Super Bowl 50 Faiz Syed

Super Bowl 50

Faiz Syed

            Many people have told me that the difference in this year’s Super Bowl between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers was the style of play that led both teams to the Super Bowl.  The Broncos and the Panthers were both led to the Super Bowl by terrific play from their defenses.  Usually teams are led to the Super Bowl by their offenses but that was not the case this year.  Both teams had some great players on their offenses, but it was mainly the defenses that got the teams all the way to the Super Bowl.  Most analysts favored the Panthers to win the game, and I could see why they said that before the match.  The Panthers not only had a great defense they also had a much better offense than the Broncos.  However, the game was to be decided by the defenses, and the Broncos defense played much better than the Panthers defense.

            I thought of the Broncos and the Panthers as teams with many differences coming into the game.  The two teams were known for their top quality NFL defenses, but the overall structure and design of the two teams resembled opposite ends of a spectrum.  The Broncos were built with experienced veterans who have played in the NFL for a long period of time.  These players are playing in years past their prime, but they make up for their lack of athleticism with their experience and knowledge of the game.  Their defense relied upon a core group of veteran players comprised of Aqib Talib, Demarcus Ware, and Von Miller.  The Broncos’ offense was also loaded with experienced veterans who trouble defenses such as Vernon Davis, Peyton Manning, Owen Daniels, Emmanuel Sanders, Demaryius Thomas, and C.J. Anderson.  All of these players played huge roles for the team throughout the season and played exceptionally well in the Super Bowl.  Meanwhile, the Panthers had few experienced players, but tried to make up for their lack of experience by loading their team with young and athletic playmakers.  The Panthers relied heavily upon their fast paced offense, which was the top scoring unit in the entire NFL.  The young group on offense was led by two experienced players: Jerricho Cotchery and Greg Olsen.

            On the opening drive of the Super Bowl, the Broncos marched down the field with authority and scored the game’s first point with a field goal.  The Broncos never looked back from that point on, winning the game 24-7 without giving up the lead once.  Cam Newton, the normally calm centered quarterback for the Panthers, did not look like his regular self all game long.  The young quarterback looked confused by the Broncos’ defense when he was throwing the ball as he was sacked 6 times, while also throwing an interception.  He turned the ball over 3 times, one of which directly led the Broncos’ defense to score a touchdown.  I believe that the deciding factor in the Super Bowl was the Broncos experience.  It was something that the Panthers did not have much of, and because of that they lost to the Broncos.  It was fitting that the Super Bowl MVP was a defensive star, Von Miller, who forced two fumbles and had 2.5 sacks.