POLL: WHO ARE PEOPLE ROOTING FOR?
BY JAMES HARLEY
Super Bowl Sunday is right around the
com er. Everyone who has the day o ff
w ill likely be spending it around the
TV w atchin g the footb all gam e w ith
friends and fam ily and plenty o f snacks
to m unch on.
This year the Super Bowl will feature
the Carolina Panthers playing against
the Denver Broncos. Whether or not you
choose to watch the Super Bowl for the
game itself or just to watch commercials
or the halftim e show, I think it’s a fair
idea that everyone has a team they want
to win. I am here to tell you how I think
this football game will go and how each
team will likely play.
Both teams enter into the Super Bowl
as the N o. l seeds from the playoffs.
The Broncos ended the regular season
with a 12-4 record, while the Panthers
ended with a 15-1 record. This matchup
brings together two of the top defenses
t
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in the NFL.
In this gam e, Peyton M anning, one
o f the leagu e’ s oldest quarterbacks,
will face Cam Newton, who is m aking
his first Super Bowl start in his young
career.
A lthough Denver was the No. 1 seed
in the AFC, m ost people are predicting
Carolina to win. I feel as though Denver
still has a very good chance.
M a n n in g h as had to endure one
o f h is tough est seasons y et, and his
inconsistencies have hurt the offense at
times. After starting the season 7-0 the
Broncos ended the season winning only
five o f their last nine, barely holding
on to the No. 1 seed with a tiebreaker.
A fte r a stro n g p la y o ff ru n , and
tak in g down one o f the favorites to
w in the Super Bowl, the Patriots, the
Broncos lo o k to fo rget about th eir
em barrassm ent in Super Bowl XLVIII
and make a strong statem ent.
The Panthers are com ing o ff their
best season in franchise history and
so far have d om inated their way
th ro u gh the p la y o ffs. W h en the
o ffense is running on all cylinders
they’re nearly unstoppable, but they
have faced trouble p u ttin g gam es
away after building big leads.
The Panthers had to h it a gam e
winning field goal against the Giants
earlier in the season after blow ing
a 35-7 lead. Ju st a few w eeks ago
they had to recover an onside kick
to prevent the Seahawks from tying
the gam e after leading 31-0. Even
tho u gh they have lo st huge leads,
they have still managed to win every
game they’ve led at halftim e.
I th in k this w ill be a good gam e.
The Panthers have been very strong
o ffen siv ely and are th e favorites
to w in; how ever, look for D enver
to force three and outs and force
Carolina to settle for field goals. One
thing to note, though, is that so far
this season, Carolina has beat some of
the top defensive teams they’ve faced.
I think the main question is, how
w ill Peyton M anning do? If Denver’ s
offensive line can protect M anning
and th eir d efen se can stop C am
N ew ton, 1 th in k Denver has a real
chance to win.
It’ s nice to see two defensive teams
battle it out, and I and everybody who
isn’t a fan of these teams could agree
that we want to see a close game.
I f it is still a close gam e w hen
Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars
rock out at the halftim e show I think
everyone will be happy.
Super Bowl 50 will broadcast on CBS
at 3:30 p.m . Pacific Standard Time.