The Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos are the only two teams left, but only one team will come out victorious when they face off in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, Feb. 7.

Both the Broncos and the Panthers have shown flashes of dominance throughout the season. This dominance put both teams at first in their conference at the end of the regular season.

The Broncos finished with a winning record of 12-4, while the Panthers finished with the winning record of 15-1.

There is no doubt that both teams have the ability to consistently win games, stemming from both teams’ outstanding quarterbacks.

A good quarterback is key to winning big games. The Broncos’ quarterback, Peyton Manning, has extensive experience in the NFL since he began in 1998. Despite his lesser experience, the Panther’s quarterback, Cam Newton, has a certain attitude that exudes maturity.

“Newton has a lot of confidence and from what I’ve seen, he doesn’t get thrown off very easily. I don’t think Peyton has any sort of edge from his experience,” junior Daniel McNerney said.

For the first time ever, both starting quarterbacks were drafted No. 1 overall in their respective NFL drafts. However, the big difference between the two is age.

This year, at age 39, Peyton Manning will break the record for the oldest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. Manning said that due to his age, this will most likely be his last year playing football.

Manning hasn’t won a Super Bowl since the Indianapolis Colt’s victory in 2006 against the Chicago Bears, so he is definitely looking for a second ring. However, people have mixed feeling about how that is going to affect his play.

Junior Michael Mogentale said, “Maybe Manning will get lucky and win because it is his last season, but I don’t think that he has any sort of edge over Cam in the actual game.”

In opposition to Mogentale, McNerney said, “I think that this being his last season definitely gives him an edge. He going to want to cap off his amazing career with a Super Bowl win and I think he can do it.”

No matter what mental state the players are in, they will have to be able to perform well on the field.

Even though the passing and defensive aspects of the game appear to be even between the two teams, the rushing aspect seems to be in Newton’s favor.
Newton has rushed 648 times for a total of 3,383 yards and 45 touchdowns since entering the NFL in 2011. In that same period, Manning has rushed 94 times for a total of 48 yards and 1 touchdown.

Although this should give Newton an edge, the Broncos won 36-14 last time the two teams played, in 2012. In the loss, Newton was sacked 7 times and posted a quarterback rating of 5.9, which is his career low.

Overall, junior Joe Akason thinks that because the two teams are so evenly matched, there is no way of telling what the score is going to be.

“Newton has gotten better since the last time the two teams met, but Manning has always been good. I think that no matter what happens, it is going to be a good and entertaining game. ”