Report: Panthers at Broncos in season-opening Super Bowl rematch
Von Miller and the Denver Broncos will get an early crack at Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. The earliest possible that matters, actually.
The Charlotte Observer is reporting that we’ll have a rematch of Super Bowl 50 in the season-opening slot on Thursday of Week 1 in Denver.
Miller was the Super Bowl MVP in the Broncos’ 24-10 victory over the Panthers when he made their lives a living hell with two strip sacks, one of which was recovered for a touchdown that set the tone for the evening. Of course, Miller taunting Newton repeatedly this offseason (see Instagram post below) surely adds a layer of intrigue to the matchup.
The NFL had several good options for the season opener at Denver’s Sports Authority Field at Mile High, including the New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, and the majority of the season-opening games have been conference foes facing off.
What made the Texans a fascinating possibility was their signing of fomer Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler, who started seven games for Denver in 2015 before giving way again to Peyton Manning.
We know that Newton, the league’s reigning league MVP, will be behind center for the Panthers. But with Manning and Osweiler gone, we have no clue which QB will be facing a tough Panthers defense in the opener. Which adds intrigue to what should be a very good game.
2016 NFL draft
– – – – – – –
Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm