Youth vs. Experience In Super Bowl 50
The Carolina Panthers are considered the favorite to win Super Bowl 50. Five of the eight writers at CBS Sports are taking the Carolina Panthers this Sunday. The experts at SB Nation have similar predictions, with six people in favor of the Panthers and only two for Denver. This is not surprising, considering that fact that the Panthers were close to a undefeated season and that Peyton Manning has been very unpredictable.
The Panthers are making their second trip to the Super Bowl after they dismantled the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game. Cam Newton was at the top of his game, throwing for two touchdowns and running two more. The defense may have been even better, forcing Carson Palmer into six turnovers.
However, the game against the Cardinals did come with some unfortunate results. Thomas Davis, the Panthers veteran linebacker, broke his forearm. Davis hopes to play against Denver, but his status will be a question mark with such a short covery window.
The AFC Championship game proved to be a much more competitive game. The Broncos pulled off a nail-biting 20-18 win over the New England Patriots that game down to the last seconds. The Broncos have no reached the Super Bowl for the second time in the past three years. They hope to fare better this time around, as their last appearance resulted in a 43-8 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks.
Although Peyton Manning has struggled this season, he appeared to have hit his stride against New England last week; he threw for two touchdowns and zero interceptions. This is the Manning that the Broncos are going to need against the tough Panthers defense. The Broncos Defense has been a rock this entire season. They had an inspiring performance against Tom Brady, never allowing him to get into a rhythm. Cam Newton will certainly be a different type of challenge, but if last week was any indication, they are ready for the big stage.
While the Carolina Panthers may be the heavy favorites, we should look no further than last year’s Super Bowl to know that anything can happen. This will certainly be a great matchup between the two former number one draft picks, pitting the youth of Cam Newton against the experience of Peyton Manning.
If the Broncos want to win this game, their defense will need to keep playing at a high level so that they can put Peyton Manning in a position for some late-career magic.
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