After gaining a 31-0 lead on the Seahawks in the divisional round and blowing out the Cardinal’s high octane offense 49-15, no one was giving the Broncos a chance in last week’s Super Bowl. The Panthers were hot, finishing 18-1 in the regular and postseason behind league MVP Cam Newton who not only scored with his arm, but his legs as well, gaining 50 total touchdowns despite being held back by the loss of his number 1 WR from the year before, Kelvin Benjamin. The defense was a formidable unit as well, lead by Josh Norman, who week after week shut down the best receivers the NFL had to offer, and Luke Kuechly, who had 118 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and had scored a touchdown the week prior to the Super Bowl against the Cardinals. The Panthers final opponent of the year, the Broncos, were written off as to be the final win the Panthers would get before they could claim the Lombardi. The Broncos starting QB in Peyton Manning had looked bad all season, throwing the 2nd most interceptions in the league this season, despite missing half of it, and throwing an abysmal 9 touchdowns. Despite everything the Panthers had going for them, the Broncos shocked the sporting world, leaving Levi’s Stadium with the Lombardi Trophy, and here’s the 3 reasons why.
The first reason the Broncos upset the 5.5 point favorites in the Panthers was that they limited Peyton Manning’s mistakes. After being put back into the lineup in week 17 versus the Chargers, Gary Kubiak realized that Manning couldn’t make the throws that he used to be able to, so he changed his offense. The Broncos switched to a run oriented offense, focusing on pounding opponents with Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson, and when Peyton had to make throws, they were short and quick, as to minimize the damage he could create. While Peyton still threw a pick on Sunday, it was made up for by the Broncos defense.
The second reason the Broncos were able to topple the Panthers on Sunday was that their running game came through for them. Facing the league’s 2nd best run defense didn’t phase the Broncos offense, as they rushed the ball 28 times notching 90 yards and 1 CJ Anderson touchdown that sealed the Broncos’ victory late in the fourth quarter.
The third and the most important reason the Broncos beat the Panthers was their amazing defensive performance. 2 weeks after harassing Tom Brady’s Patriots, the Denver pass rush made swiss cheese out of the Carolina offensive line, getting a Super Bowl record 7 sacks, 2.5 of which coming from Super Bowl MVP Von Miller. The Denver D also forced 3 turnovers, 1 returned for a TD and another giving the Broncos the ball near the goaline which CJ Anderson would turn into a touchdown a few plays later. Thanks to Peyton limiting mistakes, the running game coming through, and Denver’s magnificent play on defense, the Broncos were able to upset the Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50.
~ Sean
