{"id":77871,"date":"2016-02-01T20:31:57","date_gmt":"2016-02-01T20:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sandbox.web.rcn.net\/rcntv\/?p=77871"},"modified":"2023-02-17T21:41:14","modified_gmt":"2023-02-17T21:41:14","slug":"behind-mic-wins-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.astound.com\/atvn\/behind-mic-wins-50\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Mic: Who Wins 50?"},"content":{"rendered":"

So the two #1 seeds in their respective conferences will ACTUALLY meet in the 50th<\/sup> Super Bowl<\/a> championship.\u00a0 One team (Carolina<\/a>) scored more points than any other this year and the other (Denver<\/a>) got up the least amount of yardage.\u00a0 As I write this, Carolina is favored by 4.5 points.\u00a0 I will attempt to analyze the two teams and pick a winner.<\/p>\n

DEFENSE<\/strong>
\n\u201cYou win championships with defense.\u201d\u00a0 How many times have we heard analysts tell us that?\u00a0 If, indeed, that is the case, it would still be very hard to choose a winner based on that adage.\u00a0 Both teams have outstanding defenses (maybe that\u2019s why they are in the Super Bowl).\u00a0 Carolina\u2019s defense has been particularly tough on quarterbacks.\u00a0 They are the best team in the NFL for creating the lowest opponent passer rating.\u00a0 They certainly made life miserable for Cardinals<\/a>\u2019 quarterback, Carson Palmer<\/a>.\u00a0 And linebacker David Newton<\/a>, who broke his arm in the Cardinals\u2019 game, is expected to play after having surgery this past Monday.<\/p>\n

The Denver defense, however, has stopped almost every team and had little trouble stopping Tom Brady<\/a> and the Patriots<\/a>.\u00a0 Von Miller<\/a> is an awesome player.\u00a0 The Broncos were first in the league in total yards allowed and had 20 quarterback hits last week.\u00a0 I would think that the diversity of the Carolina offensive attack would be a bigger challenge than Denver faced against the Patriots.<\/p>\n

ADVANTAGE:\u00a0 CAROLINA<\/strong><\/p>\n

OFFENSE<\/strong>
\nQB\u2019s – Cam Newton<\/a> (Carolina) vs. Peyton Manning<\/a> (Denver) \u2013 wow!\u00a0 Talk about contrasting styles.\u00a0 Newton never seems to feel the pressure of the moment and always looks like he is just having fun.\u00a0 Manning, on the other hand, is like a scientist in his lab studying and dissecting.\u00a0 Newton has the stronger arm; Manning has won this game, has the experience and the knowledge of many years in the league.<\/p>\n

Receivers – Greg Olsen and Ted Ginn, Jr. (Carolina) vs. Damaryius Thomas and Emanuel Sanders (Denver).\u00a0 I like Carolina here because of their defensive secondary and Greg Olsen is not unlike the Patriot\u2019s Rob Gonkowski.<\/p>\n

Running Backs \u2013 Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert (Carolina) vs. C J Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.\u00a0 Both teams give up very little rushing yardage, but with Cam Newton as a running weapon, Carolina should be a bit harder to defend.\u00a0 Both teams, however, give up @ 80 yards per game on the ground.\u00a0 Running the ball (except by Newton) might be a non-factor.<\/p>\n

ADVANTAGE:\u00a0 CAROLINA<\/strong><\/p>\n

INTANGIBLES<\/strong><\/p>\n