Denver's Dominant Defense too much for Newton's Panthers in Super Bowl 50

Super Bowl 50 - Two years ago at Super Bowl 48, Peyton Manning was thrashed by a defense that led to a 43-8 dismantling of the Denver Broncos. This time around, it was the defense that carried him to his second Super Bowl victory on Sunday and the team to its third. In a game that featured little excitement on offense for either team despite Carolina owning the highest-scoring offense in the league, it was defense that took center stage in this one. While both teams entered the golden game with defenses among the league's best, nobody expected the struggles on offense to play out quite like they did come kickoff. With "Keep Pounding" being Carolina's motto all season long, the only pounding they'd see on their side was from reigning NBA MVP and avid Panthers fan Steph Curry who helped introduce Carolina onto the field by banging a black and teal drum draped with the motto. The rest of the pounding would be at Carolina's expense and supplied by Denver's dominant front seven as there would be no dabbing or selfies taking place by members of the Panthers on this day. 

With Carolina winning the coin toss and electing to differ, Denver had no problem receiving the ball first and getting things started as Manning threw a strike to his tight-end Owen Daniels for an 18-yard gain on the game's opening-play. He would follow it up just three plays later with a 22-yard connection to receiver Andre Caldwell. A pair of nice runs from running back C.J. Anderson would help Denver march into field goal range as kicker Brandon McManus capped what would be his team's best drive of the day with an early field goal to put his team on top. It would mark the first time that Carolina trailed at any time during the postseason all year. And from that point on, Denver never looked back. After exchanging punts, Carolina took over on offense deep in their own territory, spelling doom for Cam Newton and company as Von Miller broke through and wisely went for the ball instead of a sack, stripping it away from the quarterback as teammate Malik Jackson scooped up the ball in the end zone for the defensive touchdown. Despite playing in a record-tying eighth Super Bowl, it was the first in which they've ever scored a touchdown on defense. The big play on defense and first sack of the game would be the first of many by the Broncos D.

And just like that, Carolina found themselves in a hole, down 10-0 on the biggest stage imaginable. Though the 10-0 deficit wasn't completely foreign to the Panthers who trailed by 10+ points on three occasions this season and came back to win all three games, being asked to make such a comeback against a defense like Denver's would be a different story. During the two weeks in between the Conference Championships and Super Bowl Sunday, all we heard from Carolina's side was the debate of whether or not this Panthers team would be touted as one of the all-time great teams if they could come out on top. But the team that entered the big game a combined 17-1 on the season, resembled an entirely different group come game time. And no one player looked more uncomfortable during the game than quarterback Cam Newton who was named the league MVP the night before. Hoping to become the first league MVP to win the Super Bowl in the same year since Kurt Warner of the 1999 St. Louis Rams, Newton was held in check and looked like a shadow of the QB that entered the game having dominated along his journey to get there.

Not accustomed to playing from behind, Newton did manage to temporarily kick those jitters to the side as the Panthers offense finally got things going to start the second quarter. After having good field position wiped out by an illegal block penalty on the kick, Carolina stringed together their only decent drive of the game, with running back Jonathan Stewart soaring into the end zone from a yard out to put the Panthers on the board. After the touchdown that made it a 10-7 game, both teams exchanged punts. During Carolina's punt, however, the Panthers special-teams made the terrible mistake of assuming Broncos return man Jordan Norwood had called for a fair-catch. The brain cramp would cost them as Norwood returned the punt for a record-setting 61-yards, the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. The return would set the Broncos up for a second field goal by McManus, increasing Denver's lead to 13-7. Things would go from bad to worse for the Panthers on offense as fullback Mike Tolbert fumbled at midfield for the first time all year, recovered by the Denver defense. Luckily for Panthers head coach Ron Rivera and company, it wouldn't cost them.

