By: Jamal Smith Sports editor
Mark your calendars, clear your schedule and take Sunday, Feb. 9 off of work for Super Bowl 50. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
Whether you tune in just for the commercials or host a block party, Super Bowl mania has officially arrived. Five months and 266 NFL regular season and playoffs games are in the books and two teams remain: the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos.
It has been said that defense is what wins championships, and that will certainly be true when the winner of Super Bowl 50 is crowned. According to ESPN’s defensive efficiency metric, the Denver Broncos are the NFL’s No. 1 rated defense and the Carolina Panthers are the No. 2 defense.
The main storyline for the game will most likely be about the two teams’ prolific quarterbacks, Denver’s Payton Manning and Carolina’s Cam Newton. Manning, now at the ripe, old age of 39, is at the tail end of his Hall of Fame-worthy career, and some sports analysts believe that this game will be his last.
But Payton proved his naysayers wrong in the AFC Conference Championships with a 20-18 victory against the New England Patriots.
“There’s no question, this is a sweet day. This was a sweet victory,” Manning said after winning the AFC Conference Championship. “To me, this victory sort of is a great example of what this entire season has been like. It hasn’t been easy.”
Newton, in his fifth year in the NFL, has had a break-out season, leading the Panthers to a league-best 15-1 regular season record and also winning the 2015 NFL Most Valuable Player award and Offensive Player of the Year award by the Professional Football Writers of America.
The Panthers’ regular season success doesn’t make a difference in playoffs, and yet, even in the biggest moment of his young career, Newton embraced the pressure and lead his team to a 49-15 beat down of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC championship game.
“Yeah, we are going to the Super Bowl. We are not going just to take pictures,” said Cam Newton after the NFC Championship game. “We are trying to finish this thing off.”
It is that belief in himself and his teammates, a cockiness similar to that of Floyd “Money” Mayweather, which has given Newton and the Panthers an edge all season long.
So, who has the edge? An experienced Broncos team or the new kids on the block? According to Las Vegas sports books, which sets the betting lines for sports competitions, Carolina is favored to win the game by 3.5 points. Also, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, which takes into account each team’s strengths and weaknesses, the Panthers have a 55.6 percent chance of winning the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Last year’s Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks had all the drama and excitement expected of the biggest game in the world. This year looks to be the same as the two best football teams go head to head in the bright lights on the biggest stage in the world.
