Greg Cosell's SB 50 Preview: Keys for Peyton Manning vs. Panthers
The Denver Broncos won the AFC championship game, but there are still things their offense must do better in Super Bowl 50, specifically in the passing game.
Peyton Manning was up and down with his ball placement in the AFC title game against the New England Patriots, and that has been a continuous problem with him this season. He made some throws, but he was also inaccurate on a number of throws that were there.
There were a few examples from the win over the Patriots, and here’s one: On the first play after a Von Miller interception, the Broncos had a well-designed concept against man coverage with Emmanuel Sanders going in motion to gain leverage against cornerback Malcolm Butler on a seam route. It worked, Sanders was open, and Manning missed him. It should have been an easy touchdown.
Manning also missed Jordan Norwood on a touchdown later in the game with an inaccurate pass, and he had Sanders on a go route with 2:09 left to put the game away but threw it too short and too far inside.
Here’s an example of a nice throw by Manning, which he’ll have to do more consistently against the Carolina Panthers. Owen Daniels was split outside the numbers on the three-receiver side of the field, ran a stop-and-go route against linebacker Jamie Collins, and Manning delivered it with precise ball placement.
Although that throw was outside the numbers, that hasn’t been a big part of the Broncos’ offense with Manning this season. That could be a problem in the Super Bowl because the Panthers are very good in the middle of the field, due to linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis (or even Shaq Thompson, if Davis can’t play with a broken arm). Kuechly and Davis are fast and cover a lot of ground.
It will be interesting to see how Denver attempts to move the ball. I don’t think they can make this a Peyton Manning game and have him drop back 40 times. Their passing game needs to work between the numbers, as those are the throws Manning can make now. Daniels will be a critical player. He has to be a factor — the Panthers actually struggled to cover tight ends in the red zone this season, allowing a 74 completion percentage on passes to tight ends and six touchdowns inside the 20. The Broncos will have to scheme, with route concepts, to get open passes in the middle of the field.
One issue the Broncos will have is protecting Manning, specifically from the rush up the middle. It might be a matchup problem for the Broncos.
Center Matt Paradis can be a liability in pass protection versus big defensive tackles in odd fronts, and the Panthers have big and talented tackles in Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei. Here’s a shot play (deep pass) the Broncos tried against the Patriots with an eight-man protection concept, but Patriots tackle Alan Branch drove Paradis back off the play action and got the sack.
Denver might have had a big play there but Manning had no time to throw the ball, even with eight men protecting.
The Panthers are coming off a game in which their defensive line closed down the pocket and made Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer throw out of a hole. Their pass rush is much better than it was early in the season. Carolina didn’t even have to blitz Arizona that often.
On this sack and forced fumble, Lotulelei quickly beat the right guard, forcing Palmer to step up in the pocket and right into Short, who was working against the center.
The Broncos need to play better on offense to win Super Bowl 50. They’ll need to protect Manning, work the middle of the field, and Manning needs to be consistently accurate when those plays come open.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
