5 reasons the Broncos will win the Super Bowl

© Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Sep 13, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos defensive back Darian Stewart (26) is congratulated for his interception of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco (not pictured) by outside linebacker Danny

Back in Week 12, the Brock Osweiler-led Broncos took down the Patriots, 30-24, in overtime. In the snow, no less. At the time, it was hard to envision this moment.

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Peyton Manning, somewhat broken down and ineffective at the time, getting a fourth crack at a Super Bowl, seemed like a pipe dream. But in Week 17, head coach Gary Kubiak had seen enough of Osweiler's struggles to get points on the board against the Chargers so he threw Manning back into the fire after more than six weeks off.
Manning rallied the Broncos to a win over San Diego and got them home-field advantage, and has done enough game managing in the playoffs to have them in Super Bowl 50. Not surprisingly, if they manage to upend the favored Panthers at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, it will have a lot more to do with defense, running -- and superstition? -- than the strength of Manning's arm. Here's how they'll do it.

The Panthers defense is getting a lot of pub, but the Broncos had the top-rated defense in the NFL in the regular season, allowing just 283.1 yards per game in the regular season. They're also playing their best ball of the year. Don't believe us? Just ask Tom Brady, who is probably still in an ice bath after getting hit 23 times in the AFC title game. The Broncos forced two crucial turnovers -- one that set up their second touchdown -- and then stopped the Patriots on two fourth-quarter, fourth-down attempts, and the potential overtime-forcing two-point conversion. They forced 27 turnovers this season, but were minus-four in turnover differential overall because of their offense. Their league-high 52 sacks, however, prove that they can get to the quarterback, and will need to if they want to slow down Cam Newton.