Your Super Bowl open thread...
The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will meet up for Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco. Game time is at 6:35 p.m. ET at Levi's Stadium (home of the 49ers) on Sunday evening, which means you have all weekend to get your Super Bowl recipes (chicken wings over here) ready to roll. The betting line on the game has the Panthers as the odds on favorite. The 5.5-point line seems a little high for a Broncos team that has one of the league's best defenses but Cam Newton has been amazing. The Broncos are here in spite of Peyton Manning, not because of him. Times have changed if you haven't looked up in the past year.
The Super Bowl halftime show this year is Coldplay with appearances by Beyonce and Bruno Mars. The halftime entertainment is always such a spectacle with plenty of folks tuning in just for that. Or just for the Super Bowl commercials, which may or may not include a little puppy playing with Clydesdales again. You can tell which one is my favorite. Here's some more information on the Super Bowl 50 halftime show. No word yet if Left Shark is making an appearance...
The lead-up to the Super Bowl has been fairly calm so far. Reporters have been trying to get Cam Newton to talk about being a black quarterback and he really just wants to play the game. The NFL is also reportedly investigating claims that Peyton Manning received HGH (and Peyton's doing some of his own investigating). Manning has called those reports garbage. Other than that? Not much trash talk going on quite yet.
My Super Bowl prediction is the Panthers over the Broncos, 31-20. Cam Newton is just too good right now to lose. Plus, Carolina's defense is no slouch. They've been creating turnover after turnover in the playoffs and I suspect that continues with Peyton Manning, who threw four picks against the Chiefs earlier this year.
How to watch
When: Sunday, Feb. 7, 6:35 p.m. ET
Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
TV: CBS
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Online: CBS Sports
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