Treats come in various flavors.
Santa Clara, California will indeed have a treat in store on Sunday night. Beyonce will be joining Coldplay during the halftime show. There is great certainty of plentyful electrifying, jet-set action before and after the musical performance designated for intermission in the form of Super Bowl 50.
Carolina Panthers
(15-1, NFC South)
Star quarterback Cam Newton and his offense began the season with a devastating blow on August 19. Second-year receiver Kelvin Benjamin suffered a torn ACL during the Panthers' training camp, leaving the offense without it's top pass-catcher for the entire season. Newton responded by making lemonade with the sour fruit he had been dealt.
Carolina ripped through their division, the conference and the entire league - until week sixteen when the team suffered it's first loss in Atlanta by the score of 20-13.
The Panthers have a defensive unit that ranks fourth against the run, eleventh versus the passing game and sixth overall. Questions surround linebacker Thomas Davis, who suffered a broken right arm in the NFC championship against the Arizona Cardinals. Although he has a plate and screws inserted in his arm, Davis proclaims he is ready for the big game.
Denver Broncos
(12-4, AFC West)
The Broncos also started their championship campaign with a rocky beginning as superstar quarterback Peyton Manning played through injuries, including plantar fasciitis. The NFL's top defense and a solid Broncos running attack claimed victory over and again despite Manning posting only nine touchdown passes and seventeen interceptions through ten games, before being sidelined as a result of the same foot injury from week eleven until the final week of the regular season.
Like Carolina, Denver has key players on defense with nagging injuries as well. Safety T.J. Ward is hobbled with an ankle and outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware is suffering from a knee injury.
Super Bowl 50 will be a game dictated by tenaciously unwavering defenses with strong pass rushers and the occasional but ever-present special teams component. Indeed, a treat is definitely in store Sunday night.
Carolina 27
Denver 23
