The Denver Broncos are significant underdogs in Sunday’s Super Bowl as Peyton Manning likely plays his final game with the franchise that rebooted his career following his neck injury.

Here are five reasons why the Broncos will win Super Bowl 50:

1. Defense wins championships-  Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips navigated his team to the top-ranked defense in the NFL and in the previous 10 matchups involving a No. 1 defense in the Super Bowl, those defenses are 8-2.  A great defense usually beats a great offense and when you break down the Panthers offense, it looks pretty ordinary outside of Cam Newton.
2. Denver’s defense should dominate all the matchups in the secondary- The Panthers weapons don’t really scare anyone and the Broncos secondary is as good as any in the NFL.  It’s more than likely that Ted Ginn will be locked down by either Chris Harris or Aqib Talib, and Jericho Cotchery and Philly Brown are no match for anyone in the Denver secondary.  With the back end of the Broncos defense locking down the Panthers receivers, it will give their great front seven more time to get to Cam Newton.
3. C.J. Anderson runs really hard- The Broncos are well aware that their best chance to win is by “Ground and Pound.”  Anderson is a tough, inside runner who is explosive.  With linebacker Thomas Davis playing with a broken arm, Anderson’s tough running style will wear on the Panthers defense and he could break off a big run late in the game.
4. Emmanuel Sanders will have a huge matchup advantage- It’s likely that Josh Norman will line up against Demaryius Thomas and that leaves Sanders against Cortland Finnegan or Robert McClain. That is a huge matchup advantage for the Broncos and Sanders is one of the guys that nobody is seemingly talking about in this game.  He can be a game changer, even if Peyton Manning’s arm isn’t what it once was.
5. The experience/emotional factor- Teams are always looking for an extra chip on their shoulder’s, and the fact that Denver is such a significant underdog provides that.  This is probably Manning’s “last rodeo” and they will leave everything they have out there on the field.  In recent years, underdogs with great pass rushes have more than held their own in the big game.  The Panthers have had two full weeks of hearing how great they are and how they’re about to be crowned champions and usher in a new era of dominance.  Without any Super Bowl experience, they can come out tight and be in a close game on the world’s biggest stage.  Denver has been there before and are unbelievably motivated to atone for the embarrassing defeat from two years ago.