Bowl game coming in two weeks.
“Do what you’ve done”, Rivera said he learned from the ’85 Bears team that destroyed the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
The score in the NFC championship game was 34-15, and, given the Panthers’ inability to put away opponents after taking big leads, the concern was justified.
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The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team to go an entire season unbeaten, finishing 17-0 when the National Football League played a 14-game schedule. The game will mark Rivera’s first appearance in the Super Bowl since 2007, when he served as the Bears’ defensive coordinator under coach Lovie Smith. I told the guys, don’t be surprised about the questions that you get, the scrutiny is going to be more.
