Super Bowl 50: 5 bold predictions
By Brad Rowland
The Broncos won’t pressure Cam Newton
Denver won the AFC Championship Game because of its pass rush.
Depending on what metric you believe, the Broncos hit Tom Brady on at least 18 occasions in the game, which represents the highest mark in the NFL this season by any club on any quarterback. In short, they were completely and totally dominant to the point where arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history was visibly shaken.
That’s not going to happen here.
Carolina’s offensive line isn’t an elite group, but it’s a better one than the Broncos saw a week ago. The Panthers allowed only 33 sacks this season, a number that places them in the top half of the league, and Pro Football Focus states that Carolina allowed the third-fewest knockdowns in the NFL in 2015. Beyond that, Newton is much more mobile than Brady has ever been. More importantly, the Panthers boast the threat of a quality running game with Jonathan Stewart in a way that the Patriots simply could not in the post-Dion Lewis era.
For the Broncos to win this game, Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and company must live in the backfield to alter Newton’s habits and speed up his timing. Denver is more than capable of doing that, but it won’t come at nearly the same level as it did against New England, and that is a severe problem for the AFC squad in this season’s Super Bowl.
Next: The MVP