ameniany.gov
One of the great things about this upcoming Super Bowl is the fact that the two best teams within the NFL will be playing each other. Both the number one ranked NFC team, the Carolina Panthers, and the number one ranked AFC team, the Denver Broncos, will be squaring off.
I normally try to avoid bad clichés as there is no shortage of them, but really no matter what I think that the fans are the real winners of this game. Think of it this way: this is going to be one of the best offenses in the league (Carolina) against one of the best defenses in the league (Denver).
In a lot of ways, the parallels to the last Bronco’s Super Bowl appearance are eerily similar. Once again, Peyton Manning and company find themselves up against a red hot team that is young and full of vigor.
However, while the Broncos found themselves upset by a great defense, this time they’ll have the defensive upper hand. But don’t count out the Panthers. Offensively, they are the dominant team and if they can usurp the Denver defense, expect them to take control of the game.
For that reason alone, many are speculating that Carolina will take control of the game. In fact, I keep seeing a lot of posts expecting the Panthers to decimate the Broncos like they did with the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game this last week. But, I’m not so eager to count Denver out completely.
Going into this last weekend, I would not have expected the Broncos to come out as strong as they did against the New England Patriots. And yet, Tom Brady spent more time on the ground than I ever could have hoped for.
If the Broncos can disrupt the Panthers the same way they disrupted the Patriots then expect a really close game. I know that this hasn’t been the predictions column that you’re going to use to place your Vegas bets, but I think it is worth noting that this Super Bowl will be closer than a lot of people think.
However, if you are looking for a prediction, I think that the Panthers are going to take this one. Although, I think it would be cool to see Peyton Manning – one of my favorite players – go out on top. Either which way, I’m looking forward to the game.
As a wrap up here are some other predictions that I have for the game: the fanfare before the game will go on way too long, the commercials will continue their downward trend of not being funny, and the halftime show will still seem like a gratuitous waste of time.
Unlike most years, I bet the actual best part of the Super Bowl will in fact be the Super Bowl. I’m looking forward to game day on February 7. But in the end, I think this thing is going the way of the Carolina Panthers.
Brian Laughran
Editor-in-Chief