Breaking Down, Predicting Super Bowl 50

by Julian Spivey
Super Bowl 50 this Sunday (Feb. 7) has the NFL excited as the supremely popular Denver Broncos, led by likely the NFL’s most popular player Peyton Manning, in likely his final NFL game, are up against the incredibly exciting Carolina Panthers. The game seems to have everybody talking, though some fear it won’t be all that close with the way the Panthers manhandled the NFL this year going 15-1 and the way Manning’s QB play has regressed over the last two seasons. The Panthers had the best offense in the game this season when it comes to points per game and the Broncos statistically had the best defense in the league – which sets Super Bowl 50 up for a potential classic, despite Vegas odds having the Panthers as an almost touchdown favorite.

Here is a little breakdown over which teams have the advantages at what positions:

Quarterback:
Peyton Manning may be one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, but this is the one facet of the big game on Sunday that shouldn’t even be close. Manning is simply a shell of his former self at this point (it’s ironic that in his worst season he’s in a Super Bowl, after he missed it in so many of his best seasons) and Cam Newton probably ran away with the league MVP this season. Newton is a dual threat both with his arms and his legs, whereas Manning can barely throw or even stand these days. A superhero finale from Manning honestly wouldn’t surprise me, but Newton is the QB to beat in the NFL right now.

Offense:
The Broncos may have some bigger names on offense with receivers like Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, but the Panthers were the highest scoring team in the league this season averaging 31.3 points per game. The Panthers also had the second best rushing team in the NFL this season averaging 142.6 yards per game on the ground. The QB advantage, as previously mentioned, goes to Newton and while the offenses after that are rather close it goes a long way in giving Carolina the edge and best shot at winning its first title in franchise history.

Defense:
The Denver Broncos statistically had the best defense in the NFL this season, so they obviously have the advantage here. In fact, the Broncos terrific defense is the only reason I don’t think this Super Bowl is a lock for the Panthers. They say defense wins the big games, so I could even see the Broncos shutting down the high scoring offense of the Panthers, much like they did with the New England Patriots two weeks ago in the AFC Championship game. But, here is the thing, the Panthers have a pretty good defense too – allowing the sixth fewest points per game this season and sixth fewest opponent yards per game, as well. The issue with the Panthers defense though is some of its key players are severely hurt. Defensive back Charles “Peanut” Tillman tore his ACL in the final game of the season forcing him to miss the playoffs and during their playoff run veteran stars Jared Allen and Thomas Davis have each badly injured themselves with Allen breaking a bone in his foot and Davis breaking his arm. Despite those injuries both Allen and Davis, the true leader of the defense, are hoping to play in the big game.

Outcome:
I think Super Bowl 50 will be a little closer than a lot of people are prognosticating, but I still believe the Panthers are the team to beat – largely because I just don’t know that Peyton Manning has enough left in his arm to overcome a good defense and a high scoring offense. The NFL would love nothing more than to have a storybook ending in its milestone 50th Super Bowl, though, so the storyline is frankly set for Manning to ride off into the sunset a champion. I just think he ends his career a measly 1-3 on the game’s biggest stage.

My prediction: Panthers 24, Broncos 21 

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