With the Broncos offense threatening one final time before the half and looking to make it a double-digit ballgame, the Panthers defense came thru with an interception in Carolina territory as defensive end Kony Ealy stepped in front of a pass intended for Emanuel Sanders. While it would be his only mistake in the game, the interception by Manning snapped a postseason career-best 164 consecutive pass attempts without an interception and gave him at least one in all four of his Super Bowl appearances, tying a mark held by his boss and Broncos Vice President -- John Elway. The Panthers were unable to cash the turnover in for points, but it did keep the game within striking distance as Denver took their 13-7 lead with them into the half. With how many self-inflicted miscues the Panthers committed in the first half, they were fortunate enough to head into the locker room staring down a deficit of only 6-points. Having entered the game on the opposite side of things by outscoring opponents 55-7 during the first half this postseason, Carolina found themselves in uncharted waters.

And just when you thought the Panthers had flipped the switch to open the second half, they continued to shoot themselves in the foot once again. After connecting with receiver Ted Ginn Jr. on the second play of the half for the longest reception of the game -- a 45-yarder, the Panthers seemed bound to put a dent into Denver's lead, if not pull ahead. Instead, kicker Graham Gano missed a 44-yard field goal attempt, doinking it off the right upright. As for his counterpart, McManus continued to bang 'em thru as Manning marched the offense into field goal range once more, adding to their lead. With Carolina in need of a response, Cam Newton unloaded a deep pass that was snatched in the air by a leaping Corey Brown for a 42-yard pickup. Sadly, the drive would hit a brick wall with much of the same for Carolina as Newton was picked off just four plays later on a pass that was too hot to handle intended for Ginn. Safety T.J. Ward came up with the interception before fumbling the ball on the return and being saved by a Broncos teammate who made the recovery.

Carolina would show some late signs of life in the fourth as it was their defensive end Ealy who came up with yet another big play on defense, stripping Manning of the ball and forcing the turnover. They would capitalize the fumble recovery with a field goal that Gano converted on to inch closer and make it a 16-10 affair. Taking over with less than five minutes remaining and down by six, Denver dealt the final blow on a strip by Von Miller, recovered by Ward. The play drew quite the scrum for the ball and quite the discussion as Newton appeared to have given up on the play by electing not to dive for the loose ball. Taking over from the 4-yard line, Denver would provide the last nail in the coffin as C.J. Anderson ran it in from 2-yards out to make it a two-score game. And just for extra measure, Denver converted on the two-point conversion to seal it, pulling off the 24-10 victory.

With the win, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak became the first to ever win a Super Bowl as a player and coach for the same team. He's also only the fourth coach in NFL history to hoist a Lombardi Trophy in his first year at the helm. As for Manning who surpassed Brett Favre for the most wins all-time with win No. 200, Peyton becomes the 12th QB to win two Super Bowl titles and the first to do it with different teams. As for his future, Manning has refused to tip his hand as to whether or not he'll be retiring and says he plans to take some time to weigh his options now that the season is over. A move Elway approves of and encouraged Manning he took as much as he needs to think it over. Though winning his second ring should make his decision to step away from the game a bit easier, Denver's defense is so good that it just might entice him to come back for one last rodeo in hopes of winning back-to-back titles and retiring the same way Elway did, even if Manning is half the quarterback he once was. One player who won't garner nearly as much credit and appreciation that he deserves during Denver's title run is backup QB Brock Osweiler who would be getting the short end of the stick if Manning does return in 2016.

As much as we would like to remember this game as Manning's last hurrah (potentially), it was all about Denver's defense which tied a Super Bowl record with seven sacks and paved the way to victory. Not since Super Bowl 48 have we seen as dominant a performance like the one we saw on Sunday. But after that 43-8 shellacking at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, it's safe to say that Denver not only learned from their lesson, but tried duplicating the same formula that they were on the receiving end of last time around. In the win, Manning threw for just 141 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception as Denver's 194 total yards were the fewest ever for a Super Bowl-winning team. On the losing side of things, Newton threw for 265 yards while also going touchdown-less and throwing an interception as the Panthers were held one-dimensional by the dominant Denver D.


