By Josh Suppes ’17
The Super Bowl takes place Sunday February 6th between the two top seeds in each conference, the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos. It’s a game between the best quarterback in and the best defense in the league. Here’s the position by position breakdown of the two teams and my prediction.
Quarterback: Although Peyton Manning has been in the league for a long time and has more experience, Cam Newton is the better QB right now. Newton is having an MVP type season, over 4400 total yards and 45 total TD’s.
Running back: The Panthers are led by Pro Bowler Jonathan Stewart as well as Fozzy Whitaker. The Broncos 2 man rushing attack is headed by CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.
Wide Receiver and Tight End: The Panthers passing attack is led by Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olson and WR’s Ted Ginn, Corey Brown and Devin Funchess. The Broncos have great WR’s, centered around the dynamic duo of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Look for the Broncos to throw the deep ball to Sanders.
Offensive Line: While both lines are great, the Panthers have an exceptional group, led by center Ryan Kahlil and guard Trai Turner.
Defensive Line: Two dominant lines with the Broncos led by Malik Jackson, and the Panthers led by Kawann Short.
Linebackers: This might be the most impressive position in the Super Bowl, featuring the Broncos’ Von Miller and the Panthers’ Luke Kuechly, two of the best linebackers in the NFL.
Secondary: The Broncos have the best secondary in the NFL, led by CB’s Chris Harris and Aquib Talib and safety TJ Ward. The Panthers also have a good secondary but have suffered many secondary injuries. The Panthers still have cornerback Josh Norman, undoubtedly the best in the league this year and corner back Kurt Coleman, who has 9 interceptions on the year.
Prediction: While the Broncos have the best defense, the Panthers 2 headed offensive attack and scary defensive line will prevail. Panthers take it 31-17.