According to Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, Carolina’s offensive gameplan was fairly predictable for the Denver defense.
Marshall said that the team was expecting the Panthers to try something different as the game went on and their offense struggled, but to his surprise, it didn’t happen.
Broncos LB Brandon Marshall said he expected Carolina to add wrinkles. They didn't. "We were like, 'Yo, they aren't switching anything up.'"
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 8, 2016
The thought of some – myself included – was that Cam Newton would be able to buy time and make plays with his mobility and athleticism if Denver got after him. Denver did get after him repeatedly, but Newton wasn’t able to escape it, and Mike Shula’s offense didn’t seem to have any idea how to adjust to it. There was no attempt to fool the defense and no attempt to alter a gameplan that was doomed by halftime.
Based on how things went, maybe Brock Osweiler did a better job playing the role of Newton than we give him credit for.
