I'm a Panthers fan, so I've been waiting all week for Sunday's game! As long as the offense can get that run game going, there should be opportunities to pass the ball against one of the NFL's elite secondaries. They got past Seattle's secondary at times, even if the deep ball was taken out of equation (Sherman on Ted Ginn) and Cam had to throw some incredibly accurate passes to get through it. The fact that Cam only had six pass attempts in the second half is telling of why they weren't producing any points and allowing the Seahawks back into that game. What really worries me is how well Arizona's offense can play against my defense, if Carson Palmer can snap out of it...Josh Norman is the only starting corner back there and Jared Allen is ruled out, so there is some major concern for the Panthers to contain those receivers. The pass rush will have to be huge tomorrow, no question.
Yeah, running the ball is definitely important for Carolina. If they can control the clock, they can control the game and keep Arizona's offense off the field. The Green Bay pass rush got to Palmer at times so I definitely think the Panthers can bring the pressure. But Arizona's receivers are pretty deep, so Carolina's secondary definitely has to make some plays and limit deep passing.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! One last ride for #18! I still haven't recovered from that Baltimore game from a few years ago... a win in two weeks though will finally heal that deep mental trauma. LOL. The fun thing is Peyton finally has a legit defense to help him out!
Panthers vs. Broncos. Gosh, what a disaster for the Cardinals. Even worse than the Seahawks. Go Broncos!!! Peyton Manning!!!
Wow!! Broncos game was the best one I've seen in a while! Almost cried when Denver won and I've been drinking too much since lolol Now it's the matchup I've been waiting for. I grew up about 1hr outside of Denver, and my grandparents (mothers side) are from North Carolina! Lol. But of course, Denver is my team. I feel like they have the *it* factor like they did for Elway's first win! I wanna hear "This one's for Peyton" this time
I'd like the Broncos to win this one for Peyton so he can retire on a high note but the Panthers are really impressive both sides of the ball. If the Broncos' D can keep them in the game and disrupt Cam like they did to Brady then they have a chance. They need to somehow find a run game as well.... so it will be tricky. Logic says Panthers wins it, heart hopes for a Broncos win, even an ugly win will do. As Al used to say "Just win,baby..."
That beating Arizona took. I am pretty sure it would be illegal in most lands. I did enjoy all the INTs Palmer coughed up. Those were a blast to watch. As was the mugging Denver's defense gave Brady. As for SB50.... For my brothers sake (Denver fan). And as a Manning fan myself (more Eli than Peyton). I hope Manning don't choke....... Like last time he went to the big show.
I knew Carson Palmer was off in the Packers game, but wow did Carolina capitalize on his mistakes! Two forced fumbles from the pass rush and some terribly bad throws made this a bit too easy. Not to mention that Cardinals defense was a no show, they absolutely could not stop Cam Newton and were beaten in every facet of the game. Mind blown... I had the day off so I was able to watch both games...Denver was excellent, that had to be one of the best defensive performances I've ever seen, Peyton didn't have to even win them the game, his early scores were enough. Lots of Patriots fans probably point the finger at the kicker, but he was in no way the reason they lost...they had three trips down to the red zone at the end and only had a touchdown to show for it. Hindsight's 20/20 so I don't think Belichick was expecting to get back or have enough time. Credit the Broncos D, they not only got to Brady, but the pressure made New England desperate at the end. One of the best playoff games I've seen. I'm biased and hope for Carolina to win, but I have a lot of respect for that Denver defense, people are underestimating just how good that side of the ball is, they're in the Super Bowl now. I feel Carolina wins, but only if they put up more than 20 points, the Broncos haven't been able to ask Peyton to win a game, so the defense will have to be legendary to finish this run off.
