SUPER BOWL 50 ANALYSIS: CAROLINA VS. DENVER

Carolina, Newton to seize 'moment'

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player on Saturday, but the former Heisman Trophy winner will look to win his first Super Bowl title today against Denver.
Carolina quarterback Cam Newton was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player on Saturday, but the former Heisman Trophy winner will look to win his first Super Bowl title today against Denver.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The Denver Broncos and their top defense haven't seen anything quite like Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, the No. 1 scoring offense in the league.

photo

AP

Super Bowl 50 information and images.

The Panthers (15-1) are on a roll, jumping on playoff opponents early. The primary question today might not be whether they'll win the franchise's first Vince Lombardi Trophy, but if they'll hand the Broncos another Super Bowl blowout.

Panthers vs. Broncos

5:38 p.m. Central, CBS

LINE — Panthers by 5½

SERIES Broncos lead series 3-1, beat Panthers 36-14 on Nov. 11, 2012

OFFENSE VS. DEFENSE

PANTHERS (O) 31.2 (1) points, 366.9 (11) total, 224.3 (24) pass, 142.6 (2) rush

BRONCOS (D) 18.5 (4) points, 283.1 (1) total, 199.6 (1) pass, 83.6 (3) rush

BRONCOS (O) 22.2 (19) points, 355.5 (16) total, 248.1 (14) pass, 107.4 (17) rush

PANTHERS (D) 19.2 (6) points, 322.9 (6) total, 234.5 (11) pass, 88.4 (4) rush

BREAKING IT DOWN

HOW THEY GOT HERE Broncos beat Patriots 20-18 for AFC title; Panthers beat Cardinals 49-15 for NFC title

KEY MATCHUP Panthers quarterback Cam Newton vs. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. Newton, 26, led the NFL this season in total touchdowns (both passing and rushing) with 45. Manning, 39, had career lows in touchdowns (9), passer rating (67.9) and passing yards (2,249) this season and was intercepted 17 times. , On the other hand, the veteran has thrown for 71,940 yards and 539 touchdowns during an 18-year career that has left him with a 96.5 passer rating. He’s been to the Super Bowl four times. This is Newton’s first time. Manning is second in the NFL playoffs in yards passing (7,198), completions (636) and attempts (1,004), trailing only Tom Brady. He ranks fourth in postseason TD passes (40) and needs four to tie Brett Favre for third. Manning has 13 postseason victories and needs one to tie Terry Bradshaw and John Elway for third most of any starting QB. Newton is the only player in the league with at least 30 touchdowns passing (35) and at least 10 , touchdowns rushing (10) in a season. He passed for 3,837 yards and rushed for 636 yards in the regular season and became the only NFL player with at least 3,000 yards passing and at least 500 yards rushing in five seasons.

KEY STATS Broncos are making their eighth Super Bowl appearance, tying Dallas, New England and Pittsburgh for most in league history. Owner Pat Bowlen’s seven Super Bowl trips tied with New England’s Robert Kraft for most. … Broncos won AFC West for fifth consecutive season (tied for fifth-longest streak in NFL history) and 15th time overall. … Gary Kubiak (12) tied Red Miller (1977) for most wins by coach in first season with Broncos. Kubiak first to reach Super Bowl with same , team as player and head coach in NFL history. … Peyton Manning at 39 trying to become oldest QB to win Super Bowl. … Broncos were one of two teams to have two 700-yard rushers: Ronnie Hillman (863) and C.J. Anderson (720). … WR Demaryius Thomas led team in catches (105) and yards receiving (1,304) with 6 TDs. Thomas set Super Bowl record with 13 receptions for 118 yards two years ago in loss to Seattle. … LBs Danny Trevathan (109) and Brandon Marshall (101) were top two on team in tackles. … LB DeMarcus Ware has 5½ sacks in seven postseason games. … Since ‘08, CB Aqib Talib leads NFL with 8 pick-6s. … Panthers making second Super Bowl appearance (Super Bowl 38 loss to New England). … Panthers won NFC South for third consecutive season and have won division six times. … Panthers led NFL with franchise-record 500 points and 59 TDs in regular season. … TE Greg Olsen had 77 catches for 1,104 yards and 7 TDs in regular season, his second consecutive season with at least 75 catches, 1,000 yards and 6 TDs. … WR Ted Ginn Jr. led team with career-high 10 receiving TDs. Has scored 7 TDs in past six games, including 22-yard TD run in NFC Championship Game. … Panthers led NFL in regular season with 39 takeaways, 24 interceptions and plus-20 turnover differential. … All-Pro LB Luke Kuechly led team with 118 tackles in regular season. Since entering NFL in 2012, he leads league with 591 tackles. Has 14 interceptions since 2012 (including playoffs), most by linebacker. … All-Pro LB Thomas Davis second on team with 105 tackles in regular season. Was only player in NFL with at least 4 sacks (5½) and at least 4 interceptions (four) in regular season. David broke right forearm vs. Arizona but is expected to play. … DE Jared Allen has 4 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in past five postseason games. Including playoffs, Allen has 140 sacks, tied for second most among active players. … K Graham Gano led NFC with franchise-record 146 points in regular season.

