Broncos and Panthers: Super Bowl Rematch September 8, 2016
In 2015, the Carolina Panthers had the No. 1 offense in the NFL, behind the arm — and legs — of QB Cam Newton. The Denver Broncos took exactly the opposite approach, with an offense that struggled consistently and the No. 1 defense in the league. When the two met in the Super Bowl, it was the age-old clash of offense and defense, and, as it so often does, defense won. The Broncos destroyed Newton’s offensive attack, hitting him all evening, forcing him into turnovers, and literally scoring points when LB Von Miller stripped the ball and DE Malik Jackson jumped on it in the endzone. The Broncos won the landmark Super Bowl, the 50th in league history, and Miller was named MVP.
When slating out the 2016 schedule, it wasn’t too hard for the league to know what to do. The first game of the year is a rematch of the last one from last year, the Panthers and the Broncos facing off again in Denver.
Storylines: Von Miller and Kelvin Benjamin
Two of the biggest storylines going into the game, besides the obvious grudge match for the Panthers, revolve around Miller and Panthers’ wideout Kelvin Benjamin. Miller got a $114M contract in the offseason, with around $70M in guaranteed money. It’s the biggest defensive contract ever, and the biggest deal for any player who is not a QB. Sure, Indy’s Andrew Luck got a bigger deal, but QB contracts are in a class of their own and Miller’s is a huge milestone.
Denver has the money to pay Miller, though, because QB Peyton Manning retired, so now there are a lot of questions to answer. Is Miller worth that deal? Can the Broncos win with a defensive face of the franchise, rather than a franchise QB? Did they set themselves up with a dominant pass rusher, or is this a contract that will handicap the team?
On the other side of the ball, the Panthers will get third-year WR Kelvin Benjamin back from a season-ending knee injury. He was terrific as a rookie and then blew out his knee in camp last year. This makes what Newton and company did even more impressive. They had the NFL’s best offense without their best wideout. Now that he’s back, are they going to get even better? Or was last year an outlier, and are they going to take a step back? Cam Newton was best in the second half of the season, but he’s never been known for consistency. The Panthers not only want revenge, but have to prove they’re for real.
Prime Seats
The NFL knows how to start the season the right way, with one of the biggest, most highly-anticipated match-ups of the year. Make sure you have your prime seats well in advance by looking at our Broncos tickets or Panthers tickets today!