Oh god, they've had several meltdowns this year, lol. The most gut-wrenching was that Giants game where they blew a 28 point lead in the second half, Cam really had to step in there. A lot of it has to do with the defensive schemes they put out, they like to play zone so you can't let the quarterback sit in the pocket too long, with the trade-off being forced turnovers through coverage. Also if the pass rush gets in the pocket: then the quarterback doesn't have enough time to throw since they have to wait for windows to open in some cases. One of their major issues with blowing leads is that their pass rush tends to die down in the second half and opposing lines start controlling the game, letting quarterbacks cut up the pass coverage. The meltdowns they had were against Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, and Russell Wilson (four Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in there). All great quarterbacks, and if you can't get them to create turnovers then eventually as the defense starts to wear there are openings all over the place. It's risky but they're number one in takeaways for a reason, and obviously being the highest scoring offense this year benefited a lot from the defense too. What the Broncos need is balance on offense to take down the Panthers, when Arizona got the run game going they were able to score their first touchdown, so pressure off the quarterback will be key. Manning isn't going to be a deep threat since he doesn't have the arm he used to, and he's a bit inaccurate at times, but he's smart and if the pressure isn't completely on him, I can see him having a good game.
In the second half of that game it looked like they didn't play to win but not to loose. They appeared scared stiff of blowing it.
One more thing about that Seahawks game to note was not only the conservative play-calling in the second half, but also how much Carolina needs to close their games with their offense and not their defense (as evidenced against Arizona). Almost all of their drives were 3 and outs in the second half of the Seattle game, so the defense eventually got worn out. They have a good balance of young and older players on that side of the ball, but they're not built to close games without the offense sustaining drives and giving them rest. They're also not a lockdown defense like the Broncos, they depend on players to fulfill a scheme than riding on their individual talent, even with the stars they have on there. Denver on the other hand only scored 3 points in the second half against New England, with numerous 3 and outs and brief unsustained drives. That's usually a recipe for disaster but that's telling of how unshakable their defense is...they'll be around to the end of the game even if they're pushed to the limit. The Panthers defense is great because they have a lot of the right personnel for what they're doing, but the better defense by far is the Broncos'. One depends on momentum and the other is a true lockdown defense that is capable of winning a championship. Cam will have to have a great game and be able to move the chains against those guys, or breakdowns will start to occur. The pressure is all on him in the Super Bowl, because everything runs through him and if he gets dominated, then the whole ship will start to sink. Manning can have a subpar performance and still win I think.
^ That was just kubiak being kubiak... he was just gonna run the ball no matter what as long as we had the 8 point lead. He trusts the Defense more than he does Manning at this point. And I fear Brady and Gronk way more than I do Cam and Olsen. That's what I mean though... the Panthers are a Juggernaut when everything is rolling their way... but let's see what happens when someone punches them in the face. IMO the Panthers had it too easy... the NFC was unusually weak this year and Arizona was always overrated. IMO Peyton's main problem was that his teams were always soft and relied too much on finesse to win. This year's Broncos team is not the same one from 2013... IMO this team is tough and battle tested. We had to go through the Steelers and Patriots and had to fight for every yard. I actually prefer it that no one expects the Broncos to win... it is better this way. Peyton is on his way out no matter what, but Cam is the one that needs to prove himself to all his doubters and detractors... the pressure is all on him IMO.
