Panthers vs. Broncos: Latest Expert, NFL Player Predictions for Super Bowl 50

Pretending to predict the future is a fun but futile activity. Super Bowl 50's matchup between the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos provides yet another reason for experts not to bother posing as psychics.

Before the 2015 season began, 48 ESPN analysts unsuccessfully attempted to predict the Super Bowl matchup and winner. None had the Panthers participating in the final matchup.

Nor should they have. What sane pundit would have hitched a wagon to a team coming off a seven-win campaign and losing top wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin for the season during training camp?

A playoff mainstay since acquiring Peyton Manning, the Broncos aren't exactly a Cinderella story. If showed the quarterback's stats, most would have pegged them for a putrid season, but they didn't enter the year as underdogs. 

Yet take another look through the scroll of ESPN's predictions. Three put Denver in the title clash, though the trio (John Clayton, Stephania Bell and Louis Riddick) all had the NFC champion prevailing. Among the teams receiving at least one vote to win it all: the Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles.

This isn't to poke fun at inaccurate guesses, but point out the fallacy of seeking out answers to an unknown outcome containing so many variables.

At least prognosticators have it easier this week: None of them will be tempted to roll with the Eagles this Sunday.

Super Bowl 50 Info

When: Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California

Spread: Panthers -5.5

Over/Under: 45

*Odds via Odds Shark as of Wednesday, Feb. 3

Super Bowl Predictions

Several experts are studying every last nook and cranny before releasing their official predictions. Yet the early returns point comfortably to Carolina winning the California caucus.

NFL Pickwatch tallied 16 Panthers picks and six Broncos endorsements. The betting public is also taking Carolina's side. According to Odds Shark, 58 percent of bets have gone to the Panthers, currently 5.5-point favorites after opening with a three-point edge.

There are two main reasons, only one rational, to go against the grain and pick Denver. Some will fall victim to a fairy-tale narrative wherein Manning rides off into the sunset in a blaze of glory. Others simply trust an elite defense to neuter another ferocious offense.

One of the six analysts whose chose Denver, CBS Sports' Pete Prisco insisted he's not merely desiring the Hollywood ending: 

"

The pick was made because of the Denver defense. That's why I am picking Denver again in Super Bowl 50. I think the defense, which is truly special, will get the better of the Carolina Panthers offense, which comes in as the top-scoring offense in the league. As much as I love offense, defense will win this championship. 

"

ESPN.com's David Newton, however, argued that the Panthers defense, led by linebacker Luke Kuechly, will seize the big game by winning the turnover battle. The NFC champion recorded an NFL-high 24 interceptions during the season, and Manning doled out 17 picks in nine starts.

"The Panthers forced seven in the NFC Championship Game and two in the divisional round," Newton wrote. "Luke Kuechly had an interception returned for a touchdown in each of those games. He's not a member of what the secondary calls 'Thieves Avenue,' but he should be."

When ESPN.com's Mike Reiss interviewed four insiders within the league, there was no split. All four picked the Panthers, with an unnamed defensive coordinator simply hoping the Panthers don't embarrass Manning too much:

"

This game is a little bit of history repeating itself. Carolina's defense plays a good amount of four-man rush, and they spot drop with a quarterback's vision. That is what Seattle did two years ago, and the next thing you knew, there was not a point scored by Denver until one second was left in the third quarter. Denver will try to build its own cocoon for Manning by being patient with the run, but I just don't know if Manning has it. Could he pull one out of his a--? He could, but where for so many years you thought he'd win championships, now you're really cringing and hoping he has a graceful exit, where if he's trailing 21-20 on the final drive and doesn't quite get it, that is still heroic for him.

"

Putting their faces to their words, three former Super Bowl MVPs (Kurt Warner, Jerry Rice and Marcus Allen) were more diplomatic in an NFL Network segment. While Rice boldly asserted that "only one team is going to win," Allen tepidly chose Carolina on account of Denver's lackluster offense:

Once a juggernaut when last claiming the AFC, Denver's offense finished the season No. 16 in total yards. Their running game has shown spurts of brilliance, but not on a regular basis. The formula has worked this long, but that's not alleviating onlookers' skepticism. 

A participating player will occasionally conjure headlines by declaring victory during a week of heightened media. So far, nobody has offered any guarantees. Yet Manning had some fun with the "Does Cam Newton dance too much?" silliness by teasing his own moves if he scores his first rushing touchdown since 2013, via the Denver Post's Cameron Wolfe:

If there's one safe prediction to make about Super Bowl 50, it's that Manning won't dab in the end zone after burning Kuechly and Co. with his legs. But hey, you never know.