Paul Klee: With Carolina Panthers next, Brandon McManus reflects on Broncos since Super Bowl 50

Nov. 25—DENVER — JJ Jansen. Shaq Thompson. Brandon McManus.

That's it.

I went down this post-Super Bowl 50 rabbit hole so you didn't have to. The only players who remain between the 2015 Broncos and Panthers are a long-snapper, linebacker and a kicker.

The Broncos and Panthers meet again Sunday in Charlotte in the opposite of a Super Bowl.

This one is more like the aftermath of a Super Bowl party. Spill your Red Solo cups on the floor.

The Broncos are 3-7. The Panthers are 3-8. But where it gets really unfortunate is seeing what has happened since a beautiful night in Santa Clara, Calif., at Levi's Stadium on Feb. 7, 2016.

The Broncos beat the Panthers 24-10. The ensuing parade began a road to nowhere.

The Broncos show 39 wins in six full seasons since. So do the Panthers. That's an average of 6.5 wins per season for both, and both will be lucky as heck to hit the over on 6.5 this season.

Carolina and Denver have the same number of wins Super Bowl 50: 42. The Broncos thrice have finished in last place. Same for the Panthers. Von vs. Cam sure was fun while it lasted.

The other day at Broncos headquarters I found "B-Mac" and asked McManus, the longest-tenured Bronco, if he ever could have envisioned a championship operation devolving into this.

"No. It's a simple answer. No," McManus said.

With the Panthers next on the schedule, does he think back to that lovely night in Santa Clara?

"Do I go back and look at that game and wish we were winning? Yes," McManus said. "Obviously that was a special team with a bunch of great personalities and friends that I'll have for the rest of my life. But there are people on this team that are the same way, just different."

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McManus said "accountability and cohesion" separated the 2015 Broncos from all the rest.

"I guess all the Denver media doesn't know the answer (to fix the Broncos), because you've been writing about it for the past seven years," McManus said with a smile.

Guilty.

"There has been some games we have been blown out in — Philadelphia's one (a 51-23 rout in 2017) — but nearly all the games have been one-possession games," McManus said.

Nine of 10 Broncos games this season were one-possession games, including six of seven losses, so the Broncos kicker is super-duper important. They can't afford a missed field goal.

"My goal is to make every kick under 50 that's not blocked. I've been pretty good on that the last three or four years," said McManus, who is an astounding 144-157 inside 50 yards since SB50, including 36-39 over the past two seasons. "And making every kick I'm supposed to make, because the games have been so close. We need all the points possible. I try to be laser-focused on those (inside 50)."

Here is the truth on the state of the Broncos: "We are a young team and we're continuing to learn how to win. It's the hardest sport in the world to win. ... (It's about) learning how to win close games. It's about each player not looking for someone else to make the play, but doing it themselves. The other thing it shows is (the importance of) superstars."

The Broncos and Panthers could be dipping into the same pool of coaching candidates if the people in charge decide Nathaniel Hackett and Steve Wilks, the Panthers interim coach, are not fit to stick around in their current positions. The Panthers fired coach Matt Rhule in Week 6.

The Panthers have two players remaining from Super Bowl 50 (Jansen, Thompson) and two coaches (Al Holcomb, the defensive coordinator, and Wilks, the interim coach). That's it.

Jansen owns a truly great career as a pro athlete. He's a long-snapper. He's hiked an NFL ball between his two legs from the ages of 23 to 36 — in the same city, for 14 years, for $13.8 million in NFL money. He's had to tackle another man only 21 times. He cracked the life code.

Thompson, the other Carolina remainder, is a memorable figure in Colorado. The linebacker once lit up the CU Buffs for 174 rushing yards — as a Washington Huskies running back.

Talk about an athlete. Sheesh.

McManus made a career-high 30 field goals during the 2015 season. This season, an opposite of a Super Bowl season, he's on pace for a new career — and franchise — record, 33.

"I didn't think it would be so difficult to win to get back to the Super Bowl. That's definitely my motivation to get back to that point, and also for my family to see us get back to that side," McManus said.

For now, the Broncos are "playing for pride," as quarterback Russell Wilson said. That's it.