When the Carolina Panthers take the field against the Denver Broncos this Sunday, more than just a championship will be on the line.
On one side of the field is an all-time great quarterback in the form of Peyton Manning, and the other is young-gun, MVP candidate Cam Newton.
Despite his subpar regular season that was shortened by injuries, Manning has found a way to get back to the big game and now has an opportunity to retire as a champion. In doing so, he would join the likes of his superior John Elway, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998 before hanging up his cleats.
For Newton, he has the chance to silence his critics and put himself into the running as one of, if not, the best quarterbacks in the National Football League.
How did they get here?
As mentioned, Manning missed numerous games in the regular season due to injuries, forcing backup Brock Osweiler to take the reigns. Osweiler was able to make just enough plays to set the Broncos up for a potential No. 1 seed in the postseason with the help of the best defense in the league.
After struggling down the stretch to the playoffs, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak was forced to bring Manning in as relief in the regular season finale against division rival San Diego.
Manning’s presence was enough to get the team back on track as they took care of business in the first two rounds of the playoffs with wins against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the defending champions, the New England Patriots.
For the Carolina Panthers, the word to describe their season is dominance. Cam Newton proved that you don’t need the best receivers in the game to rack up wins and stats. After losing their top receiver in Kelvin Benjamin during the preseason, Newton had to take the weight of the offense in order to make the team successful. You could say he responded well.
The Panthers ended the regular season at 15-1 with the league’s highest-scoring offense, and continued their dominance in the playoffs with wins over Seattle and Arizona, two of the best defenses in the NFL.
Could this be the last we see of Peyton Manning?
Most people believe so, and there have been reports of Manning telling friends and family that he will retire no matter what the outcome is. Nonetheless, it is obvious how much of an impact he can have by leading an underachieving offense to the Super Bowl when his return to the field was in doubt down the stretch of the regular season.
Whether Manning goes out on top or not is one story, but there will definitely be a passing of the torch from one future Hall of Fame quarterback to the quickest rising star in the NFL after Sunday.