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Panthers-Broncos to meet in Super Bowl 50

As the 2015 NFL season nears its end, the table is set for Super Bowl 50. With less than two weeks to prepare ourselves for the big game on February 7, we take a look at the two teams who will be vying for the Lombardi Trophy and the very different roads they've journeyed to get there. While one team we had a feeling could be there since the start of the season (Denver), the other came out of nowhere and has been somewhat of a surprise (Carolina). But I'll start with the one team and one man who everyone in and around the game could possibly remember this Super Bowl by and that's the Denver Broncos and their fading star of a quarterback -- Peyton Manning. 

Just two years removed from their most recent Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl 48 which Bronco fans would rather forget took place as their team was dismantled, 43-8 by a dominant Seattle defense, this year's Denver team has been polar opposites of their 2013 selves. Making their way to the big game by way of their offense which was tops in the league and among the greatest in league history just two seasons ago, this year's Broncos team made their way back to the Super Bowl in a very different way, flipping the script if you will, by boasting the league's best defense. With future Hall of Fame QB Peyton Manning and the Denver offense taking a backseat, the 2015 Broncos are a team that has thrived and relied heavily on their defense. Mind you this is the same team that endured a rough patch that saw five consecutive weeks without scoring a single offensive touchdown and often looked better with Brock Osweiler in under center and Manning, one of the greatest to ever play the position, on the bench. While their offense has often been under fire and constantly questioned, the same can't be said for the defense, having allowed the fewest yards per game this season (283) and forcing the most sacks (52) under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. 

It's no wonder that this will be Manning's fourth Super Bowl appearance, (frankly, he should've reached this number a long time ago), as he gets set to take the field as the oldest quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl at age 39. And when he does take the field in what could possibly be the last game of his illustrious career, he'll become the first QB ever to make multiple Super Bowl appearances with multiple teams, while also becoming the first at his position to reach four Super Bowl's under four different head coaches. Manning is eclipsed by only Tom Brady and John Elway who have more Super Bowl appearances under their belts. But this game and story line shouldn't be all about Manning even though it most likely will be. The guy simply isn't the player he once was and while his team usually gets to the big game because of him, this year they've made it to the big game in spite of him. That's no knock on arguably the greatest regular season quarterback of all-time, but just further proof that father time waits for no man. 

But back to the Denver defense which won them the right to play in Super Bowl 50 with a dominant performance over the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots in the AFC Championship's 20-18 win. Denver's D got to Brady four times for a sack and a heck of a lot more times with quarterback hits mostly provided by Von Miller who had a hell of a game recording 2.5 sacks of his own to go along with one of two Brady interceptions, the hits being the most Tom Terrific has ever suffered in his playoff career. If Manning hoists his second career Lombardi Trophy, one that should help him ride off into the sunset and make stepping away from the game of football a bit easier, it'll most likely be a result of another dominant performance by the defense and not by the potent offenses teams of Manning's Super Bowl past have been known for. 

Meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers enter next Sunday's game red-hot and resembling a team of destiny. With a dominant regular season which many believed they could finish undefeated, the lone loss to the division rival Atlanta Falcons in Week 16 is the only blemish on Carolina's 2015 resume. But I was one of the few who believed the Panthers suffering a loss that would disrupt their push for a perfect season would do them more good than harm. And now that they know they could be beaten, they've given it their all and have refused to take their foot off the gas pedal. Well except for maybe that near collapse in the NFC Divisional round meeting where they nearly let Seattle march all the way back from a 31-point deficit in the second half. But Carolina rebounded by not letting a double-digit lead heading into the half of last Sunday's NFC title game get to their head or slip away as the NFC's second-best team in the Arizona Cardinals appeared to be no match for the now 17-1 Panthers who ran away with the 49-15 romp. 

Though Carolina's defense is also stellar but isn't quite up to par with Denver's which could cause problems up the middle and get to the quarterback with the best of 'em, it does feature the balance you want in a team on both sides of the ball. With playmakers on defense such as linebackers Luke Keuchle and Thomas Davis (who suffered a broken arm on Sunday but is expected to play) as well as this year's most shutdown cornerback in Josh Norman, just to name a few, Carolina comes in having caused the most takeaways in the league with 39, 24 of which being interceptions which they led the league in. But even then, this Panthers team has been most known for their offensive scoring ability which is tops in the league and none other than their captain in quarterback Cam Newton. With Newton most likely to be named league MVP, an award his counterpart Peyton Manning has won a record five times, the former Heisman Trophy winner would like nothing more than to capture the first Lombardi Trophy in Carolina Panthers franchise history. 

