Broncos' Anderson: 'No pressure on us' because of underdog status
The Denver Broncos enter Super Bowl 50 as significant underdogs against the Carolina Panthers, but running back C.J. Anderson believes the lack of expectation for his team will allow them to play with much greater freedom than their opponents.
"We just have to go out there and play football," Anderson said, according to Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post. "There's no pressure on us. There's nobody picking us. There's nobody picking our 39-year-old quarterback to go play well."
As of Saturday, the Broncos were 5.5-point underdogs. It's a status they've grown accustomed to this postseason.
"Yeah, we're used to it now," wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. "I think the past two weeks we've been underdogs and we stepped up to the plate and we were able to come out with the win. We don't really care what the papers or whatever they say about being underdogs. We're going to go out and do our jobs."
While the odds may not be in the Broncos' favor, history appears to be. The past four Super Bowl favorites have gone on to lose the contest.
"It's like (Broncos head coach Gary) Kubiak said, 'We like to fly under the radar and come out and show who we are and what we're about,'" guard Louis Vasquez said, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.
- With h/t to NFL.com