Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton can be wild and the Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning is no spring chicken. Which QB is the best insurance risk? Insurance Journal wanted to learn how insurance professionals assess that and other risks associated with this year’s Super Bowl and, of course, which team is going to win.
NFL football is a risky game, and few know risk better than insurance professionals.
With teams letting it all hang out in the final game of the season, there’s no shortage of thoughts about who will win the Super Bowl 50.
But first…. North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin and Colorado Insurance Commissioner Marguerite Salazar have placed a friendly wager. If the Carolina Panthers win, Salazar will owe Goodwin Colorado elk tenderloin, whiskey and toffee. If the Denver Broncos win, Goodwin owes North Carolina barbecue, craft beer and Cheerwine soda.
Insurance Journal sought out insurance professionals from both regions representing the two teams and asked them for their thoughts on the big game – keeping risk, and team loyalty, in mind. The Carolina Panthers currently are 5.5-point favorites over the Denver Broncos in Vegas, which is why the Panthers kick off here.
PANTHERS
Tim Turner II, a business risk consultant with Main Street Insurance Group in Charlotte, N.C.
Why do the Panthers deserve to win?
They believed in themselves when nobody else did. I will admit when news came out that Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL in training camp I had my doubts on the season. They have proved us all wrong and they have showed they are not dependent on any one player, they are a team. An article by Chris Wesseling from Around the NFL on Aug. 19, 2015 says “The loss of a difference-making talent such as Benjamin limits their ceiling, however, crushing dreams of an extended postseason run.” The Panthers are doing the crushing!
What player will score the first points?
This matchup is hosting two of the best defenses in the league but the Panthers ranked No. 1 in scoring in both the regular and postseason. I see Cam Newton battling his way into the end zone for the first score of the game. It would only be appropriate that the ball end up with an excited young fan that will never forget getting that football from Cam Newton after the first score of Super Bowl 50!
Who will win the coin toss?
Panthers win the toss and defer to receive the ball first in the second half. They shut down Peyton Manning’s offense on their opening drive (Broncos ranked 19th in scoring on the regular season). Panthers march down and score the first point of the game.
What’s the strangest play that will happen in the game?
The Carolina Panther’s defense wreaks havoc on opposing offenses, they led the NFL in interceptions in the regular and postseason. The strangest play will involve pressure on Peyton Manning, I can see a crazy fumble or interception that will result in one of the Broncos many turnovers in the game.