The blistering offense of the Carolina Panthers meet the league’s No. 1 defense, the Denver Broncos. It’s a classic matchup of offense vs. defense; one that cannot be missed.
Will there be a passing of the guard from one of the best quarterbacks of all time to a young, hot-shot signal-caller, or does Manning ultimately get his fairy tale ending? Read on as the experts sound off on Super Bowl 50.
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Experts Picks for Super Bowl 50
Time Warner Cable
| Super Bowl 50 | Blake Lovell |
|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos | Panthers |
Blake Lovell of Time Warner Cable believes that both the Broncos and Panthers have very solid defenses that could win this season’s Lombardi Trophy. He also cites that these elite defenses could very well have both quarterbacks missing out on the Super Bowl MVP award.
The Broncos were absolutely brilliant in beating last year’s Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady in the AFC Championship Game. The pass rush racked up four sacks on Brady, including 2.5 by linebacker Von Miller alone. Getting pressure on Carolina quarterback Cam Newton could do a lot for the Broncos, especially with the Panthers being quite shallow in the receiving corps.
The Panthers, on the other hand, have defensive scores in both of their playoff games thus far. Linebacker Luke Keuchly, in particular, has been deadly by nabbing a pick-six in each of his playoff games against Seattle and Arizona. Those are two clubs led by Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer, respectively; quarterbacks that are known for their big-play ability.
Keuchly should be a nightmare for Denver’s Peyton Manning, who has been a shell of his former self. Manning had just nine touchdowns while throwing 17 interceptions in the regular season, yet he currently has two touchdowns and no picks in the postseason.
Lowell believes that the Panthers have the much superior defense and a very well-rounded offense to win Super Bowl 50. They have done nothing but prove that they’re the best team in the league. Lowell also believes that a defensive player could very much win the Super Bowl 50 MVP award, considering Denver’s defense could slow down Newton on offense. Linebacker Keuchly is the best candidate, obviously, and his +1,200 odds to do so gives plenty of bang for your buck.
Inquisitr
| Super Bowl 50 | Phillip Dengler |
|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos | Panthers 24-14 |
Phillip Dengler of Inquisitr is also very high on the Carolina Panthers heading into Super Bowl 50. He notes that the Panthers’ Cam Newton has posted gaudy numbers all season long and even got better and better as the year went on. To be on point, he threw for a career-high 35 touchdown passes and a career-low 10 interceptions this season. He also rushed for 10 touchdowns, the second-highest mark of his career.
While Newton has enjoyed an MVP season, Denver’s Peyton Manning has shown that he’s not the quarterback he used to be. Manning missed six games due to an injury and eventually lost the starting gig to Brock Osweiler. However, Manning did get his starting job back after Osweiler turned the ball over too much, but hasn’t been anywhere near his MVP form of years’ past.
Newton is deservedly the better quarterback, and Dengler believes that the Carolina quarterback gets his first Super Bowl on February 7 with a 24-14 win.
Bleacher Report
| Super Bowl 50 | Danny Webster | Mike Norris |
|---|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos | Panthers 24-17 | Panthers 24-14 |
Danny Webster of Bleacher Report notes that Peyton Manning has played much better since reclaiming Brock Osweiler’s starting duties under center in the second half of Week 17’s victory over San Diego. He hasn’t turned the ball over yet, and has managed Denver’s offense pretty well. He even threw a pair of touchdowns and led two more scoring drives against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
All things considered, Manning has been solid since his return. But his last two appearances in the Super Bowl haven’t gone well, as opposing defenses have rattled him too often. First, Tracy Porter scored on a pick-six, which sealed Super Bowl XLIV for the New Orleans Saints. Then, the Seattle Seahawks held Manning and the Denver offense to just eight points in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Carolina’s defense is a different animal compared to what Manning has seen this season. That unit got a defensive score in each of the team’s playoff games thus far. The Panthers also have arguably the hottest quarterback in the league right now in Cam Newton. Newton recently threw for 335 yards and four touchdowns in the NFC Championship game to send Carolina to Super Bowl 50.
A solid defense and Newton’s stellar skill set should help win the Super Bowl for Carolina with a final score of 24-17, Webster believes.
Another Bleacher Report writer, Mike Norris, is also pegging the Panthers to win Super Bowl 50 but by a wider margin of 27-14. He added another dimension to his prediction, picking Newton to win the Super Bowl MVP award. If Newton continues his scorching play in Santa Clara, then he’ll bring home the extra hardware after the game.
TopBet
| Super Bowl 50 | TopBet |
|---|---|
| Carolina Panthers vs. Denver Broncos | Panthers 31-17 |
We here at TopBet are also very high on the Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50. The team almost cannot be denied of the Lombardi Trophy after a solid 15-1 regular season and two dominant outings in the playoffs. They’re 13-5 ATS in all those games, meaning that they’re a very reliable team to cover the spread just the same. In addition, they’re also 11-5 against the spread as favorites this season.
The Denver Broncos, meanwhile, still have a very solid defense. As the saying goes, defense wins championships. But do the Broncos have an offense that could score the points necessary to win? Maybe not. Peyton Manning is nothing but a game manager at this point. He finished with a very underwhelming 176 yards against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. He also managed to lead just one scoring drive (for a field goal, all the less) in the entire second half of that game.
The Broncos have scored 30 or more points on just two occasions all season long. If they fall behind early, then Manning may not be able to chuck the ball deep downfield to get the Broncos back in contention. TopBet has the Panthers running away from Super Bowl 50 as 31-17 winners.
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