The Super Bowl is set with the Denver Broncos taking on the Carolina Panthers and the game is on the NFL schedule for February 7 from Santa Clara at Levi's Stadium.
The Broncos won over the Patriots to advance as the AFC champions, while the Panthers dominated the Cardinals to win the NFC title. Cam Newton continued his likely MVP season, while Peyton Manning defeated Tom Brady to advance to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. Now that the game is set, here are 5 things to know about the game:
Peyton Manning can finish his career with a big win
Peyton Manning is a hall of famer no matter what, but he can cement his legacy with a Super Bowl victory with the Broncos. Manning originally signed with the Broncos after his departure from the Colts to try and win another championship and this will be his second chance to do it with the team. Manning doesn't need to prove anything to show that he is one of the best QBs of all time, but some have knocked him for his playoff record over the years. Adding another Super Bowl at the end of his career could silence some of those critics.
Top defenses matching up in Super Bowl
The Panthers and Broncos each have strong defensive units with top players like Josh Norman, Luke Kuechly, Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and now those sides will face off in the Super Bowl. The Broncos had the top ranked defense in overall yards allowed this season, while both teams ranked in the top 10 in points allowed. The Broncos ranked in the top four, while the Panthers came in ranked at number six. The Broncos also ranked first in passing yards allowed per game this season.
Cam Newton continues his MVP season
The playoffs don't factor into the MVP award race for the 2015 season, but the performance of Newton will just help show why he deserves to win the award for this year. Newton is considered to be the favorite for the award and he outdueled another player that will get consideration in Carson Palmer. Newton had over 40 total touchdowns during the regular season and led his team to a 14-0 record before the Panthers lost a game. Newton continued his strong play through the playoffs and now his teams is in the Super Bowl.
Carolina Panthers open as favorites over Broncos
The Panthers were favored by Vegas to beat the Cardinals and now the team comes into the Super Bowl as favorites over the Broncos. According to ESPN.com, the Westgate SuperBook has the Panthers as 5.5-point favorites over the Broncos for the game. The Panthers and Broncos are matching up as top seeds from the NFC and AFC, but Carolina comes in as the favorite for the time being. The Panthers dominated the Cardinals 49-15 and now they are considered the favorites in the big game.
Broncos want to make up for Seattle two years ago
The Broncos made it to the Super Bowl two years ago, but that game ended up as a major blowout for the team. The Broncos know that they will never totally escape the outcome of that game, but winning a Super Bowl a couple years later could help push that aside a little bit when talking about Manning and his run with the team. That Super Bowl was outdoors in New Jersey and now the team has the chance to win this one outdoors in the Bay Area in Santa Clara.