Super Bowl 50 Prediction: Broncos vs. Panthers

For the third year in a row, the top seed in either conference will be competing for the Super Bowl title. Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning looks to win his second ring in what will likely be the final game of his career, while the newly crowned MVP Cam Newton will attempt to become the first player in history to have won the Heisman, the National Championship, the NFL MVP Award, and a Super Bowl. The 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl will hopefully make for a great game between these two teams, especially considering the plethora of talent on either roster.

The Denver Broncos may have quarterback Peyton Manning as their starting quarterback, but it has been Denver's defense that has led them to the Super Bowl this season. The Broncos secondary consists of Pro Bowlers and All-Pros such as Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr., and T.J. Ward, all of whom should do well in covering the Panthers mediocre wide receiver corp. All-Pro's Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware serve as the stars of Denver's pass rush, a group that gave Tom Brady problems for the entireity of the AFC Championship game. With a combination of a lethal pass rush and a shutdown secondary, the Broncos will pressure Cam Newton into making quick decisions that could potentially lead to turnovers.

Offesnively, the Broncos have Peyton Manning at quarterback, who has basically become a game manager at this point in his career. Manning's passes certainly lack the same velocity as they tend to wobble quite often, so Denver's running game consisting of C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman will need to carry this offense in order to have any chance of setting up a half-decent passing game.

Despite losing Kelvin Benjamin to a season ending injury this past summer, the Panthers offense has had absolutely no problem putting points on the board, especially against top tier defenses. Cam Newton has been an absolute superstar this season, and his dual threat capabilities make it nearly impossible to take this athletic freak of nature completely out of the game. Carolina finished first in the league in rushing yards, but there is always the risk that Newton will throw the deep ball to some of his favorite targets like Greg Olsen or Ted Ginn Jr.

The Panthers defense has often been overshadowed in 2015 by quarterback Cam Newton and his MVP campaign, but Carolin'a defense is just as good, if not better than that of the Broncos. The Panthers had more defensive players elected to the All-Pro team (3) including the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly. Carolina's defense also ranked second behind only the Broncos when it came to Football Outsiders' defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA), making this showdown one of the best defensive matchups in Super Bowl history.

.@ThomasDavisSDTM expected to start for @Panthers in #SB50  (via @wyche89): https://t.co/cmx3MZubrj pic.twitter.com/PggrgJFE02

— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2016

Peyton Manning has struggled in the postseason historically, especially when the temperature dips below 40 degrees; however, the temperature is expected to be around 60 degrees at opening kickoff, a positive sign for Broncos fans. In addition, many of the Broncos players simply have more experience in the league, an important factor to take into account when it comes to Super Bowl matchups. Thus, all things considered, I believe the Broncos will narrowly beat the Panthers as Peyton Manning wins his second ring in the final game of his career.
Prediction: Broncos over Panthers 23-20 

In Broncos team meeting Saturday night, Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware got choked up. "Both were very emotional... https://t.co/vDVa1sD90e

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2016

1 hour warning, folks. #SB50

— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) February 7, 2016

Cam Newton hasn't stopped jumping around and dancing since he got on the field. Dabbing between warmup snaps. Fired up.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 7, 2016

Cam Newton's gold cleats say 'MVP' and have his stats on them. 🔥😍 https://t.co/CoSj8fIQIE pic.twitter.com/7m760z0hnc

— theScore (@theScore) February 7, 2016

Will the Carolina Panthers Go Undefeated?

While the Carolina Panthers may have been able to defeat the Giants this past weekend to move to 14-0, the win did not come easily. Eli Manning and the Giants led a four-touchdown comeback, with their last score being a pass to Odell Beckham Jr. with 1:46 left in the game. So maybe Carolina's defense was not able to close out the game, but Cam Newton ultimately marched 49 yards in 8 plays to set up Graham Gano's game winning field goal. With two games left in the regular season, the Panthers only need to beat the Falcons on the road next week and then the Buccaneers at home in Week 17 for an undefeated regular season. So let's take a look at these next two games, as well as any potential playoff teams capable of handing the Panthers their first loss of the season.

Falcons: At this point in the season, the Falcons must win their final two games just to have a chance at a spot in the playoffs. Unfortunately for Falcons fans, Atlanta has lost their last five games against the Panthers over the course of three different seasons, where their most recent matchup resulted in a 38-0 loss for the Falcons just two weeks ago. Even though the Panthers defense allowed 38 points to the Saints the week before, and 35 points to the Giants a week later, this defense managed to play to its full potential against the Falcons. Next week's key matchup will be Panthers cornerback Josh Norman versus star wide receiver Julio Jones, where in their last matchup against one another, Julio Jones caught seven passes for 88 yards but no touchdowns. In two of the last three games where teams have been able to score a lot of points against the Panthers, the offenses were able to get over the top of the Panthers secondary for a couple of big plays. The Falcons just don't seem like they have it in them, so I predict another win for the Panthers next week.

