Steve Penepent | uma585
Sunday, February 7, 2016
It is finally here, Superbowl 50! Peyton Manning survived a brutal start to the season and an injury to rebound, beating Tom terrific in the AFC Championship game to get to the Superbowl for a chance to ride off into the sunset. Cam Newton and the Panthers had an “easier” road to the Superbowl by going 15-1 on the season and beating the Seahawks, and dominating the Cardinals to get to the Superbowl. Cam’s flash on offense and Carolina’s defense makes them the favorites but Denver boasts the number 1 defense in the NFL. So here is my Superbowl thought and prediction.
From Elias: There have been 5 head coaches all time to play in a Super Bowl and be Head Coach for a Super Bowl. Gary Kubiak and Ron Rivera will join this list after Super Bowl 50. Head Coaches to Appear in Super Bowl as Player: Mike Ditka (won), Tony Dungy (won), Forrest Gregg (lost), Dan Reeves (lost) and Sam Wyche (lost).
Cam Newton is also looking to join exclusive company. Cam Newton won a Heisman Trophy and a National Championship at Auburn. He’s the MVP of the NFL and if he wins the Superbowl he’d join only Marcus Allen as the only player in NFL history to do all 4. He’d join Charles Woodson, Tony Dorsett, and Reggie Bush to win a Heisman, National Title, and Superbowl. He’d join OJ Simpson to win a Heisman, National Title, and MVP. He’d join Paul Hornung to win a Heisman, Superbowl and MVP. And he’d join Tom Brady, Joe Montana, and Ken Stabler to win a National Title, Superbowl, and MVP. Not bad company to be in.
Denver Broncos vs. Carolina Panthers
While this game will likely be all about Peyton Manning and how this gunslinger may be on his last ride, it will really be about the defenses both teams have. Von Miller has 13.5 sacks this season (including playoffs), all of which have come when he’s been lined up as an outside linebacker. Miller has 60 of his 64 career sacks (including playoffs) lined up as an outside linebacker. That’s 12 more than any other player in the last five seasons and I look to see how often Miller is at outside linebacker with Cam Newton’s threat to run at any moment. Luke Kuechly for the Panthers has returned an INT for a touchdown in each game this postseason, not to mention he’s a tackling machine. Both defenses are in the top 5, Denver is number 1, but for Carolina to win it will all rest with Cam Newton. ESPN’s QBR scale has Cam Newton’s worst career total QBR game against the Broncos in 2012. Cam had 2 INT’s and 7 sacks finishing with a 5.9 QBR. But Newton has been exercising his bad game demons this postseason. His next two worst QBR games came against the Cardinals and Seahawks; Cam Newton beat both teams this postseason. I love the way both teams play and this game should be a good one. I want to see Peyton Manning ride off into the sunset a winner but I want to see Cam Newton win now. My heart is torn and I’ve looked over a lot of statistics but the most important stat is the Broncos are 5-0 in games refereed by Clete Blakeman, who is refereeing the Superbowl. But I still like Carolina because Cam Newton craves the spotlight and now is his time to shine.
My Pick: Carolina Panthers
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