How Denver Broncos Can Beat Cam, Panthers with Versatile Pass Rush

How the Denver Broncos decide to rush Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will play a huge factor in whether the Broncos can handle the league's top scoring offense and likely NFL MVP in Super Bowl 50.

The "how" in this equation should be infinitely important. The Broncos led the NFL in sacks in 2015, and Denver probably isn't playing in Sunday's game without the relentless punishment delivered on Tom Brady during the AFC Championship Game. But what works against one quarterback doesn't necessarily translate when facing Newton and his rare set of talents. 

The Broncos can still beat the Panthers with their pass rush, but don't expect Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware to explode off the edges every snap and consistently wreck Newton in the pocket. He's too big, too strong and too fast.

If the Broncos are running pass-rushers up the field all night, you can bet Newton is going to rush for a crazy amount of yards and create chunk passing plays by stepping up and out of the pocket as Miller and Ware go flying harmlessly by.

A more controlled approach is necessary, and the Broncos have already proved capable of altering their pass rush to fit the opposing quarterback. 

Rewind to the first night of November. 

Given the bye week to prepare for a nationally televised battle with Aaron Rodgers and the once-undefeated Green Bay Packers, Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips devised a strategy many would come to copy against the 2014 MVP.

Like all good plans, it was built on pressuring Rodgers, but one of the primary goals of the rush was to keep Rodgers inside the pocket and force him to make plays within the original framework of the play.

Few quarterbacks in the history of the game are better under pressure than Rodgers, especially when he can escape the pocket and make plays on the run. Unable to find those escape lanes that Sunday night, Rodgers produced what likely ranks as the worst game of his professional career—as he completed 14 passes with just 77 total passing yards. The Broncos sacked him three times and produced a safety. 

Rodgers obviously isn't Newton. The two quarterbacks have huge differences, especially in terms of Rodgers' overall throwing accuracy and Newton's size and athletic ability. But it wouldn't be surprising to see the Broncos utilize a similar approach against Newton as the one developed and executed so perfectly against Rodgers back in November. 

In fact, keeping Newton inside the pocket might be more important for Denver than actually sacking him. 

The Broncos have been practicing their various rushing scenarios in the lead-up to the Super Bowl. According to Ben Swanson of the team's official site, Phillips has also been instructing Denver's scout-team quarterbacks on the weak spots in his rushing schemes—providing looks Newton might want to exploit with his legs on Sunday. 

From Phillips: 

"

We set it up for each defense we have. We tell them 'On this defense, it might be a little vulnerable to him running with the ball,' and we'll tell [the quarterback] to run around with the ball to make sure everybody's watching the quarterback. We've got some defenses where we don't feel like he can run but he's going to have to throw it, so we make him throw it to certain receivers. So that's the process you do as far as getting ready for a guy like that.

"

No quarterback on the Broncos roster can replicate how Newton plays the position. But Denver is clearly preparing for situations where rushing in certain ways could open up big-play opportunities for a quarterback capable of getting out of almost any situation with his size, power and speed. 

Newton doesn't scramble as much you'd probably think. According to Pro Football Focus, only 29 of 132 rushes in 2015 came off scramble plays, or less than two per game. Teams have rushed him cautiously, which likely played into the hands of the Panthers—who don't possess a pair of dominant pass-blocking offensive tackles.

However, Newton's 29 scrambles produced big plays. He ran for 222 yards off scrambles, which equates to roughly eight yards per play. He also scored two touchdowns while producing numerous other big plays down the field when breaking containment and creating a backyard-style passing opportunity.  

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Then again, the Broncos also know that failing to get pressure on Newton is just picking a different manner of death. 

"You can’t rush timid because if you do that, he’s one of those pocket quarterbacks that can get the ball deep down the field," Ware said, via Swanson. "You have to be able to get pressure on him, but you have to be decisive on how you’re rushing." 

Newton made huge strides throwing from the pocket this season. He's developed from using his legs as a primary weapon to only running as a last resort. Still, if Newton is provided huge gaps to step up and through, he's going to take them. 

"You can’t be a wild rusher with big, wide B-gaps or let him run in the A-gap and do what he wants to do because he’s actually a running back himself," Ware said. "He can get yards and make big plays so you have to make sure the pocket is tight when you’re rushing against him, but you still have to be aggressive."

A tight pocket suffocated Rodgers back in November. He couldn't escape, and his receivers couldn't shake open against one of the NFL's most talented secondaries. The result was arguably the most impressive defensive performance of the 2015 season. 

Replicating the plan against Newton will be one of Denver's biggest challenges of the Super Bowl. If the Broncos can besiege Newton in the pocket and close off running lanes, Denver will feel good about its chances of limiting the big plays the Panthers have produced in the passing game this season. It's a daunting task, but no pass rush is better prepared to pull it off. 

Zach Kruse covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.