Why The Panthers Vs. The Broncos Is The Perfect Super Bowl 50 Matchup

We thought we knew how these conference championships were going to go, didn’t we? Sure, the Patriots were going to ride Tom Brady’s right arm and Rob Gronkowski’s exquisite ability to squeeze through the most swarming defenses right to Santa Clara. The Panthers, meanwhile, were going to keep pounding on the Cardinals until this season of destiny was at its final endpoint. Maybe that would have presented the best possible matchup for the majority of football fans, but the football gods would only cooperate so much. And honestly, the best kind of reality TV happens when there’s only a bare-bones script lurking somewhere beneath the superficial madness. You give a general direction and let the rest work itself out.

And so here we are with the Denver Broncos who, despite their status as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, managed to pull off an upset at home over Brady’s Pats and advance to their first Super Bowl since being blown out by Seattle two years ago, 43-8. Their opponent will, in fact, be those clearly destined Panthers, who destroyed Arizona and will play in their first Big Game since 2004. In Santa Clara, we’ll be getting Cam Newton, the league’s presumptive MVP, going up against the No. 1 defense in the NFL. Peyton Manning, now the first quarterback to ever start four Super Bowls for four different head coaches (and who could possibly be playing in his final NFL game?), going up against a vaunted Carolina defense that boasts four Pro Bowlers.

There’s a good chance Carolina blows out Denver, say, 37-13. There’s maybe an equally good chance Denver keeps it close and wins a tight one, perhaps 24-20. The next two weeks of hype and prognostication are going to convince all of us that either is a perfectly reasonable and likely outcome. I don’t doubt that. I just wish we could skip all the madness and get right back to playing football because Sunday’s doubleheader was about as fun as the NFL can be these days.

New England lost this very winnable game against Denver for a host of reasons. Tom Brady was, at times, not very good throwing the football, missing targets and looking uncharacteristically ruffled, often due to a maniacal Denver pass rush that allowed less than 200 passing yards per game this season. Also, the Pats’ leading rusher had 13 yards; even worse, it was Brady. Despite eight catches, 144 yards, and a score from Gronkowski, who might be the most skilled pass catcher in the league, regardless of position, New England could muster no further heroics from any other player.

Denver, on the other hand, was simply brilliant on how they approached New England, content to play a patient game on both sides, forcing Brady into making critical mistakes and then having Manning capitalize on those with an offensive game plan that was methodical if boringly effective (176 yards on 32 attempts, two TDs). The two-headed rushing monster of C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman once again split the workload just enough to keep New England’s suspect defense in a position where they had to guess correctly in order to stem the Broncos progress. It didn’t happen often enough to save the Pats, and so Denver advances with a chance to put Manning out on the highest of notes. (And if you wonder why I didn’t mention Stephen Gostkowski’s missed extra point as a major reason for the Pats losing, it’s because it truly wasn’t one. That was a first-quarter event, and Brady had the large majority of the game remaining to make up for this fluky but unfortunate occurrence. In truth, it should not have mattered at all. The Pats ultimately should’ve won by two touchdowns, and the offense only has itself to blame that it did not.)

In the late game, the Panthers put a drubbing on the Cardinals that probably didn’t surprise most people. Arizona had everything working against it in the NFC Championship and Carson Palmer’s dream season always felt like it was a coin flip away from going terribly awry. Against Carolina, the magic ran out with blistering abandon. There was no earthly rhythm that Palmer could possibly settle into and the defense, which I contend was better than people realized, had no answers for the Panthers and, above all, Cam Newton. It’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll win his first league MVP in a few days’ time, but he played every bit the part against the Cardinals, throwing darts for first downs in the open field and scrambling on designed run plays. His 12-yard keeper late in the third that sealed the game for Carolina had shades of John Elway or Brett Favre. Newton was everything Carolina needed him to be, which is to say, it was just another superlative performance for a budding superstar in need of a Super Bowl win to attain otherworldly status.

And you have to feel good about Carolina’s chances of completing this incredible season and finishing at 18-1 and forcing themselves into the discussion of the greatest teams in NFL history. The Broncos have the defensive talent and offensive experience to stop Carolina cold, but it may be too steep a climb for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. On the other hand, I’m fascinated to see if Denver can keep the game close up until halftime. If it can, the second half should see ratings in the stratosphere.

Newton’s coronation as Super Bowl champion? Manning capping off a legendary career with ultimate coda? The NFL has to love how this matchup has fallen into place (and with no distracting Deflategate discussions that would’ve been prompted by the Pats’ presence). Either way, it seems we’re in for a fun time in Santa Clara for Super Bowl 50. Let’s hope the two participants hold up their end of this.

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