Super Bowl 50: X-Factors for Panthers, Broncos
David Tyree. Malcolm Butler. Dexter Jackson. Max McGee.
Super Bowl storylines run the gamut, but the stars shine brightest before the game. Quarterbacks naturally get the most attention, and the biggest names around them command the attention and analysis. Guys like Cam Newton, Peyton Manning, Von Miller and Greg Olsen will be the biggest difference-makers in the minds of the public, and rightfully so.
We are talking about some of the best players in the league, after all.
But many a Super Bowl were turned on the play of the unheralded, the washed or the discarded—the X-factors, like those that opened this column. They don't always show out, and they don't need to be the game's MVP to make a difference. Heck, sometimes a player is an X-factor for all the wrong reasons.
But they lurk in the shadows waiting for an opportunity to shock us all.
So which players could be unexpected kings of Super Bowl 50? Let's take a look at a few X-factors for this season's big game.
Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers
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Which pass-catcher among those not named tight end Greg Olsen or wide receiver Ted Ginn will be a difference-maker for the Carolina Panthers? If nobody steps up, the Super Bowl could wind up being a long night for quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers offense.
The Denver Broncos are going to key in on Newton's top two options, and they might have the best-positioned defense to actually keep them in check. What happens then?
One or more of Corey Brown, Devin Funchess and Jerricho Cotchery will need to rise to the occasion, naturally.
Any one of those guys could be named an X-factor, but Devin Funchess literally stands out at 6'4" and 225 pounds. The big rookie has a massive height advantage over Denver cornerbacks Bradley Roby and Chris Harris, who will be most likely to cover him.
Even if Aqib Talib shadows Funchess for some reason when they are both on the field, the latter outsizes the former by three inches and 20 pounds.
Owen Daniels, TE, Denver Broncos
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He was the X-factor against the New England Patriots. Why shouldn't Owen Daniels be on this list?
Well, for starters, does anyone think he can do it again? Daniels wasn't exactly a big part of the Broncos offense this season, and the 33-year-old has never been a big difference-maker on a consistent basis.
The Patriots were no doubt piqued by the pair of touchdowns he scored in the AFC Championship Game, but Carolina has bigger fish to fry on defense. That mentality is precisely what burned the Patriots, as New England stuck a safety on the savvy tight end.
Daniels ran some great routes and found himself open in the end zone multiple times, and that could well be the case again on Sunday if the Panthers focus on stopping receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.
Robert McClain, CB, Carolina Panthers
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Lucha libre mask and all, Josh Norman's cult of personality will follow him on the field and envelop whoever he's tasked to cover. But how will his cohorts perform?
That has been a particularly poignant question given the rash of injuries that have hit the Carolina secondary. That unit is starting Atlanta Falcons castoff Robert McClain and formerly retired Cortland Finnegan, after all.
The patchwork cornerback corps has held together well thus far, and was a big reason why the Panthers built a 31-point lead against the Seattle Seahawks and pummeled quarterback Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals offense in the NFC Championship Game.
Unemployed just a few weeks ago, McClain is going on the sports world's biggest stage to try to stop Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders. Fittingly, he has been heavily targeted since taking over as a starter in the postseason.
The Seahawks and Cardinals targeted him 14 times each, per Pro Football Focus, and the results haven't been pretty. McClain has given up a touchdown in each game, though he had his moments against Arizona.
Denver is surely going to target McClain, and his performance is going to be key to stopping the Broncos offense.
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Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver Broncos
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We could nitpick and name C.J. Anderson the actual X-factor here, particularly because he has been more effective as a runner than his counterpart, Ronnie Hillman.
The issue there is that Hillman has inexplicably maintained his role in the Broncos offense despite averaging 3.3 yards per carry since Week 13 and 2.0 in the postseason. Anderson, meanwhile, has averaged 5.6 and 4.6 in that span, respectively.
Denver has given Hillman carries despite his inability to do anything with the ball in his hands—27 through two playoff games, to be exact. Head coach Gary Kubiak likes to stick with the run, and it seems he wants to distribute the load.
All that is to say Hillman is going to get the rock, like it or not. If he can shake his malaise—not to mention a few Carolina defenders—the Broncos will be in great shape on offense.
Mike Remmers, OT, Carolina Panthers
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An offensive lineman? An X-factor? When he's going up against Von Miller, absolutely.
Mike Remmers is going to line up on the right side of the Panthers offensive line and hope to avoid the embarrassment Miller dealt New England's Marcus Cannon in the AFC Championship Game.
Carolina's offensive line has been a net positive throughout the year in part because of overachievement from guys like Remmers and recycled tackle Michael Oher. Denver's defensive front is going to be their biggest test yet.
For his part, Remmers has done well in the postseason. In two games against solid defenses in the Seahawks and Cardinals, Carolina's journeyman offensive tackle has given up zero quarterback hurries and earned a nice, positive grade from Pro Football Focus.
It strains credulity to believe Remmers will stonewall Miller, but he doesn't need to be perfect. Limiting the damage will be a win for the big lineman and a boon for Cam Newton and the offense.
Darian Stewart, S, Denver Broncos
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The Broncos defense is well-stocked with big names. Pass-rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware terrorize quarterbacks while defensive backs Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward blanket pass-catchers.
The key to slowing down Carolina's passing game might come in the form of a lesser-known member of that secondary—safety Darian Stewart.
An injury in the AFC Championship Game could have derailed him, but Stewart says he is good to go for the Super Bowl, as he told the team's website:
"I'm feeling good, man. I feel like I got over the hump the last couple of days, so I should be ready to practice next week. I think [the rest] was big, man. I'm definitely thankful for that extra week. It gave me time to rest that knee so I'm thankful for that extra week.
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So why is he so important? Because of Greg Olsen, of course.
Carolina's leading receiver is going to be a focal point for Denver's defense, much like Rob Gronkowski is when these teams meet. While Gronk ultimately got the better of that unit, the Broncos did a nice job bottling him up early thanks in large part to Stewart's efforts.
Stewart won't be shadowing Olsen, but he will man the seam. His play could make or break the Broncos' plan to stop Carolina's big-time tight end.
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