(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The 2016 regular season starts off with a bang as we get a Super Bowl 50 rematch between the Carolina Panthers and the defending champion Denver Broncos. Obviously, much has changed in Denver regarding the quarterback position with Peyton Manning retiring and Brock Osweiler bolting in free agency. While the offense could sputter out of the gate, even after losing some key players the Broncos defense once again figures to be excellent. Look for this game to be a hard hitting, defensive oriented battle of field position which is obviously rare in today’s NFL.
The Panthers offense obviously begins with Cam Newton. A physically imposing quarterback who is continuously improving as a passer and an extremely dangerous runner, Newton should be in for another big year. Unfortunately, it might not get off to the greatest start. As we saw this past February, the Broncos defense gave the Panthers offense fits and Denver returns all of its starters in the secondary. Jonathan Stewart remains the Panthers lead running back, but the holes could be hard to come by. Granted, Malik Jackson leaving might open things up slightly but the Broncos defense still projects to stop the run with the best of them.
When the Panthers do throw, look for Newton to target tight end Greg Olsen early and often. Olsen who was the Panthers leading receiver last year, provides the most mismatches and the Broncos also lost linebacker Danny Trevathan in free agency who was among the best in the league in pass coverage at his position. After a torn ACL ended his second season before it began, Kelvin Benjamin is back in the Panthers offense. While we don’t know how much he will play, going up against either Aqib Talib or Chris Harris is no easy task. Benjamin will see balls thrown his way, but it’s a very tough week to project his totals. Ted Ginn and Devin Funchess also figure to factor into the passing game tonight.
Ginn will likely see some throws to allow him to create after the catch, along with some deep balls. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, he’s too inconsistent to count on especially in this matchup. Funchess has been heralded by many (including myself) as a player who can breakout in 2016. Fortunately one game does not make or break an entire season in that regard. Funchess will have a size advantage against Bradley Roby if he plays in the slot, but Roby is a very good corner in his own right. Look for Funchess to see some targets around the red zone or the intermediate areas of the field.
It’s hard to replace a legend at the quarterback position under any circumstance. Unfortunately, Trevor Siemian has the task of being the first signal caller to take the reigns for the Broncos after Manning. A 7th round pick in 2015 out of Northwestern, Siemian didn’t exactly put up eye popping numbers in his collegiate career. The odds are tonight that Siemian will be asked to not turn the ball over and rely on the running game.
C.J. Anderson figures to be the primary beneficiary of the projected game flow. While the matchup isn’t great due to the Panthers having a fantastic front seven themselves, the volume shouldn’t be a question. With a lot of uncertainty for running back touches around the league, Anderson is worth playing in fantasy formats as he figures to get at least 20 tonight. Rookie Devontae Booker also figures to see at least a handful of touches out of the backfield as well.
On paper, the Broncos actually have a somewhat favorable matchup in the passing game. The Panthers will be starting two rookie cornerbacks in James Bradburry and Daryl Worley which could be beneficial for Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. However with pass attempts figuring to be in the low 20’s, there will only be so much to go around. I would be more comfortable playing Thomas between him and Sanders as we know he will get the ball on underneath routes where he can try and create after the catch.
A Broncos pass catcher to keep an eye on tonight is tight end Virgil Green. Unlike last season, the Broncos figure to run more of a typical Gary Kubiak offense. That features taking the ball from under center, rollouts and bootlegs. Green had a decent connection with Siemian in the preseason and is athletic for the positon, so it wouldn’t be stunning if at least a few balls went his way in this one.
With two stout defenses, this game is going to come down to field position and which team takes care of the ball. Despite the presence of Von Miller and company lining opposite him, I have more confidence in Newton being able to do that (obviously having nothing of Siemian in meaningful action to go off of doesn’t help). This game is one that figures to come down to the very end and could end up being pretty fun to watch.
My prediction is Panthers 20 Broncos (+3.5) 17
Aaron Resnick
The Field Goal Post 