Can Peyton Manning pull off a Super Bowl upset?
Everyone thinks that the Carolina Panthers will win Super Bowl 50. They opened up as a 3-point favorite and the line shot up to 6 points as everyone is betting on the Cam Newton & Co.
I am not buying into the conventional wisdom that Carolina is invincible and the Broncos are lucky to be in Santa Clara. Lets take a quick history lesson.
Back in Super Bowl 25 the Buffalo Bills were a 7 point favorite over the New York Giants. The Bills looked to be unstoppable. They beat the Miami Dolphins 44-34 in the AFC Divisional; Round then beat up the Los Angeles Raiders 51-3 in the AFC Championship game. The Bills had Jim Kelly at quarterback, Thurman Thomas in the backfield, and Andre Reed and James Lofton as his receivers.
On defense they were led by Hall of Famer Bruce Smith and a linebacking corp led by Cornelius Bennett and Darryl Talley. They went 13-3 and led the league in scoring.
The Giants that year limped into the post season without their starting quarterback Phil Simms Journeyman Jeff Hostetler was their QB and no one gave them much of a chance against the Bills. But in the Super Bowl the Giants controlled the ball for over 40 minutes and held the vaunted Bills offense to just 19 points winning the game 20-19.
And that’s how Denver can win Super Bowl 50. Like he did against the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Peyton Manning needs to manage the game, don’t turn the ball over, control the clock and let the Denver defense, the best in the NFL, frustrate Cam Newton and the Panthers offense.
If Denver turns the ball over this game could get ugly fast. The Broncos cannot let the Panthers get out to a fast start. They are not built to play come-from-behind football, especially against a fast and aggressive Carolina defense.
I like Denver in this game, especially with the 6 points. My prediction Denver 20-Carolina 17.
By Alan Miller
Alan Miller is an award winning producer and journalist who’s been covering the Boston sports scene and major events since 1981. He currently is the editor of Dirty Water Sports.
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