Steve Davis: All Signs Point To Panthers Win
Who I want and who I think will win are two different things.
I want the Broncos. Why? Simple. Peyton. I want him to write the fairytale ending to his career. I doubt it will happen. I think the Panthers are a better team, and I think Manning is more of a liability right now than someone who can lead his team to a win. Cam Newton is so much better than Peyton I just don't seeing the Broncos being able to do much offensively. Carolina will stack the box to stop the run and will dare Peyton to throw. If Denver can't run and Peyton has to throw, he is going to throw some picks. Denver's only chance, in my mind, is if their defense forces some turnovers, creating some short fields and easy points for their offense.
If Denver can get an early lead or keep it close, they have a chance. If Carolina jumps out to a double digit lead at any point, this will be a blowout.
My pick - Carolina 27, Denver 13.