Super Bowl 50
6:30 p.m. Eastern, Sunday, Feb. 7.
TV: CBS, Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in the booth, Tracy Wolfson on the sidelines.
Location: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It is the first Super Bowl at the stadium, opened in 2014. The Super Bowl was played in northern California one other time, in 1985 at Stanford Stadium.
Teams: Carolina Panthers (15-1 regular season) vs. Denver Broncos (12-4). It is the third straight year with both top seeds in the Super Bowl. Carolina is 0-1 in the game, having lost in 2004. Denver is 2-5, the most losses of any team.
Line: Carolina by 4. Over/under, 45.
Quarterbacks: Cam Newton, 26, ranked sixth in adjusted yards per pass attempt this season; Peyton Manning, 39, ranked 41st. Newton ranked first in rushing yards, with 636. At minus-6 yards rushing, Manning was 44th and last among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts.
Other stars: Carolina had a league-high 10 Pro Bowl selections, including linebacker Luke Kuechly and running backs Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert. Denver had four, all on defense: cornerbacks Chris Harris and Aqib Talib, and linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.
Injuries: Carolina, already playing without two key defensive backs, may be without Thomas Davis who told reporters after the NFC championship that he had broken his right arm and had pictures posted to Instagram on Monday of him getting ready for surgery. Davis vowed to play through the injury, but he will need to receive medical clearance.
Denver’s Chris Harris Jr. played through a significant bone bruise in his left shoulder in the AFC championship, and was surprisingly effective considering the limited range of his arm. With two weeks to heal, he may be at full-strength for the Super Bowl.
Most influential draft: 2011. The Panthers, who had been 2-14, had the top pick and took Newton. The Broncos, who were 4-12, had pick No. 2 and took Miller. Newton, who had faced criticism of his skills from some quarters said:, “I wouldn’t say I have anything to prove to people. I have to prove it for myself.”
Offenses: Carolina ranked first in points, 12th in yards per play; Denver 19th and 17th.
Defenses: Carolina sixth in points, second in yards per play; Denver fourth, first.
Coaches’ low moments: After several successful years as defensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears, including a Super Bowl trip in 2007, Ron Rivera was interviewed for several top jobs, but missed out on all of them. Shortly after, he was puzzlingly dismissed by coach Lovie Smith, and had to settle for a job as linebackers coach with the San Diego Chargers.
Gary Kubiak of the Broncos was fired after eight years as the Houston Texan’s head coach after starting the 2013 season 2-11.
Owners: Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, a former NFL player with the Baltimore Colts, made a surprise appearance before Sunday’s NFC championship to hit the team’s “Keep Pounding” drum.
Broncos owner Pat Bowlen gave up day-to-day control of the team in 2014; he has Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, Annabel, accepted the trophy on Sunday and urged the team to “get it done for Pat.”
Officials: The crew will be led by Referee Clete Blakeman, an eight-year veteran who once was the backup quarterback at Nebraska. Blakeman made news in the divisional round, when his first coin toss before overtime failed to flip.
Halftime: Coldplay, with a guest appearance by Beyonce, who headlined in 2013.
Roman numerals: For the first time since the fourth Super Bowl, the game will not be referred to by a Roman numeral. The league says the numerals will return next season for Super Bowl LI.
