The Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers face off in Super Bowl 50, and the key to the game will be if Denver can contain quarterback Cam Newton.
It’s no secret that the Denver Broncos have one of the best defenses in the league. It’s also no secret that the Carolina Panthers have one of the most dynamic playmakers in the league in quarterback Cam Newton. These two teams face off in Super Bowl 50, and something’s got to give.
This season, Cam Newton has been the unquestioned catalyst of the Carolina defense. Sure Jonathan Stewart has been good, ranking eighth in the league in rushing yards, but much of his success has come due to the threat Newton poses with both his legs and his arm. Cam accounted for 45 touchdowns this season, and over 75% of the offensive yardage.
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For Carolina, Cam Newton is the key, which means that he is also the key to the Super Bowl. If this Denver defense can find a way to contain Cam Newton, they will force someone else on Carolina’s team to beat them. From what we’ve seen this season, that may be a bit too much to ask of any of the other Panthers. But the other thing we’ve seen this season is that containing Cam Newton is no small feat.
As a quarterback, Cam’s first line of offense is in the passing game, and that is where Denver should key first as well. Cam threw touchdown passes in every game but two this season, but his yardage totals were often fairly modest. His season high was 340 yards against the Giants, and he had seven games with less than 200 yards through the air.
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That means that Cam’s passing offense doesn’t rely as much on airing the ball out on every play. He ranked 16th in pass attempts this season, only Alex Smith, Teddy Bridgewater, and Russell Wilson attempted fewer passes among quarterbacks who started at least 15 games. No, Cam’s passing attack relies on big plays downfield and finding the mismatches in coverage.
Newton has never been an extremely accurate passer, completing just under 60% of his passes through his career, but he’s able to put the ball where receivers can grab it deep, and he’s able to find holes when the defense is outnumbered downfield.
One of the biggest strengths to his game this year has been his ability to diagnose and execute against the blitz, as he threw 21 of his 35 touchdown passes against the blitz. His 21-3 touchdown-interception ration against the blitz is much better than his 14-7 ratio when defenses don’t being extra pressure.
The biggest thing this means for Denver is that they will need to put pressure on Cam Newton using their defensive line. This will allow them to keep their secondary intact downfield, putting pressure on Cam to make accurate throws into tight windows. A few errant Cam Newton passes could result in a few interceptions from the Denver secondary, which could be the difference in the game.
Containing Cam Newton also involves containing his favorite target: tight end Greg Olsen. When Olsen has topped 100 yards the Panthers have averaged 36 points, but when he was held under 50 yards, they’ve averaged 27. Locking down Olsen would force Newton to look towards rookie Devin Funchess and Ted Ginn Jr., who dropped the third most passes in the league in 2015.
The next step to containing Cam Newton, and possibly the most difficult one, is stopping his rushing ability. He’s arguably the best rushing quarterback the NFL has ever seen, and at 6’6″ 260lbs, he’s not afraid to take (or give) big hits. His dynamism is what makes him so dangerous because he can’t be brought down with arm tackles but he can also pick up big chunks of yardage at a time.
The Broncos will need to get pressure on Cam while still containing him on the edge, but Cam is also dangerous stepping up into the pocket and running up the middle. They’ll have to force him out of his designed plays in a hurry, but not give him enough space to make big plays with his feet.
Forcing players out of their designed plays will always increase the likelihood of turnovers, and therein lies the key to containing Cam Newton. He held onto the ball a lot better in 2015, but he’s had some trouble coughing it up throughout his career. If Denver can force Cam to try to do everything, they can surely force him to give the ball over a few times.
With the stagnant nature of the Denver offense at many points this season, they’re going to need all the help they can get when it comes to scoring points. If Carolina is able to drive down the field and take up big chunks of time, they’re almost certain to win. Containing Cam is essential.
It starts with the defense line getting pressure and enabling the secondary to sit back on Carolina’s receivers. If they can get pressure with only four men rushing the passer, it will be tough for Newton to make the deep plays downfield he’s become so good at.
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Then Denver has to keep him from picking up big yards with his feet, which may mean that spying him with a linebacker or safety is the best bet. If Carolina can get away with rushing four, having one linebacker stick on Newton, and double covering Greg Olsen, this Carolina offense could have a hard time moving the ball.