Super Bowl Odds 2016: Spread Info, Money Line Picks for Panthers vs. Broncos

The betting action on Super Bowl 50 must be pretty hot—the presence of Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is certainly a factor—as the spread keeps on dancing around as the Sunday, Feb. 7 date for the biggest spectacle in American sports draws ever closer.

Friday's latest spread on Super Bowl 50 has the Carolina Panthers as 5.5-point favorites over the Broncos, per Odds Shark. The Panthers started as 3.5-point favorites after the conclusion of the conference championships and have maintained their exalted status ever since.

The spread has bounced back and forth between 5.5 and 6.0 points since Jan. 27. With 55 percent of bettors taking the Panthers, per Odds Shark, there isn't much to suggest the line will make a big late swing in either direction before the big game takes place at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. These are the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, after all. Only in terms of quarterback play can there be considered a huge discrepancy between either team's quality. 

The money line also reflects confidence in Cam Newton and his cohorts to deliver. They are at minus-225 to win the Super Bowl, while the Broncos are at plus-195. 

Teams	Spread	Money Line	Over-Under	Prediction
Carolina Panthers	-5.5	-225	44.5	24
Denver Broncos	+5.5	+195	44.5	20

The Panthers have far and away had the more functional offense this season and have only ratcheted up their level of play in the postseason. After jumping out to a 31-0 halftime lead against Seattle in the divisional round and then crushing Arizona 49-15 in the NFC Championship Game, it's only right that they are the odds-on favorites to win. 

Newton's dual-threat abilities keep defenses on their heels, and the powerful running of Jonathan Stewart saps opposing front sevens of their willpower.

Newton will have to be incredibly sharp throwing to the outside in this game. Cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib will make him pay for his mistakes, and the Broncos defense is too good to let him simply throw safe passes to tight end Greg Olsen all day.

Making sure Newton has time to throw comfortably then becomes of paramount importance. The Panthers offensive line has to contain linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, or they will get dragged into a defensive struggle where the game could turn on any kind of fluke play.

Miller and Ware made mincemeat out of New England's Tom Brady in the AFC Championship, but the Broncos defense acknowledges that Newton provides a different kind of test than the prototypical pocket passers they've faced this year.

“Super unique,” Talib said, per USA Today's Lindsay H. Jones. “You look like the typical NFL quarterback. You can sit in the pocket and throw it, and then you can run, run wide out. You probably could play any position in the NFL that you wanted to. He’s definitely a unique player.”

Life will be much easier on Newton and company if they don't have to do all the scoring, or at the very least are put into good field position. Manning has been turnover-prone for much of this season, though he's remained interception-free in his last three appearances.

While Newton has seen wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. get shut out of at least one game this postseason (Seattle), Manning has two extremely reliable and talented targets in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Thomas hasn't made much of an impact in the postseason, but the Broncos can live with him playing decoy against cornerback Josh Norman.

Sanders has proved to be Manning's go-to guy on the flank, with 10 receptions for 147 yards in the postseason. With tight end Owen Daniels coming off a two-touchdown game against New England and C.J. Anderson running well in the playoffs, Manning has the talent around him to perform at a competent level.

Still, Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer said the onus is on Manning not to be a playmaker but to get out of the way and let the rest of the team win this game:

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The Broncos have an inconsistent running game, and Manning can't be counted on for an explosive play against a Carolina team that doesn't give up many.

The biggest fear for Denver fans is that Manning will have a repeat of what happened against the Seahawks two years ago in Super Bowl XLVIII. Once that snap was botched and Seattle got on the board with a safety, the Broncos were toast as Manning was a three-turnover machine.

It's a bad bet that Manning will suddenly find his old self, play well and win Super Bowl MVP. Denver needs someone else to be that guy and for Manning not to do anything to screw it up. That's their only and slim chance of upsetting the Panthers on Sunday.

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There is little reason to suspect the Panthers offense will be operating at peak capabilities against the Broncos defense. Miller and Ware are simply too disruptive, and the Broncos secondary features two excellent cornerbacks and a fine safety in T.J. Ward, more than enough to cover Newton's favorite targets. 

However, Newton's scrambling ability and Stewart's hard running will take some of the aggression out of Denver's defense, allowing them to finish off a couple of drives.

The Panthers defense, led by linebacker Luke Kuechly and Norman, should be able to force Manning into some tough third-down situations, where the stakes might lead him to a costly turnover or two. Carolina probably won't cover, but they should win the first Super Bowl in franchise history. 

Prediction: Carolina Panthers 24, Denver Broncos 20

Odds are courtesy of Odds Shark and updated as of Friday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. ET.