I m very impassionate about this game. I will be focused more on the coaching than anything else.
I am curious to see which HC flinches first. Rivera and Kubiak are both first timers in this game, and one of them will flinch. I think Kubiak has the opportunity to use his DC as a mainstay, but will he? Or will some adversity make him shrink and Peyton over reach? Rivera has become less conservative as a coach, but his conservative nature arose in the 2nd half of the Seattle game and nearly cost him.
I think the Panthers are going to open with misdierction runs, a few that the Broncos will have not seen on video yet. If Denver comes out in a control what is in front of you mode, without a lot of blitzing, they can weather that. They need to get the game to hang on Newton's arm so they can mobilize their pass rush. I think the Denver DC is the smartest coach in this game, but will Kubiak rely on him enough?
On the other hand, Kubiak. I think it is clear as hell that the spread elements of Mannings game are the biggest threat to the Carolina D, but Kubiak by his nature is a establish the run and play action deep guy. Which is hardly Manning's forte anymore. Kubiak will have to take his own nature out of the gameplan. He should watch how Seattle played the Panthers over and over. eschew the power formations, don't substitute much early in the game, keep it spread, and get the Panthers out of any press cover game with passing that takes only a couple of seconds.
This is the kind of game that may hang on a single big play.