Prediction: Panthers over Falcons

Record: 15-0 

Buccaneers: Now that the Bucs have no chance of making the playoffs, Tampa Bay gains nothing from beating the Panthers in the last game of the season other than a sense of pride; in fact, it would be more advantageous for Tampa to intentionally lose this game in an effort to gain a better position in the draft. If Tampa loses another game, it's likely that they would sneak into the top 10 of the 2016 NFL Draft. Had this game taken place several weeks earlier when Jameis Winston became more comfortable in the pocket, Mike Evans had returned to full health, and Doug Martin emerged as Pro Bowl caliber running back once again, the Bucs had a legitimate shot at giving the Panthers their first loss. More importantly, deep threats Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson would give the Panthers secondary fits all game. Yet since this is not the case, the Panthers will become the third team in the Super Bowl era to by undefeated by the end of the regular season.
Prediction: Panthers over Buccaneers
Record: 16-0

Seahawks: With the Seahawks basically locked in as the fifth seed in the playoffs, a weak NFC East team as the fourth seed, and a likely win by the third seeded Packers in the first round of the playoffs, a Seahawks-Panthers matchup is almost inevitable. Sure, there are a lot of assumptions that must be made to get to this point, but the odds are in favor of this rematch from last year's Divisional Round taking place once more. Even with running backs Marshawn Lynch and Thomas Rawls injured, the Seahawks are one of the hottest teams in football, with quarterback Russell Wilson throwing for 19 touchdowns and no picks in his last 5 games. The Seahawks secondary is good enough to slow down the Panthers offense as they did last year in the playoffs, but the Seahawks are also very talented when it comes to throwing the deep ball (Wilson is 13 of 15 with a passer rating of 125.6 when on passes 31 yards or longer). Lastly, Lynch is expected to make his return come playoff time, so don't be shocked when the Seahawks defeat the Panthers in the Divisional Round for the second year in a row.
Prediction: Seahawks over Panthers
Record: 16-1

Week 9 Predictions

Game to Watch: Bears @ Packers: Even though Jay Cutler has not been cleared to play on Monday Night's game against the Green Bay Packers, Chicago still has a good shot against their division rivals, the Green Bay Packers. The Bears offense can still be a dominant force, even without Cutler present in the starting lineup. Running back Matt Forte has rushed for 533 yards in 2013, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, with an additional 6 rushing touchdowns. The Bears also have wideout Brandon Marshall, who is not on track to top last year's numbers, but he is still resembling a Pro Bowl wide receiver. After a slow start to the season, the Green Bay Packers, Chicago's competition, has been 4-0 since Week 4, putting their record at 5-2. The loss of Cutler hurts Chicago's chances, but we believe it will still be a close game on Monday night.
Packers over Bears 34-24

Stand Out Performance: QB Cam Newton: The Carolina Panthers may not be one of the most successful franchises, but their starting quarterback Cam Newton is an absolute star. Newton scored 27 fantasy points last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as he is averaging 26.3 fantasy points a game these past 3 weeks. Atlanta's pass defense has struggled so far in 2013, as they have allowed the second most passing touchdowns in the league with 16. Newton is also capable of running the ball, which is what makes him such a dangerous offensive weapon.
QB Cam Newton: 290 passing yards, 3 total TDs, 40 rushing yards

Player to Watch: QB Tom Brady: There is no question that quarterback Tom Brady is not playing like he once was, as his passer rating stands at just 74.9. It would be easy to blame the New England Patriots' receiving corp for Brady's poor play, but then again, Brady has 76 off-target off passes in 2013, 15 more than any other player in the NFL. Brady will be playing the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday, and even though the Steelers defense is very old, they are still very experienced. Tom Brady will pass for more than one touchdown against the Steelers for the first since Week 4 in a very close game.
QB Tom Brady: 195 passing yards, 1 passing TD

Week 9 Predictions:

Bengals over Dolphins (Incorrect)

Chiefs over Bills

Panthers over Falcons

Cowboys over Vikings

Saints over Jets

Titans over Rams

Redskins over Chargers

Eagles over Raiders (OT)

Seahawks over Buccaneers

Ravens over Browns

Patriots over Steelers

Colts over Texans

Packers over Bears

Last Week: 11-2

2013 Season: 82-37 (68.9%)

Top 10 Uniforms of All-Time: Carolina Panthers

Honorable Mention: Carolina Panthers: It was a difficult choice to decide between the Carolina Panthers' uniforms and the Las Angeles Rams uniforms. In the end, I awarded Carolina with an honorable mention over the Rams, due to their edgy colors of black and blue. The blue along the sleeves and collar provides a great contrast with the black. Their logo looks awesome on the side of the helmet opposite two black and blue stripes.