5 Reasons Why the Panthers Will Win Super Bowl 50

2. Josh Norman and the Secondary Can Contain Denver's Wide Receivers

The Panthers' secondary ended the regular season as the second most efficient defense against the pass according to our schedule-adjusted Defensive Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) metric.

The Panthers topped the league in interceptions (24) while surrendering just the 22nd most passing yards per game (234.5) and the 24th most passing touchdowns (21).

They've demonstrated an ability to take opposing wideouts out of the game plan thanks to the smothering coverage of shutdown cornerback Josh Norman. In Week 2, Norman kept explosive wideout DeAndre Hopkins to just 5 catches for 53 yards. In Week 8, he held T.Y. Hilton to just 1 catch for 11 yards. Then, in Week 11, he held Dez Bryant to 2 catches for 26 yards.

And just last week, the Panthers kept this trend going by holding the league's number-one passing offense -- according to NEP -- to just 235 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions.

Despite the success Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders have enjoyed this season -- both wideouts hauled in over 1,000 receiving yards -- it's clear that the Panthers are more than capable of shutting these two star wide receivers down when they meet in Super Bowl 50, making the task of moving the ball downfield that much harder for the Broncos.