In just the matters of a few hours, the Carolina Panthers will take on the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.
This, the golden anniversary if the Super Bowl, will pit an overwhelming favorite in the form of the 15-1 Panthers against a Broncos squad that's being led by a quarterback that's in the twilight of his career.
Let's take a look at a few different angles in what should be a darn good championship game Sunday evening.
Point Spread: Panthers (-5.5)
This is the highest point spread in the big game since the Pittsburgh Steelers closed as 6.5 points favorites over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.
The last four teams that have been favored in the Super Bowl have gone on to lose. Overall, favorites boast a 32-17 record in the Super Bowl. The highest point spread was San Francisco over San Diego by 19 in Super Bowl XXIX (San Francisco won 49-26).
This doesn't really amount to a hill of beans when it comes to Sunday's contest. Completely different teams playing on a completely different stage. Though, it's still important to look at from a historical perspective.
Weather: 72 Degrees, Mostly Sunny and 8 MPH Winds
It's expected to be absolutely beautiful for kickoff Sunday at Levi's Stadium. That whole saying about California sun. Well, it's here, and its quite dandy.
Don't look for the weather conditions to have much impact in the game unless the wind picks up the closer we get to kickoff, at which point there might be some concern over Peyton Manning's decreased arm strength.
Team Rankings | Team | Total Off | Pass Off | Rush Off | Points | Total Def | Pass Def | Rush Def | PA |
| Carolina | 11 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 6 |
| Denver | 16 | 14 | 17 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
When Carolina Has the Ball
The obvious focus here is going to be NFL MVP Cam Newton who tallied a ridiculous 45 total touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions during the regular season. Can Denver find a way to put pressure on Newton? That's going to be the biggest key here, especially when it comes to keeping a lackluster Panthers passing game down in this one. Newton was sacked 33 times during the regular season while the Broncos defense recorded a NFL-high 52 sacks during the regular year.
Equally as important, can Denver hold contain when the pocket collapses on Newton? After all, he did rack up 636 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns on the ground. In reality, that tall task will be left up to Von Miller, who is disciplined enough to make sure that Newton doesn't find a clean rushing lane when the pocket does collapse.
It's strength against strength when it comes to the ground game. Carolina racked up an average of 142.6 rushing yards per game while the Broncos yielded an average of just 83.6 yards on the ground.
The interesting dynamic here is that Denver is 9-2 this year (postseason included) when it allows less than 100 rushing yards. It's 5-2 when it allows 100-plus rushing yards. Meanwhile, Carolina has put up 100-plus yards in all 18 of its games this year.
If the Broncos are able to hold Carolina to under 100 rushing yards, it wouldn't only be an amazing accomplishment; it would increase their chances of winning a great deal.
If Carolina is able to control the trenches early, it will enable Newton to find Ted Ginn and Greg Olsen down the field in what could very well be single coverage, taking away the one major advantage Denver's defense has in this game.
When Denver Has the Ball
It's rather simple here. Denver needs to have success on the ground if it is going to come out on top. The bad news here is that stopping the run is the Panthers' primary strength on defense. They have yielded less than 90 yards on the ground per game while giving up 3.9 yards per rush. In fact, the Panthers are giving up an average of 70 rushing yards in their past four games.
Knowing just how limited Peyton Manning is in the passing game, Denver's success on the ground will be that much more important. After all, the Broncos boast a 9-1 record (postseason included) when they go for 100-plus rushing yards.
The other key matchup here will be Demaryius Thomas vs Josh Norman. A Defensive Player of the Year candidate, Norman yielded a sub 75.0 quarterback rating during the regular season. Meanwhile, all four of Thomas' 100-yard receiving games came with Manning under center. That's a representation that the two connect extremely well.
Carolina will be stacking the box against the run early, so it will be important for Manning to find a way to have success throwing Thomas' way down the field. If that happens, the tandem of C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman should have success. If not, the linebacking duo of Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis will dominate in that aspect of the game.
Prediction
Panthers: 17
Broncos: 13
I am going away with the narrative that indicates this is going to be a blowout. While Carolina may be the vastly superior team on offense, Denver's defense should be able to keep the game close. In what will be a low-scoring affair, a late-game touchdown scoring drive by Newton and the Panthers will be the difference.