.

INJURY REPORT Panthers DE Jared Allen (foot), LB Thomas Davis (forearm) and RB Mike Tolbert (knee) are all listed as probable. For the Broncos, TE Owen Daniels (knees), LB Todd Davis (shoulder), CB Chris Harris Jr. (shoulder), QB Peyton Manning (foot), LB Brandon Marshall (ankle), G Evan Mathis (ankle), S Darian Stewart (knee), G Louis Vasquez (knee), S T.J. Ward (ankle) and LB DeMarcus Ware (knee, back) are all listed as probable.

"I think it's his moment," Panthers Coach Ron Rivera said of Newton, "as well as it's our moment,"

Although Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Ware said he's "not really worried about [Carolina's] offense," the potential is there for this one to get away, especially if the Panthers get off to another hot start like they have in their two previous postseason games and force Peyton Manning to become one-dimensional.

The Panthers have feasted on pocket passers all season, the latest example being Carson Palmer, who committed six turnovers in Carolina's 49-15 victory over Arizona in the NFC Championship Game.

Carolina's defense, which led the league in takeaways, quickly shifts from good to great when the offense gives them a lead.

They have nine takeaways and eight sacks in the postseason.

Luke Kuechly, one of three All-Pro players on defense, has two interception returns for touchdowns in the playoffs.

But the trigger for Carolina is establishing the running game.

"Mike Tolbert and Stew [Jonathan Stewart] make their play-action game go," said Broncos defensive back T.J. Ward. "So if we stop the run, we stop the beginning of what they do, that helps the rest of their offense."

That's a good plan, but executing it has proven to be a little more difficult.

The Panthers have run for at least 100 yards in 31 consecutive games, including the playoffs. To put that in perspective, no other team has a streak longer than six games.

Newton is a big part of that, rushing for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns, tying Steve Young's record for career TDs by a quarterback.

The game's most versatile player, Newton shattered the myth that he's just a running quarterback long ago. But he's taken his passing to a different level this season, improving his accuracy and throwing for a career-high 35 touchdowns.

He's been lights out in the red zone, throwing 24 touchdowns with no interceptions.

"He's like a combination of two quarterbacks that were great quarterbacks in this league," said Broncos defensive end Antonio Smith. "He's got the escape ability of a Michael Vick and a body frame like Ben Roethlisberger, where people are bouncing off of you left and right."

Carolina's passing game ranks near the bottom of the league, but that's more a reflection of the team's balance on offense. The Panthers are the only team that runs the ball more than they throw it.

"Cam transitioned this year where he's not going anywhere until he has to," Young said. "It's a whole mindset that the mastery of the pocket, the mastery of the data. Now he can enter in and say I don't need to run. I can. I can run over you. But I don't have to. I think he's starting to see just the possibilities of what you can do from the pocket."

The Panthers may be a small-market team and unfamiliar to some, but make no doubt it -- they're no fluke.

They've won 22 of their past 24 games, including a 3-1 mark in the postseason.

In those 24 games, Carolina has outscored its opponent by a whopping margin of 735-427 -- or by an average score of 31-18.

So why not play the odds?

Prediction: Panthers 31, Broncos 18.

Sports on 02/07/2016

Upcoming Events