Super Bowl 2016: TV Coverage, Kickoff Schedule for Panthers vs. Broncos

Super Bowl 50 is the culmination of the season for the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers, and while one team is hoping to end their season on a championship note, the other is playing for a place in history.

The Carolina Panthers (15-1 in the regular season) are attempting to venture to a place where not many teams have been. Since the NFL started playing a 16-game schedule in 1978, there have been just two teams that have made it to the Super Bowl with just one regular-season loss and gone on to win the championship game.

The 1984 San Francisco 49ers were probably Bill Walsh's best team. They rolled to a dominant regular season, losing just one game to the Pittsburgh Steelers, before they dominated the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears in the postseason.

They went on to Super Bowl XIX, where Walsh, Joe Montana, Roger Craig and Dwight Clark got the best of Don Shula and Dan Marino. The Niners crushed the Dolphins 38-16, and it could have been worse if San Francisco had wanted to press the attack further.

The Bears would use that loss to San Francisco in the NFC title game as a springboard to their success the following year. Mike Ditka had one of the most powerful defenses in NFL history on his side, thanks in large part to the 46 defense designed by defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, and the Bears also went 15-1 in the regular season.

Their only loss was a Monday night defeat suffered at the hands of the Miami Dolphins. But the Bears were a confident wrecking crew. The morning after that loss, they filmed the legendary Super Bowl Shuffle, and they were never challenged again. They shut out the Giants and the Los Angeles Rams in the postseason before laying a fearsome 46-10 beating on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

Super Bowl 50

When: Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016

Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Kickoff Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV Broadcast: CBS will broadcast the game live and will start its pregame show at 2 p.m. ET.

Live Stream: This year, CBSSports.com will stream the game live. You can also watch on the CBS Sports Channel/App on Roku, Apple TV, Xbox One and Windows 10.

No other team with a 15-1 record has made the Super Bowl. Like the Niners and Bears, the Panthers have roasted two postseason opponents. They got off to a 31-0 halftime lead before they eased off the throttle against Seattle, and then they beat a strong Arizona Cardinals team convincingly in the NFC Championship game.

The Panthers are 5.5-point favorites over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50, according to Odds Shark, and 57 percent of the bets made have come in on the Panthers.

Denver had a 12-4 regular-season record, but quarterback Peyton Manning was benched in the ninth game of the season and didn't return until the regular-season finale against the San Diego Chargers.

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While Manning started both playoff victories over Pittsburgh and New England, his performance this year has been underwhelming. He threw nine touchdown passes in the regular season and 17 interceptions.

During the postseason, Manning has been in game-manager mode and has let the defense win games for the Broncos. Manning has two postseason TD passes and has not thrown an interception, and Denver head coach Gary Kubiak would like Manning to keep that side of the ledger clean against the Panthers.

While Denver's offense is limited, Carolina's offense is simply explosive. Cam Newton has been dominating this year with 35 TD passes and 10 more scoring runs. Jonathan Stewart is the Panthers' version of Marshawn Lynch's "Beastmode" with 989 yards and a punishing running style.

Tight end Greg Olsen gets open on crucial plays and will not drop the ball. Ted Ginn Jr. has a sprinter's speed and can run away from coverage.

The Broncos are as well-equipped as any team to try to stop the Panthers. Denver had the No. 1 defense in the league throughout the regular season, and that unit was at its best in the AFC Championship Game 20-18 victory over the Patriots.

Von Miller (11.0 sacks) and Demarcus Ware (7.5 sacks) will try to keep Newton in check, and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is capable of giving them a potentially effective game plan.

Still, the Broncos have their work cut out for them when it comes to staying with the surging Panthers. The countdown is on, and both teams are in the final stages of polishing their game plan.