Silverman: Manning's Super Bowl 50 Experience Could Be A Nightmare
By Steve Silverman
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It's still a fairly warm and fuzzy time for Peyton Manning, as there is still some glow from last Sunday's AFC Championship game victory over the New England Patriots.
But as soon as the Denver Broncos touch down in northern California to get ready for their Super Bowl 50 confrontation with the Carolina Panthers, the downturn could very well begin for Manning.
It seems like the 39-year-old quarterback should be celebrated as he gets ready to fade off into the NFL sunset at the conclusion of the season, but the reality of what could happen on Feb. 7 may turn his likely last shot at a second championship into a legitimate nightmare.
Manning can thank the NFL for the first part of that. When the media sessions begin -- as soon as he and his teammates step foot in the Bay Area -- he will get inundated with questions about HGH.
When a report from Al Jazeera surfaced last month, Manning labeled it as "garbage" and he has stuck with that assessment. But reports have surfaced this week that the NFL has picked up the investigative baton and that the league is getting help in its comprehensive review of Manning's case from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
It's not expected that the league's investigation will conclude any time soon, and that means that Manning won't have to deal with any fallout from a negative finding during Super Bowl week. However, the thousands of media members that will be in Santa Clara, California, have a story that is not about to go away and plenty of chances to ask questions.
Manning says that "Peytongate" will not impact his preparation for the game. What else is he going to say? Basically, that's what any high-profile player would say before the Super Bowl.
But make no mistake, it will be a distraction.
That's just the preamble. The real problem will be the behemoths from the NFC who are going to try to make Super Bowl Sunday miserable for him and everyone else in Bronco orange.
The Panthers are on a major role and have been on one all season. Their 15-1 regular season was eye-opening, but they have been even more impressive in the postseason in beating the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals.
Those two teams were arguably the hottest teams besides the Panthers at the start of the playoffs. Carolina blitzed Seattle 31-0 in the first half in the divisional round before letting up in the second half and allowing the score to get close.
However, Carolina was never in danger of losing that game, and the correction was made in the NFC Championship game as the Panthers punished the Cardinals for 60 minutes and never let them have any hope of making a run.
The Panthers have the kind of defense that can make life very tough for Manning. Defensive tackle Kawann Short had 11 sacks this season, but still doesn't get his due as a game-changing player. Linebacker Luke Kuechly had an interception return for a touchdown against Seattle and Arizona, and is a brilliant tackler. Cornerback Josh Norman is one of the top cover men in the game.
The status of linebacker Thomas Davis is in question. He will reportedly try to play after undergoing surgery earlier this week on his freshly broken arm. Even if he does make it on to the field, he may not be effective.
So that could be a break for Manning. But the biggest problem will be when Cam Newton takes the field for the Panthers.
The likely league MVP has come through with big plays at nearly every turn this season, and he is going to want to put on a show in the Super Bowl. He threw 35 touchdown passes during the regular season and ran for 10 more scores. He had two TD passes against the Cardinals and two more TD runs. He is simply on fire.
If the Panthers get their offense going early and build a two-score lead at any point in the game -- and the belief here is that it will happen before the first quarter is over -- Manning will not be able to just hand the ball to C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman.
He will be forced to start throwing, and that will play into the Panthers' hands. Manning no longer has the game to wing the ball all over the field, and that may force head coach Gary Kubiak to come to the conclusion that he has to bench Manning and insert backup Brock Osweiler into the lineup.
That would be a sad way for Manning to go out. Nothing is official yet, but it's clear that Manning is very near the end, as evidenced by his postgame handshake with Bill Belichick of the Patriots at the end of the AFC Championship game.
The Super Bowl is very likely to be his last NFL memory, and it has the makings of a painful one.
Follow Steve on Twitter at @ProFootballBoy