Well you're wrong about the Cardinals IMO, they are stacked with talent all over the place, it's always been the quarterback play that's done them in, whether it was losing Palmer last year or how he couldn't handle himself in the playoffs. The blowout was self-inflicted for the most part, so I'm not believing they're overrated because of one performance, lots of great teams and players like maybe a Brett Favre or a Peyton Manning have stunk it up for their respective teams from time to time. With the weapons they have and the return of Tyrann Mathieu, they could easily be back here next year...if Palmer can show he's not just a regular season quarterback but a big-game quarterback as well. The NFC only had a couple elite teams, and lots of pretenders, so you're right that it was weak this year. BUT, you miss the fact that two of the best teams played Carolina, and YES Seattle is an elite team, their record was deceiving and the Minnesota game was against a top defense in extremely cold weather, they were slow to start this year and had to play on the road the entire way, which is hard for any team. The Panthers and Broncos prove how important home-field advantage is. In fact, I heard on Fox after the Panthers game that it's now the third time in a row the top teams have made it to the Super Bowl. Don't forget the Steelers weren't even at full strength, both top running backs were out, ANTONIO BROWN was out, and Ben had to play with a shoulder injury. And this was a Steelers team that should of lost to the Bengals with a backup quarterback. They also fumbled away the potential victory. The New England win was more impressive, since they had an explosive offense that can put points on the board and were at full strength. Their offensive line had issues all season though, which was what helped them give up the top seed in the first place. I think either team can win the Super Bowl, the Atlanta game was the blueprint, and it's to pressure Newton with tight coverage. The offensive line has been one of the best in football, they have two pro-bowlers, so it'll be interesting to see who dominates, because that's where the game will be decided.
^ Cardinals are overrated IMO because Palmer is not good in the playoffs. Just like you knew the Bengals and Vikings were gonna find a way to lose because they aren't playoff teams either. Steelers on the other hand are always dangerous as long as Big Ben is playing QB because they are a playoff team. Anyway... I think like 90% of the money in Vegas is being bet on Carolina. IMO Cam kinda just played the race card with his recent statements. Nobody is giving Denver a chance... they are totally flying under the radar... and I love it.
i been a manning fan since back in the day and and I would like to see him go out with one more title just like Elway did in his last year with broncos,but at the same time I'm a huge cam fan and honestly even knowing how well the broncos defense played against tom brady I don't see how they're going to cover cam,because they'll have to put a spy on that guy the entire game.this is unfortunate for Denver because their front guys will have to win this game because their secondary isn't that great.also who's going to guard olsen in the slot?big mis match their with the conerbacks.cam isn't brady,he's a ALOT more mobile with exclusive plays drawn up for him that you never know when their going to call his number so as I said put a spy on him.manning can make the throws but as we've seen the wideouts drop passes a lot.both teams like to run so I expect both teams to mix up the plays with a balanced run and pass selection.denver just beware when Carolina runs that disgusting wildcat offense.going to be hard for Denver being you never when cam will run or pass or simply let stewart pound the football.as for carson,can't beat him up too bad because the guy was playing with a broke index finger since December
My favorite team (Broncos) and my second favorite team (Panthers) are going head-to-head this Super Bowl. *shakes head and cries* I'm more of a Broncos fan so I definitely hope that the Broncos will win (after the humiliation against the Seahawks and because of Peyton's pending retirement). After the victory against the Patriots and us being the number one defense, I don't think winning is that hard. To be honest, I really think even with Brown and a healthy Ben, the result would be similar. The Patriots were blaming their loss to Osweiler because Gronk was injured and Edelman and Amendola were out, but look how that turned out in the AFC Championship game. I'm not saying that the Steelers don't have a chance, but I'm kind of tired when people blame a loss on injuries. Every team has its fair share of injured players.
Well I wasn't saying I knew the outcome of the game, but Antonio Brown was a huge reason they torched that defense last time they met. Stats: 16 catches on 18 targets, 189 yards receiving. 11.8 yards a play, 2 touchdowns. It's hard to get that kind of production out of just anyone, he's a special player, so you never know. Still a full week yet, so why not get excited through the epic meltdowns of ex-NFL coaches...the Dennis Green one is still one of my all-time favorites, lol. "THE BEARS ARE WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!" if the video does not show watch the video here
let's do the umbers.caroliona has scored 80 in their last 2 playoff games vs broncos scored who 43 in their last two playoff games.carolina can easily easily put up 35 points with no problem even if their opposition can catch up and put Carolina in danger in the second half.my question is can Denver's offense really keep up with such a high powered offense?i really really feel Denver's defense has to win this one
