Super Bowl 50: Can the Denver Broncos Defense Contain Cam Newton?
What a game this promises to be. It's the best defense against the No. 1 scoring offense as the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos collide in Super Bowl 50.
Cam Newton is expected to be named the regular season MVP, and odds makers have him as the favorite to be name the Super Bowl MVP. Who can blame them? Newton has easily been the best player this season.
The Broncos defense has been nearly perfect all season long, ranking first in points allowed, passing yards allowed and third in rushing yards against. The Broncos defense also led the NFL in sacks while their secondary came up huge in critical moments time and time again. Not once this entire season did the Broncos defense allow 400 total yards, which is simply incredible in this day of age.
So, the big question now is, Can the Broncos defense stop or at least contain Superman?
The Broncos did a terrific job against Tom Brady and New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Brady is a much more accomplished quarterback than Newton, but Newton could very well give the Broncos more issues because of his speed. Let's be honest here, Newton is far more mobile than Brady, and that's something defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has to take into account.
Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware can create chaos at the line of scrimmage, but if Newton scrambles outside the pocket and continues to get positive yardage instead of taking sacks, this could be a long day for the Broncos. The Panthers don't have terrific wide receivers, but when Newton is buying time with his feet, how long can you guard your man for? Aqib Talib and Chris Harris won't have extremely difficult assignments on Sunday, but, again, it's tough to cover any player in the NFL for such a long extended period of time.
The key for the Broncos may very well be their linebackers. The Broncos linebackers have to keep Newton in check and make sure he doesn't run freely to the outside. If Newton is able to carry the ball himself, it's going to spell a lot of trouble for the Broncos because the Panthers will control the time of possession and limit turnovers. If this does occur, the Broncos secondary will eventually cave in and sink inside trying to stop Newton, and then that opens up things downfield for a deep pass, possibly to Ted Ginn Jr.
If Jonathan Stewart has his way up the middle, then it will only create more problems for the Broncos. The Broncos have to contain Stewart, because if he goes off for a big day, then it will only open up things for Newton. The Broncos have allowed fewer than 100 rushing yards against in seven of the last nine games including just 44 yards against the Patriots.
Follow Damon Salvadore on Twitter @DamonSalvadore1
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