Who Has the Edge at Every Position in Super Bowl 50?
Happy 50th Anniversary…almost.
It will be the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7 in Santa Clara, California. The Panthers will be looking for their first Lombardi Trophy—the Broncos their third NFL title and first since 1998.
But in this early look at the matchup, who has the edge at each position? Along with the skill positions, we will preview both the offensive and defensive lines as a whole. In the case of special teams, we will discuss the kickers, punters, return artists and kick-coverage teams.
It’s going to be a fun two weeks leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.
Quarterback
1 of 10
Denver’s Peyton Manning and Carolina’s Cam Newton were the first overall picks in their respective drafts. Of course, Manning was the Indianapolis Colts' first selection in 1998, and Newton was the Panthers' first selection in 2011.
While the Broncos signal-caller is the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes and is appearing in his fourth Super Bowl, he also missed six games this year and just returned to the lineup in the second half of the team’s Week 17 win over the San Diego Chargers. The 39-year-old quarterback threw nine touchdown passes and 17 interceptions during the regular season but has not been picked off in two playoff games.
As for Newton, the charismatic leader threw 35 touchdown passes (10 interceptions) and ran for 10 more scores in the regular season. In two postseason games, Newton has completed 70 percent of his passes for 496 yards and three touchdowns (one interception) and has run for two more scores.
Enough said.
Advantage: Carolina Panthers
Running Back
2 of 10
Denver’s running attack has seemingly been a work in progress all year, and while the team has a pretty effective combination in C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, the consistency of the Carolina ground attack and the play of veteran Jonathan Stewart gives the Panthers a slight edge.
The Broncos' running game ranked just 17th in the league this season. Meanwhile, only the Buffalo Bills gained more yards on the ground than Carolina this season. But to be fair, a considerable chunk of the Panthers' rushing yards were via Cam Newton, not a running back.
Hillman (863) and Anderson (720) combined for 1,583 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. But Stewart is also complemented by Pro Bowl fullback Mike Tolbert, who ran for 256 yards and a score and also hauled in 18 passes for 154 yards and three scores. Add in reserves Fozzy Whittaker and rookie Cameron Artis-Payne, along with Carolina’s commitment to the running game, and the Panthers get the nod here.
Advantage: Carolina Panthers
Wide Receiver
3 of 10
Although the Denver Broncos came away with a 20-18 win over the New England Patriots and actually beat the Pats twice this season, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will be more than happy not to see Bill Belichick’s club again.
In two games against the Pats this season, including Sunday’s tilt, the prolific wideout was targeted a combined 20 times and managed only three receptions for 48 yards.
During the regular season, Thomas led the team with 105 catches for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns. Emmanuel Sanders ranked second on the club with 76 receptions, good for 1,135 yards and six scores as well. And keep in mind that the Broncos played with two different quarterbacks this season. Jordan Norwood, Andre Caldwell, Bennie Fowler and Cody Latimer made their presence felt on occasion as well.
Some believed that the Panthers were in big trouble when 2014 rookie sensation Kelvin Benjamin went down before the season, but slowly but surely 2015 second-round pick Devin Funchess has made his presence felt.
Speedster Ted Ginn Jr. led the club with 10 touchdown receptions, while Funchess, Jerricho Cotchery and Corey Brown combined for 101 catches and 12 scores.
Still, the advantage goes to the Broncos here, and it will be interesting to see if Josh Norman and company can keep Thomas and Sanders under wraps.
Advantage: Denver Broncos
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Tight End
4 of 10
Once upon a time, current Denver Broncos tight end Owen Daniels was one of the better players in the league at his position. A Pro Bowler with the Houston Texans in both 2008 and 2012 (under then-head coach Gary Kubiak), the 10-year pro is playing with his third team in as many seasons.
Yes, Daniels did catch both of Peyton Manning’s touchdown passes in Sunday’s win over the Patriots. During the regular season, he hauled in just 46 passes for 517 yards and three scores—the lowest total of his career when playing all 16 games. Then again, the veteran performer was playing with two different quarterbacks (Manning and Brock Osweiler) this season.
Meanwhile, the huge advantage goes to Greg Olsen, who has been as productive a player at his position as there has been in the league in recent seasons. He comes off his second straight 1,000-plus-yard receiving season and led the club with 77 catches this year, good for seven scores.
In two playoff games against the Seahawks and Cardinals, Olsen has been nearly perfect. The Pro Bowl pass-catcher has been targeted 14 times and caught 12 passes for 190 yards and a score.
Advantage: Carolina Panthers
Offensive Line
5 of 10
Both the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos came into the season with question marks in this vital area. For the latter, it was a case of overhauling an entire unit.
As for the Panthers, you have to give credit where credit's due. The offseason addition of free-agent tackle Michael Oher came with skepticism, but he proved to be a fine addition. He teams with tackle Mike Remmers, guards Trai Turner and Andrew Norwell and perennial Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil to give Ron Rivera an efficient front.
