Super Bowl 50 Preview

Super Bowl 50 is this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. The game will feature the two #1 seeds in each conference, the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. This is the third straight season where the #1 seeds met in the Super Bowl – the Seahawks beat the Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII and the Patriots beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

Both teams have had great defenses all season long, possibly the two best defenses to go up against one another in a Super Bowl game. The Panthers defense have recorded 44 sacks this season, as well as holding opponents to 19.2 points per game, which was 6th in the NFL.

Luke Kuechly has been a dominating force on this Panthers defense, bringing three interceptions back for touchdowns this season, including two in the last two games. He will be a big factor in the Super Bowl.

This Panthers’ defense is one that resembles the Seattle Seahawks from the 2013-14 season, which wound up beating the same QB that the Panthers will face in the Super Bowl on Sunday, Peyton Manning. Manning had a horrible night in Super Bowl XLVIII. He will be facing another great defense in the Super Bowl on Sunday, so he will have a lot to handle once more.

But who’s to say the Broncos’ defense don’t have a great defense themselves? In the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, the defense hit Tom Brady 20 times in the game, the most a quarterback had been hit in a playoff game in more than 10 years. They were also able to intercept him three times, including the game-clinching interception when the Patriots were attempting a 2-point conversion in an effort to tie the game at 20.

Cam Newton will also have a tough time dealing with the opposing defense. The secondary will be doing their best to cover the wide receivers and tight end Greg Olsen, which will force Cam Newton to rush with the ball, which he has done successfully all throughout his career.

This time around, however, he will be attempting to do so against a defense that hit Tom Brady 20 times. He will need to avoid the defensive line and find his receivers to tear apart the defense.
The Panthers need to do one thing they have done all season in order to almost guarantee a win Sunday, and that is to get out to a big lead early, as they always have this season. But in order to actually win the game, however, they will need to keep their big lead, something they have not done much of this season. They did do that against the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game.

Manning and Newton are both going up against great defense. But who has the edge? It’s more towards Newton, as we have already seen Manning struggle against a tough defense in the Super Bowl.


If you want to know who I’m picking to win the Super Bowl, tune in to the Super Bowl 50 Pregame Show presented by Real Talk Miami this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET. To listen, follow me on Twitter @writingfanatic2. 

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