Super Bowl 50: Three Keys To Victory For Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers have only one blemish on their record all season — a Week 16 loss to the Atlanta Falcons — and are riding high going into their Super Bowl 50 matchup with the Denver Broncos.

The Panthers, led by quarterback Cam Newton, rode a hot start to a 31-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round and then steamrolled the Arizona Cardinals 45-19 in the NFC Championship Game to punch their ticket to Sunday’s big game. It makes sense they’re the favorites despite the Broncos taking down the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

But nothing is guaranteed in football — or in life — so one shouldn’t assume the Panthers will defeat the Broncos simply by showing up. Denver’s defense has been scary this season, so Carolina will need to bring its A-game to secure the franchise’s first Super Bowl title.

The Panthers’ winning formula will come down to three major keys.

TRUST CAM NEWTON
Sounds simple, right?

Newton has been the NFL’s best player this season. There’s really no one in the league like him from a dual-threat standpoint and Carolina’s entire offensive scheme revolves around the fifth-year quarterback. There’s no reason to stray from what got the Panthers here, especially since the strategy seems conducive to mitigating the Broncos’ biggest defensive strengths.

Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware are big-time outside linebackers capable of making life miserable for opposing QBs, and the Broncos’ pass defense — tops in the NFL during the regular season — benefits as a result. Relying on the run and trusting Newton with a collection of read-option plays will minimize the impact of Denver’s edge rushers, who were so instrumental in beating the crap out of Tom Brady in the Broncos’ AFC Championship Game win.

SLOW DENVER’S RUSHING ATTACK
This goes hand-in-hand with forcing Peyton Manning to throw the football.

C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman have gone through highs and lows this season, but they’re both capable running backs who will need to step up with Manning’s potential impact capped by his physical limitations. The problem for Denver is that Carolina ranked fourth in the NFL this season with just 88.4 rushing yards allowed per game, meaning Manning might need to rely on his right arm at some point.

If that’s the case, the Panthers’ ball-hawking defense could thrive, even in spite of linebacker Thomas Davis’ broken arm and various injuries in Carolina’s secondary.

STEAL THE BACON
The Panthers led the NFL with a plus-20 turnover differential in the regular season — a product of Carolina forcing a league-high 39 takeaways. Their encore in the playoffs? Nine forced turnovers in two games, including a seven-turnover effort in the NFC Championship Game.

Sure, it’s cliché to say whichever team wins the turnover battle will win the game. But Manning has shown a propensity for throwing picks this season (17 in 10 regular-season games), in large because of his depleted arm strength, so Carolina’s “Thieves Ave.” could have a field day.

The Panthers led the NFL with 148 points off takeaways in the regular season. They’ve scored 32 points off turnovers this postseason.