With left tackle Ryan Clady lost before the season with a torn ACL and the Broncos going through more centers than the Denver Nuggets, the unit of tackles Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield, guards Evan Mathis and Louis Vasquez (the lone holdover from 2014) and center Matt Paradis got the job done for the most part.
Still, it was Carolina’s offensive line that paved the way for the league’s second-ranked ground game while keeping Newton largely out of harm’s way.
Advantage: Carolina Panthers
Defensive Line
6 of 10
The Carolina Panthers' defensive front probably hasn’t gotten its due this season. But it’s a group that has made life much easier for the team’s back seven.
Defensive tackle Kawann Short led the club with 11 sacks, and defensive end Mario Addison chipped in with six sacks. Star Lotulelei manned the middle, while Kony Ealy got the start at right defensive end on Sunday for Jared Allen, with the latter likely to be ready for Super Bowl 50. The Carolina defense racked up 44 sacks and ranked fourth in the NFL against the run. Credit goes to the men up front.
Denver’s three-man line features a pair of four-year pros in defensive ends Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson and third-year nose tackle Sylvester Williams, who, like their Carolina counterparts, probably don’t get their due. Wolfe and Jackson combined for 11 sacks, while only two teams in the league gave up fewer yards on the ground than the Broncos.
Still, the exceptional play of Short in 2015 raises the Panthers slightly above the Broncos here.
Advantage: Carolina Panthers
Linebacker
7 of 10
Talk about an abundance of talent. Both the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos are loaded here, although the NFC champions saw veteran Thomas Davis suffer a broken right forearm in Sunday’s rout of the Arizona Cardinals.
So what does that mean?
“I ain’t missing the Super Bowl,” said Davis to David Newton of ESPN.com. “You better believe that. ... The early prognosis is it’s broken. We’ll get it figured out, and I’ll be ready in two weeks.”
Davis, middle linebacker Luke Kuechly and rookie Shaq Thompson make up quite a threesome. Kuechly has returned an interception for a touchdown in both postseason games this year and also recovered a fumble against the Cardinals.
Denver’s 3-4 scheme is led by outside linebackers Von Miller (11) and DeMarcus Ware (7.5), who combined for 18.5 of the team’s NFL-high 52 sacks. However, it was inside linebackers Danny Trevathan (109) and Brandon Marshall (101) who finished one-two on the team in tackles this season. Backup outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett chipped in with 5.5 sacks this season.
There is no clear advantage for either team here. Just a lot of excellent football players.
Advantage: None
Cornerback
8 of 10
Carolina’s Josh Norman was arguably the league's best cornerback this season, but later in the season, he had a few ups and downs.
Injuries at this position were also an issue down the stretch, as veteran Charles Tillman finished the season on injured reserve. Cortland Finnegan was a late-season addition, and five-year pro Robert McClain was pushed into extended duty late in the year.
Meanwhile, you could make a case that Denver’s duo of Aqib Talib and Chris Harris is the league's best cornerback tandem. Second-year performer and 2014 first-round draft choice Bradley Roby has made his presence felt as well. That trio combined for six of the team’s 14 interceptions this season and combined to return three of those thefts for scores.
Advantage: Denver Broncos
Safety
9 of 10
While Carolina Panthers free safety Kurt Coleman was among the league leaders this season with seven interceptions and veteran Roman Harper has brought some savvy to the defense, the team’s play at safety was a little shaky late in the year. It was one reason teams were able to come back on this club time and time again. But it should be noted, Carolina still managed to win those games.
On the other hand, Denver strong safety T.J. Ward and free safety Darian Stewart (both got a little dinged up in Sunday’s AFC title game) complement the team’s strong play at cornerback and combine to give the Broncos arguably the league's best secondary.
Advantage: Denver Broncos
Special Teams
10 of 10
While the Denver Broncos punt and coverage units can be found near the top of the league rankings, the Carolina Panthers had their ups and downs in this department.
However, when it comes to returns, veteran Ted Ginn Jr. casts a huge shadow over this entire area. He remains one of the league's best big-play threats and averaged 10.3 yards per punt return this season.
The season-long play of punters Britton Colquitt (Broncos) and Brad Nortman (Panthers) pretty much cancel each other out, with the specialists separated by 1.8 yards in terms of punting average.
As for the kickers, it’s a push as well. Carolina’s Graham Gano connected on 30 of 36 field-goal attempts and missed three out of 59 PATs. Brandon McManus was 30-of-35 on three-point tries and missed one point after in 36 attempts.
So the edge here goes to the Panthers, courtesy of Ginn, who looks to become the first player in Super Bowl history to return a punt for a touchdown.
Advantage: Carolina Panthers
Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com.
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