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NFL Super Bowl 50 Picks 2016: Expert Predictions Are Split Between The Broncos And Panthers

By Phillip Dengler
Published on: 15:17 PST, Jan 30, 2016

NFL Super Bowl 50 picks from the experts at CBS Sports are in, and they are surprising split in their predictions. While we have been hearing from the media the entire week that the Denver Broncos have no chance to defeat the Carolina Panthers, three out of the eight experts believe that Peyton Manning will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy next Sunday night. Even though Carolina still has the majority of votes, it appears as though Manning and the Broncos have a real shot at defeating Cam Newton and the Panthers in the eyes of the experts. Here are all of the NFL Super Bowl 50 picks from CBS Sports.

Super Bowl 50 Schedule

Carolina Panthers Vs. Denver Broncos (Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016 at 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS)

Updated Odds

While the NFL odds are going to change throughout the next week based on injuries and how the bets are coming in, Vegas Insider has released the current odds for Super Bowl 50.

Carolina Panthers: 6-point favorites over the Denver Broncos

As the Inquisitr previously reported, the Panthers were originally only 4-point favorites when the line opened last week. For it to move this much means that some pretty big bets are being placed on Carolina winning the game. As the week goes on, the line should drop slightly as more people place bets on Denver winning the game.

Regardless, six points is a fairly large spread on a neutral field. While the Broncos do have a chance to win this game, the public seems to think that the Panthers will win handily.

Denver Broncos Vs. Carolina Panthers – The Matchup

On paper, the Panthers should win Super Bowl 50. Quarterback Cam Newton may be the best player in the NFL right now, and their defense just shut down one of the most prolific offenses in the entire league in the Arizona Cardinals. Before defeating the Cardinals, the Panthers beat another extremely difficult team in the Seattle Seahawks.

While the Broncos managed to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, neither team was playing its best football. The Steelers did not have star wide receiver Antonio Brown, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was limited with an injury. The Patriots were still a great team this year, but their play towards the end of the season declined considerably.

At this point in their careers, Newton is considerably better than Manning. While Manning is a future Hall of Famer, he looks like he is on his last leg. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, this may be his last game. While a victory could make it easier to go through with the retirement, a loss could have him coming back for more. Unfortunately for Manning, the choice may not be his.

If the Broncos want to win this game, they are going to have to rely on their elite defense and strong running game. Newton is going to be great regardless, so the Broncos will need to slow down running back Jonathan Stewart and prevent too many big plays from the rest of the Panthers offense.

Super Bowl 50 Expert Predictions

As previously noted, it is somewhat of a surprise that almost half of the experts at CBS Sports think the Broncos have a chance to win this game. Vegas is usually right on these things, and they are heavily favoring the Panthers. At the moment, this looks like it is going to be a repeat of Super Bowl 48 where Manning lost to Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately for Manning, this Panthers team is actually very similar to the Seahawks team that beat him.

[Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]

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