The Denver Broncos were smothering on defense against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, a defensive performance for the ages, the kind that can keep an opposing quarterback up at night.
But now comes a different type of challenge: The new-age quarterback, one many say is re-defining the position, in Carolina’s Cam Newton, who is unlike any other passer in the league.
For one, he’s huge. He is 6-foot-5, 265 pounds of sledgehammer when he runs it, and power when he stands in the pocket to shake off pass rushers. He’s also an elusive player when he runs it, but can also truck defenders in his path.
Newton has been that way his entire career. But what makes him different now, and perhaps is the biggest reason the Panthers are facing the Broncos in Sunday’s Super Bowl 50 is this:
Newton has grown up as a pocket passer.
Where he once used to make one read and run, he now sits in and makes timely, accurate throws for big plays. He spins his head and goes through his progressions. His completion percentage isn’t great, but he’s still a big-play passer. Combine that with his ability to run, and it makes for an enormous challenge for the Denver defense.
How will they defend him? The Broncos love to play man coverage underneath and come after the quarterback. But when you do that, you turn your back to the quarterback, which is dangerous against a player like Newton.
So will the Broncos change? Don’t expect it. As one Broncos player said this week, “We’re going to do our thing.”
The problem is the versatility of the Carolina offense. Newton can do so many things, and they are creative with the way they use him, especially in the run game. They run zone plays. They sweep him. They run read-option runs.
Take a look at some examples.
Here is Newton on a quarterback draw against the Falcons in Week 16.
What I love about this play is that Newton made it with his mind as much as his legs. He came to the line of scrimmage, and checked to this play when he saw the way Atlanta was lined up.
They had a double on tight end Greg Olsen (No. 88), so Newton widened him to create more room in the middle.
When he did, you can see the linebacker and safety walk out some.
Newton then got good kick-out blocks by his guards, while fullback Mike Tolbert and center Ryan Kalil lead him up the middle for the touchdown.
If the Broncos play a lot of man, this can be really effective. But Denver’s down two players in passing situations -- usually Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson -- are tough to move inside. They won’t be easy kick-outs for the guards. The Broncos linebackers can also run, which will help limit the effectiveness of this play.
Newton will also run quarterback sweeps. He scored on one against Seattle in the regular season. Take a look:
This is a power sweep with the quarterback, which is rare in the NFL. But Newton is so special with the ball under his arm and he’s so strong. The Panthers have a bunch formation to the right and then they pull offensive linemen Trai Turner and Mike Remmers to lead him to the touchdown.
Seattle is a fast defense, but they aren’t that stout. Denver is fast as well. This is a play the Panthers might use in the Super Bowl if they are on the goal line.
Here’s a zone-read run by Newton against the Giants that went for a 47-yard gain.
This is a play where they pull the offside guard and lead him into the hole as Newton makes the fake inside to the back.
The fake helped widen end Kerry Wynn, which made the block easier for Turner. That opened up a huge hole inside for Newton to run.
These types of runs could slow down Denver’s outside pass because they have to account for the quarterback.
Newton can also hurt with his scrambles. That’s why teams like to zone up against him. That keeps the defenders’ eyes on him when he takes off. But here’s a play against Atlanta where he scrambled against a zone and still got the first down on a third-and-8 play.
The Falcons actually did a good job on this play. They covered the receivers in zone and when Newton took off, they reacted to it. But this is where his athletic ability and power came into play. He ran over linebacker Justin Durant to get the first down. He also carried a handful of Falcons with him when he did.
That’s why just getting the right defense isn’t the end-all, be-all for slowing Newton. He makes plays outside the scheme. That’s called talent.
Here’s a play in that same Atlanta game where the Falcons played man and Newton beat them with a scramble for a first down. It wasn’t a big run, but it was an effective one.
I picked this play because this is something Denver has to be afraid of if they match up with their cover people in man coverage.
I still think Denver will play man outside and try and take away the run game with a safety down. They will try and force Newton to beat them from the pocket. That will mean edge rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware have to be more patient with their rush, rather than just charging up the field like they did last week against Brady. They have to keep Newton contained in the pocket, and then hope Wolfe and Jackson can get inside push. The problem is the inside three of the Carolina line are really good.
Even if Newton does stay in the pocket, he has the arm and the mind to make the defense pay. Here’s a play from the Giants game that shows his growth as a passer.
This is against zone coverage, which a lot of teams like to use in the red zone. Denver doesn’t use as much, but they will play zone down there. This play shows how Newton has improved with his eyes.
Take a look at the way he uses his eyes -- looking to the middle -- to hold the safety and create the cavity to fit the ball into Devin Funchess for the score. That’s a big growth part of his game as a passer.
It doesn’t mean he’s always spot on. He still misses open receivers when he pre-determines where he’s going with the football. That’s the curse of a lot of younger passers, but he does it less frequently than he did in his first few years.
Here’s a look at a pre-determined throw from the Giants game.
On this play, Newton forced the ball into double-coverage and missed two open receivers. He had the crosser in the middle open, and had the back on the right side wide open for what could have been a touchdown.
This is what happens when he pre-determines where he is going with the ball. That doesn’t happen a lot, but it happens. This is where the Denver pass rush could be key. If they start hitting him, he won’t get to his second and third reads. He will try and make the throw on a pre-snap decision. That could lead to trouble.
The last play I wanted to show was Newton against man coverage, again since this is what I think he will see a lot Sunday. This play came against Arizona last in the NFC Championship Game.
The Cardinals are locked in man coverage. They do a solid job of it, but this is where Newton’s strong arm and ability to throw from all angles comes into play. The Panthers emptied the backfield and Arizona blitzed it. That tells Newton he has to be decisive and get the ball out. With pressure coming, he fired a bullet to Olsen for a 12-yard gain and a first down.
The Panthers used a little rub to help free up Olsen, even if it was Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter knocking corner Justin Bethel off the play to free up Olsen. What impressed was the throw.
If Denver mans up, and comes after Newton, those are the types of throws that will hurt them. That’s the risk I think they will take. If he can make those throws consistently, the Panthers will win it. If he can’t, or gets into the habit of pre-determining his throws, thanks to some hits by that pass rush, the Broncos will have a big edge.
Denver won’t stop Newton and the offense. There’s just too much there for that to happen. They have to hope they can force turnovers and limit the big plays. If they do that, it will be a success.
If not, the MVP of the season will be the MVP of the game.
