If the old Peyton Manning can be the Peyton Manning of old for one more game, Denver will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday. Unfortunately, that’s a big IF, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Lets be honest, all of our concerns are warranted. Manning has given everyone plenty of reason to worry, most notably with his 17 interceptions during the regular season.
But I ask you this: Do we really believe Manning was dealing with Plantar Fascia since training camp? If you do, then there’s reason to believe that his struggles truly were health related. If you don’t, then why? Why aren’t you willing to give one of the best to ever do it the benefit of the doubt? Unless you buy into the “Al-Jazeera Report,” Peyton Manning has never given us any reason to doubt him.
In my opinion, the Broncos will be meeting the NFL’s best team in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers dominate the trenches every week, control the line of scrimmage and win a lot of football games — 17, to be exact.
That said, even the best get beat. And if there was a team with the personnel to beat the Carolina Panthers, it would be this year’s Denver Broncos.
The “Orange Crush 2.0” or the the “No Fly Zone” has the players to slow Cam Newton and company down; they just have to execute.
Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware have to protect the edge, while still putting pressure on Cam Newton. Otherwise, Cam will break out and scramble the moment he gets the chance. Miller and Ware may not lead the team in sacks, but pressure on the edge will allow guys like Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson to accumulate a sack or two each.
And while the defensive line puts pressure on Newton, it will be the secondary’s responsibility to hang tight in the man-to-man coverage Wade Phillips is sure to have in his game plan. Luckily, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris, Bradley Roby, T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart are up for the challenge.
I think we’re all confident in the Broncos defense, but, as it has been all season, the offense remains shrouded in question marks.
Can Peyton Manning play it safe? Will he play not to lose? Or is there the possibility that he returns to form and puts the Denver Broncos on his back one last time? Despite everything I’ve seen all season, I tend to lean towards the latter.
During the playoffs, Manning has gone 38 of 69, thrown for 398 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Add the seven drops that the wide receivers accounted for in the Patriots game, and Manning is 45 of 69!
While some would argue that Manning is on his last leg, I would argue that the leg is finally 100 percent healthy. And don’t forget, it’s attached to one of the greatest minds in football history.
Not only can the Broncos win Super Bowl 50, but they will win Super Bowl 50. It seems to be destiny. Denver knows how it feels to be embarrassed in a Super Bowl, while the Panthers are used to being the ones doing the embarrassing. On Sunday, the tables turn, and Peyton Manning gets his chance to ride off into the sunset, just as the man that brought him here did two decades before.