Broncos (14-4) vs. Panthers (17-1) in Santa Clara, Calif., 6:30 p.m. CBS
A battle of tough defenses and quarterbacks with differing styles (and ages) clash in Santa Clara, Calif., for the NFL's "gold" Super Bowl. Who takes this year's Lombardi Trophy?
Why Denver will win: Peyton Manning has had his rough moments this season, but has been better once he came back healthy at the end of the season. Since his return in the regular-season finale against the Chargers, he has just two TDs in three games, but zero interceptions. If he eliminates mistakes, that will be enough to maybe get the job done because of the Broncos' stout defense. But who knows? Maybe the old "Sheriff" as he is apparently being called has one great game left in him. And like I said, even if he isn't great, as long as just doesn't lose the game, Denver can still win. Behind a solid running game consisting of Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, Denver has other ways to move the ball now than say, three years ago when Manning was himself. And the defense, led by disruptive linebacker Von Miller and a revived ex-Cowboys defensive end in DeMarcus Ware, is perhaps the best in the NFL and some analysts think the best in years. Another former Cowboy, Wade Phillips, has done a masterful job of turning around a defense that was only so-so the past few seasons. Can you imagine if this defense had been paired with Manning's first couple of Broncos teams? Wow. That would have been a team to be reckoned with.
Why Carolina will win: This team is underappreciated. Yes, this 17-1 year has come from nowhere -- at one point last season, the Panthers were 3-8-1 and coach Ron Rivera was fighting off a firing -- but I truly believe this team is underrated because the jersey says "Carolina." If a more traditional power team was 17-1 -- say the Cowboys, Packers, Steelers, Patriots etc. -- then I think this team would be talked about as one
of the best ever. You don't really hear that being said about the Panthers. They are one close road loss at the Falcons away from being 18-0. The schedule was not the best, no, but Carolina piled together eight wins in the regular season by double-digit margins. And a few others they got up by a lot, and had trouble closing out the games: Packers, Giants, Colts. They dominated most of their games and were also impressive in the playoffs, absolutely mauling Seattle in the first half and then crushing the Cardinals. The Panthers have had a very good defense featuring playmaking linebacker Luke Kuechly for a few years now, and in 2015, cornerback Josh Norman emerged as a lockdown defender. The strong defense is complemented by a power offense that compiled the most rushing yards in the NFL. And there's some guy named Cam Newton. He seemed like an experiment a few years ago as an athletic scrambler that wasn't very accurate. But he's developed an all-around game that has made the offense nearly unstoppable -- it led the NFL in points -- and raised the level of those around him. None of his weapons -- except for tight end Greg Olsen -- are lauded for their great receiving abilities, but Newton makes them better. His completion percentage still isn't great at just below 60 percent, but his TDs (35) are way up, and his INTs (10) way down. His decision-making is much better.
As you can maybe see, I seem to have more reasons to pick the Panthers than the Broncos, so I am going with the favorite. I like watching Newton play, and am not (yet) turned off by his celebration dances, but I would like even more to see Manning ride off into the sunset with one more Super Bowl victory. I just don't think it will happen. If Denver can get a TD or two on defense, that would help immensely. But the fact remains that the Panthers have a great offense and defense, and I can't really say the same for Denver. The Panthers do have the troubling trend I alluded to of not closing out games they have big leads in, but I don't think this version of Manning's offense has enough explosive potential to take advantage of a letdown. I think this game will have to be in the low 20s for Denver to win, and Carolina's defense seems too good to let the Broncos score much more than that.
The pick: Panthers 31, Broncos 23
A battle of tough defenses and quarterbacks with differing styles (and ages) clash in Santa Clara, Calif., for the NFL's "gold" Super Bowl. Who takes this year's Lombardi Trophy?
Why Denver will win: Peyton Manning has had his rough moments this season, but has been better once he came back healthy at the end of the season. Since his return in the regular-season finale against the Chargers, he has just two TDs in three games, but zero interceptions. If he eliminates mistakes, that will be enough to maybe get the job done because of the Broncos' stout defense. But who knows? Maybe the old "Sheriff" as he is apparently being called has one great game left in him. And like I said, even if he isn't great, as long as just doesn't lose the game, Denver can still win. Behind a solid running game consisting of Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson, Denver has other ways to move the ball now than say, three years ago when Manning was himself. And the defense, led by disruptive linebacker Von Miller and a revived ex-Cowboys defensive end in DeMarcus Ware, is perhaps the best in the NFL and some analysts think the best in years. Another former Cowboy, Wade Phillips, has done a masterful job of turning around a defense that was only so-so the past few seasons. Can you imagine if this defense had been paired with Manning's first couple of Broncos teams? Wow. That would have been a team to be reckoned with.
Why Carolina will win: This team is underappreciated. Yes, this 17-1 year has come from nowhere -- at one point last season, the Panthers were 3-8-1 and coach Ron Rivera was fighting off a firing -- but I truly believe this team is underrated because the jersey says "Carolina." If a more traditional power team was 17-1 -- say the Cowboys, Packers, Steelers, Patriots etc. -- then I think this team would be talked about as one
As you can maybe see, I seem to have more reasons to pick the Panthers than the Broncos, so I am going with the favorite. I like watching Newton play, and am not (yet) turned off by his celebration dances, but I would like even more to see Manning ride off into the sunset with one more Super Bowl victory. I just don't think it will happen. If Denver can get a TD or two on defense, that would help immensely. But the fact remains that the Panthers have a great offense and defense, and I can't really say the same for Denver. The Panthers do have the troubling trend I alluded to of not closing out games they have big leads in, but I don't think this version of Manning's offense has enough explosive potential to take advantage of a letdown. I think this game will have to be in the low 20s for Denver to win, and Carolina's defense seems too good to let the Broncos score much more than that.
The pick: Panthers 31, Broncos 23
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