Super Bowl 2016 Preview, Predictions, Roster News: Panthers Come Out as Favorites, But the Broncos Are Unfazed
It's about time that the Carolina Panthers prove to everyone else in the league that they deserve this year's title; but in order to do that, they'll have to pass the tough competition in the form of the Denver Broncos. These two teams took very different roads to Super Bowl 50, with the Panthers demolishing the Arizona Cardinals in a one-sided affair, while the Broncos had to pull out all the tricks in the bag to clinch the AFC title against the New England Patriots.
But it's a whole new and different ballgame this time.
The Panthers registered one loss the entire year and their performances against the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round and against the Cardinals in the NFC title game should pretty much sum up the kind of season the team is having. One thing that the Broncos must seriously look into is the fact that the Panthers have learned their lesson of not letting their guard down. In their game against the Seahawks, they allowed Seattle to score a 24-0 run over them, almost costing them the game. But in the NFC championship game, the Panthers outscored and squashed the Cardinals 25-8 in the dying minutes of the game.
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The point is if Carolina wants to assert its might, it definitely can.
But the Broncos are still the same team that can topple any team at any given night, so long as Peyton Manning is there. But what really made them reach this far is their dominating defense, which at the start of the season was suspect to many. To attest to the vast improvement of the team in defense, they were successful in keeping Tom Brady in check all throughout their game against the Patriots. The only problem for them is to maintain that, but this time, focusing on an even more challenging foe that features probably the best quarterback this season in Cam Newton.
Another argument going in the Broncos' favor is the fact that this is their second appearance in the Super Bowl in the last three seasons, although they were embarrassed by the Seahawks the last time. However, that doesn't change the fact that Manning will always be a great signal-caller no matter what sort of competition is given to him.
And while they've come to rely on their defense to reach this far, there is a lot of doubt if it will be sufficient for them to pull off an upset in this one. The Panthers will win it.
Game Info
Date: February 7, 2016
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California
TV Coverage: CBS
Live Streaming: CBS Sports
