Broncos defense faces opportunity to solidify spot among all-time greats
The Denver Broncos find themselves one win away from a Super Bowl title, but not due to the presence of a future Hall of Fame quarterback pursuing one last ring.
For the first time in Peyton Manning's illustrious 18-year NFL career, it's the defense on the opposite side of the ball that's led the way on an extensive playoff run.
As the Broncos look to pull off an upset against the heavily favored Carolina Panthers, that unit will be relied upon to find an answer for the league's presumptive MVP.
Successfully doing so, and thus sending their veteran signal-caller riding off into the sunset, would be the final step in earning this Broncos defense consideration as one of the league's all-time greats.
Regular-season dominance
The Broncos finished the year with the NFL's top-ranked unit in yards allowed, yielding just 283.1 yards per game. That total included league-best marks against the pass and a third-place showing against the run.
As impressive as that production may be on the surface - easily topping that of the Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, New York Jets, and Arizona Cardinals - the overall numbers do little to actually demonstrate just how strong the unit was throughout.
Due largely to the offense's well-documented shortcomings, Denver's defense took the field for 1,033 plays. Both in terms of simple arithmetic and the potential impact of such a workload on the defense, that number undoubtedly inflated the per-game yardage figure.
Perhaps it's the NFL-best average yards per play (4.4), then, that provides the most telling assessment of Denver's defensive prowess.
The closest teams in that statistical area gave up an average of 4.9 yards per play, creating a gap between the first- and second-ranked units equaling the distance between second and 11th.
Playoff success
Denver allowed just 34 points across its two AFC playoff games, taking complete control against the high-powered Pittsburgh Steelers' and New England Patriots' offenses.
A Cam Newton-led Panthers attack presents the defense with an entirely different challenge, but the potential for continued success is still there.
With a decided advantage in the cornerback-receiver matchups on the outside, the Broncos should have the freedom to stack the box and sell out against the run early on. Keeping Newton under wraps thereafter will come down to Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware exploiting their matchups in the trenches.
It's entirely possible there's no answer for Newton's skill set at the level he's reached, but if the Broncos' defense becomes the first unit to limit his effectiveness en route to a Super Bowl win, it would be the perfect way to cap off the incredible 2015 campaign.
Like the 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens, 2002 Buccaneers, and 2013 Seahawks, closing out the season by raising the Lombardi Trophy garners a defense more recognition when it comes to joining the discussion as one of the all-time greats.