Anatomy of an upset: 3 necessary evils Broncos need to beat Panthers

As of Thursday, the Denver Broncos come into Super Bowl 50 as six-point underdogs - a situation that has more to do with the Panthers steamrolling the competition in the playoffs than anything else.

There's a strong precedent for underdogs winning in the Super Bowl - with the previous four favorites losing - but the Broncos are facing a tougher test than most as just the fourth team in a decade to come into the game pegged as six points (or more) worse than their opponents.

The last team to win the Super Bowl with such long odds was the 2007 New York Giants, who were 12-point dogs to the New England Patriots. In order to pull off that upset the Giants stuck to a gameplan not many observers had confidence in coming into the game.

Here are three painful strategies the Broncos need to employ in order to pull off the upset:

Give up the ball, stem the tide early

As in all championship contests, game flow is important. The Broncos have to find a way to limit the Panthers' ability to jump out to a fast start or they will quickly go the way of the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. That being said, if the Broncos win the toss they should give up the ball.

Broncos' momentum can be achieved by allowing their defense to fluster Cam Newton early, forcing him into rushing throws or breaking the pocket before his receivers come open. The Broncos definitely have the pass rushers to achieve this and should unleash DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller early and often.

All underdogs need to find a way to hang around first, and that will begin in the first quarter for the Broncos. In their two playoffs games, the Panthers have outscored opponents 31-0 in the first quarter.

Win turnover battle by taking deep shots

This one's on Peyton more than anyone.

If Manning can continue to limit turnovers - like he's done since returning as starter in Week 17 - the Broncos' job becomes much simpler. The Week 10 Manning, that threw four picks against the Kansas City Chiefs cannot show up, and there's no reason to believe he will.

Over his last three games, Manning has thrown exactly zero interceptions on 78 passing attempts. Much of his newfound accuracy can be attributed to a stripped apart offense that has schemed significantly more conservative than Manning offenses in the past.

But the Broncos have given Manning a little more rope each week and should unleash him for some deep passes a few times on Sunday. The risks should be calculated, but keeping the Panthers' safeties honest will be a key factor in the turnover battle. The more comfortable the Panthers' secondary gets the more likely it will be to begin jumping underneath routes, and that's the real danger with Manning's lack of arm strength.

Force Cam Newton to break the pocket

It seems counterintuitive but forcing Cam Newton to beat you with his legs is one of the surest ways to limit his offensive production. As with all transcendent talents, the best course of action is to take away one aspect of their game.

Newton picked apart a talented Cardinals secondary because he was allowed to sit back in the pocket, comfortable to thread passes to receivers in the slot, take deep shots, and find Greg Olsen up the seam. Once the Cardinals began dropping safeties, Cam slashed them with designed runs - particularly up the middle of the field.

By rushing Newton you risk being exposed, but the Broncos cannot allow him to simply sit back and pick them apart. If he breaks containment and picks up a few first downs with his feet you live with it.

The Broncos have enough athleticism from inside linebackers Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan to spy Newton and can matchup man-to-man in the secondary. That means unleashing your pass rushers should be done at will, something defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has had success with in the past.