5 Biggest Takeaways from the Conference Championship Games

No, this isn't a list of the best turnovers forced by the Carolina Panthers (sorry, Arizona Cardinals fans), but rather a compilation of what Sunday's conference championship games taught us as we head toward a week without meaningful football—unless you actually enjoy the Pro Bowl.

I'd like to think the NFL instituted the two-week break between the conference championships and the Super Bowl as a practice run for fans to prepare for the offseason.

Regardless, a week without football is not a good week in my eyes, but it at least gives us some time to reflect on what we learned over the weekend as well as what to expect in Super Bowl 50.

As always, much can be taken away from this past weekend's games, as only the Panthers and Broncos remain while the Cardinals and New England Patriots were sent home for the season.

Without further ado, let's find out what Sunday's action taught us and what we should be on the lookout for in Super Bowl 50.

Carson Palmer Flounders on the Big Stage

First of all, I truly believe that Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer had one of the best bounce-back seasons in recent memory in the midst of one of the best career resurgences a quarterback has ever undergone.

However, on Sunday, he stunk. There's no getting around that.

Sure, it wasn't just him. Everyone in a Cardinals uniform seemed a step behind those in Carolina blue.

There's no shame in losing to a 16-1 team on the road, but not many folks anticipated the absolute romp that took place in Charlotte.

Someone has to shoulder the blame for Arizona's offensive struggles on Sunday, and that someone is Palmer.

Six turnovers, even against a team as talented as the Panthers, just aren't going to cut it. While he rarely had enough time to make his reads and throw in a comfortable pocket, some of his decisions were just mind-boggling—see the video above.

As a result, Arizona never got rolling on offense and Carolina was able to pull away with ease in the second half.

All NFL players and teams have rough games once in a while. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, that rough game came in their biggest game of the season.

Peyton Manning's Arm Is Still Plenty Strong

There was quite a bit of doubt as to whether Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning could still get enough "zip" on the ball to be a successful quarterback at age 39.

In Sunday's AFC Championship Game win over the Patriots, Manning proved he has just enough left in the tank to have success on the big stage.

He wasn't asked to do much, throwing for just 176 yards on the day, but that was all Denver needed due to its dominant defensive effort.

Despite not putting up one of the 300-yard performances we are accustomed to seeing from Manning, he still made some extremely difficult throws—see above—that required both arm strength and accuracy.

Carolina's offense will present a difficult challenge for the Broncos to slow down, so Denver will likely need more than 20 points to emerge victorious in Super Bowl 50.

One aspect of the 18th-year quarterback that hasn't changed with age is his intelligence and poise to make the right reads, even under pressure.

That pocket presence and patience was evident on many occasions against the Patriots, despite some of the pressure New England brought on defense.

If Manning is able to throw as well as he did this past weekend, he could be bringing home his second Super Bowl ring in possibly his last NFL game.

Tight Ends Stealing Targets

Who says tight ends are only out there to block?

That certainly wasn't the case Sunday, where starting tight ends shined for a combined 18 receptions, 326 yards and four touchdowns.

Wide receivers took a backseat to their counterparts, and outside of Panthers wideout Corey Brown—and his uncontested 86-yard touchdown—no receivers topped the 100-yard mark this weekend.

The Panthers' Greg Olsen and the Patriots' Rob Gronkowski have obviously been major pieces of their respective offenses all year long, but the Cardinals' Darren Fells and the Broncos' Owen Daniels came up huge despite relatively pedestrian regular-season numbers.

Big, physical tight ends are becoming key pieces to the NFL's best offensive attacks, which was evident this past weekend.

So what have we learned? Having a pass-catching tight end is an important characteristic of the four most successful football teams this year.

Tight ends will be in high demand this offseason, as more teams look to add the same sort of pass-catching threat that all four teams featured in their offenses Sunday.

Pass-Rushers Were on Display

A strong pass rush can eliminate even the best offensive game plans. On Sunday, we witnessed two of the NFL's best pass-rushing units slow down two of the league's top offenses.

After lighting up the Kansas City Chiefs defense and not being sacked once in the divisional round, it seemed like quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots were getting back into rhythm and were destined for a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

However, Denver's pass-rushers forced Brady into several poor decisions, while also bringing him down on four occasions.

The Broncos have had a fearsome pass rush all season long, and they consistently got to Brady without having to blitz linebackers or defensive backs.

Denver's pass-rushers hit Brady 20 times on his 61 dropbacks, one of the main reasons the four-time Super Bowl champion could never get comfortable in the pocket.

Linebacker Von Miller was the key to the Broncos' success on defense, recording two sacks and hitting Brady four times while also somehow finding the time to record an interception.

Over in Charlotte, it was more of the same.

The home team's pass-rushers continuously put pressure on the opposing quarterback, as the Panthers forced Carson Palmer into an astonishing six turnovers.

While Carolina didn't have one particular standout pass-rusher, the Panthers proved that their defensive line depth, even without defensive end Jared Allen, is extremely impressive.

Defensive tackles Kawann Short and Kyle Love and defensive end Charles Johnson all recorded sacks for Carolina on Sunday. If you're wondering who those guys are, you aren't alone, which speaks to the elite coaching and talent on this Panthers squad.

The Panthers' strength on defense is obviously their linebacking core, however Carolina proved that its defensive front is talented enough to keep opposing offenses off balance.

Super Bowl 50 will feature two of the NFL's best pass-rushing groups, which should make it tough on quarterbacks Cam Newton and Peyton Manning to sit in the pocket for any length of time.

Super Bowl 50 Could Be the Perfect "Passing of the Torch"

If Super Bowl 50 truly is Peyton Manning's last game as an NFL quarterback, then this game could represent the "passing of the torch" from an elite veteran quarterback to the next generation of extremely talented signal-callers.

The Panthers' Cam Newton has arguably been the most exciting player in the league this season, and his performance Sunday only strengthened that claim.

Newton has shown an incredible ability to not only lead, but to thrive on a team that had several question marks entering the season.

Carolina lost No. 1 wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin before the season even began, yet Newton still found a way to throw 35 touchdowns during the regular season.

Any quarterback who could have an MVP-caliber season with Ted Ginn Jr. as a main target is a special talent, and Newton has certainly proven to be that in 2015-16.

Now it's not fair to say Cam Newton is going to be the next Peyton Manning, because the two are polar opposites in terms of how they play the game.

However, both quarterbacks have unique physical and mental abilities that have turned them into legitimate stars at football's highest level.

As Manning's career comes to an end, it's time to appreciate some of the new great quarterbacks in today's NFL, headlined by Newton.

At the same time, it's only fair to look back on Manning's career in order to truly understand how exceptional he was.

On February 7, we can witness legitimate greatness on the football field as contrasting quarterbacks meet in the most highly anticipated game of the year.

Old versus young. Experience versus youth. Workmanlike versus flashy. End of an era versus beginning of a new one. All of these elements will be present on Super Bowl Sunday.

It should be a great one.