What's most remarkable about Carolina's explosive offense and the year they've had, is they've managed to do it all without their best receiver as Kelvin Benjamin has been sidelined all season long with a torn ACL he suffered in training camp. With the second-year wide-out expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2016 regular season, Carolina's offense could very well be just as good if not better next year. But before we get ahead of ourselves, the match-up between quarterback's Newton and Manning is an intriguing one because of the 13-year age difference which will be the largest in Super Bowl history. Not to mention the very different playing styles both QB's posses. Through the air or on the ground, Newton can do it all as he showed in Sunday's win with a pair of rushing and passing touchdowns, whereas Sunday's AFC Championship saw the first rush for a first down by Manning all year -- a 12-yard dash which happened to be his longest playoff run since his rookie season. And then there's the fact that this'll be the first ever Super Bowl meeting between two quarterback's taken first overall in their respective Draft's (Manning in 1998 and Newton in 2011). 

By punching their ticket to the big game, Carolina is only the ninth team to enter the Super Bowl with one loss or fewer, joining only the 2007 Patriots to have done it in the last 30 years. It'll also be the franchise's second Super Bowl appearance, still seeking their first victory. As for Denver, it'll be their eighth appearance, tying the Patriots, Cowboys and Steelers for the most all-time, and a win would give them their third. For what it's worth, 10 of the last 11 Super Bowl winners have donned white uniforms. Coincidentally, Carolina's only other Super Bowl appearance was in 2004 and resulted in a loss to the Patriots while wearing their white uni's. This time around they've chosen to go with black, allowing Denver to go with the more popular white uniforms. Superstitious or not, it's something Bronco fans should be ecstatic about considering they won't be wearing the orange uni's that seem to be bad luck seeing as they were demolished in them two years ago and have gone 0-4 all-time in Super Bowl's while in orange. 

Prediction: Now for how I think the big game will play out. Super Bowl 50 will be the third consecutive Super Bowl in which both No. 1 seeds reach the big game, proving once again just how important home field advantage is come playoff time. And with this game being played on the neutral grounds of San Francisco at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium, home of the 49ers, there'll be no home field advantage for either coach Ron Rivera or coach Gary Kubiak. As we've learned in the past and most notably the last time Denver made its trip to the Super Bowl, defense wins championships. With that said, all signs would point towards me taking the defensive-minded Broncos, right? Wrong! I'm not going to claim that the only reason the Broncos are Super Bowl-bound is because of a missed extra-point by the usually automatic Stephen Gostkowski, but the truth is that the missed PAT (ending a streak of 523 consecutive makes) changed the entire complexion of how coach Bill Belichick and the Patriots approached the game, having to go for that failed two-point conversion with just seconds remaining which sealed the Broncos' win and sent New England packing. 

I'll also give Peyton some credit for the two first half drives he led the Broncos offense on which resulted in touchdowns, but I'm afraid he'll be asked to put up a lot more points against a high octane offense like Carolina's. Something I don't think he'll be able to do as the opposing team's secondary will once again prove to be his kryptonite. Though I don't necessarily see Newton and the Carolina offense running amok quite like they have in each of the past two games as they'll have a much better defense in front of them come Super Bowl Sunday, I just don't see any offense exchanging punches with Carolina, and certainly not one led by the aging Peyton Manning and a run game that failed to get going until late against the Patriots. But that's not to say Denver doesn't stand a chance. If they can contain Newton and running back Jonathan Stewart on the ground like they did New England's ground attack and apply the same pressure to Newton that doomed Brady, they'll pull off the upset. With that said, it'll be intriguing to see how they approach a QB of Newton's caliber whom possesses arguably the most dangerous duel-threat ability in the game. Regardless, I'm taking Carolina who I think pulls off the 27-17 win with receiver and kick return specialist Teddy Ginn Jr. scoring a late touchdown to seal it for the Panthers' first-ever Super Bowl triumph.

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