Two teams. One game. It all comes down to this.
On Sunday, February 7, the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will meet in Super Bowl 50 (6:30 PM ET, CBS) at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. For the third consecutive season, the game will feature the No. 1 seed in each conference. Super Bowl 50 will pit the NFL’s top-scoring team – Carolina (500 points, 31.3 points per game) – against the league’s top defense – Denver (283.1 total net yards per game). The NFL announced this week that Lady Gaga will sing the National Anthem as part of Super Bowl 50 pregame festivities.
“It means so much to us to get to the Super Bowl,” says Broncos cornerback Chris Harris, Jr. “We put in so much work this whole offseason and during the season. I’m just so proud of our team. We stuck together all year. We stayed together as a team and that’s all that matters.”
Denver advanced to the Super Bowl by defeating New England 20-18. Carolina defeated Arizona 49-15 to earn its second ever trip to the Super Bowl. The AFC and NFC Championship Games averaged 49.7 million viewers, up eight percent from last year and topping the 45 million mark for the third consecutive year.
The Panthers advanced to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history (Super Bowl XXXVIII, 2003 season). With the victory, Carolina capped off a perfect season at home, winning all eight regular-season games and both playoff contests.
The Panthers QB Cam Newton passed for 335 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for two scores in the NFC Championship Game victory. He is the first player in NFL history to pass for at least 300 yards and rush for multiple touchdowns in a playoff game. Newton led the NFL during the regular season with 45 total touchdowns (35 passing, 10 rushing) and became the first player in league history to pass for at least 30 touchdowns and rush for at least 10 touchdowns in the same season.
The Hall of Fame quarterback, Peyton Manning, and that team, the Denver Broncos, will be waiting. The Broncos advanced to their eighth Super Bowl, tied for the most in NFL history (Dallas, New England, Pittsburgh), by defeating New England 20-18 at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
“The victory in the AFC Championship Game was a great example of what this entire season has been like,” says Manning. “It hasn’t been easy. It’s been a lot of different people stepping up and doing their part at different times. That was a unique football game but everybody did their part and it truly was a team game.”
“I’ve tried to take it one week at a time all season long,” says Manning about returning to the Super Bowl. “I’ve tried to stay in the moment and take it one week at a time. I’m taking it one week at a time and trying to stay patient. Staying patient in these past two playoff games has served our team well and it’s definitely served me well.”
Where will you be watching the game this Sunday? Which team are you rooting for? Follow us on Twitter as we’ll be live tweeting the game using the hashtag #superbowl50playbyplay
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