A year of preparation and hard work has brought Carolina and Denver within touching distance of a Super Bowl title.

Denver have a chance to add to the two they already have, while Carolina have a shot at their first.

A loss will be the Panthers’ second and for Denver a record sixth.

The path they have taken had notable similarities: both teams entered the playoffs with the best record in their conference, both boast ferocious defences that often overwhelm opponents, and both rely heavily on a the running game to move the ball on offence.

However, the blueprint for each team to reach success on Monday is notably different.

For Denver, talk will centre on what appears to be quarterback Peyton Manning’s last game. The future Hall of Famer has been a shadow of his former self and his chances of returning next season are slim – and even slimmer that he’ll return in a Denver uniform. With that in mind, any success Denver expects to have on offence must come from limiting the role of Manning in their game plan.

Manning, a famously cerebral quarterback, is smart enough to recognise his limitations, and as this post-season demonstrated, he was more than willing to use his ability to read defences to check out of pass plays and hand the ball off when needed. The old Peyton Manning would rarely have done this, but after a season during which he amassed an underwhelming 2647 yards through the air, and a terrible 11:17 touchdown to interception ratio, handing the ball off is exactly what Manning needs to do.

That is not to say he shouldn’t pass the ball – no team can win a game if they’re one dimensional – but he needs to use his passing game to complement the running game, not the other way round.

To aid Manning through the air is Denver’s formidable receiving corps. The duo of Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas should create enough separation to open up opportunities on short to medium passes. The key matchup in the passing game will be the receiver who ends up facing Carolina’s Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman.

While you’d expect Manning to avoid Norman most of the day, he’ll need to throw his way on occasions, and when he does either Sanders or Thomas will have to be at the top of their game.

As for the running game, Denver have their work cut out for them. Carolina’s run defence has been up there with the best this season, and with a stout defensive line and quick and intelligent linebackers, they can stop even the most talented runners. Unfortunately for Denver, their running game has been far from consistent, and they finished the regular season ranked an underwhelming 17th in the league.

With that said, the Denver running game did improve towards the end of the season. Tellingly, over the last nine games Denver averaged 29.9 and averaged almost 130 yards per game. They did so using a combination of running backs Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson. Though you’d expect to see Hillman get his opportunities to find his rhythm early, the bulk of the carries will likely land with Anderson. On top of being the more productive back this postseason, Anderson runs with a physical style lends itself to what will be a very tough game.

With an inconsistent rushing attack and a below-average passing game it’s incredible that Denver entered the playoffs as the number one seed in the AFC. Luckily for the Broncos, their true talent lies on the other side of the ball – they have the number one ranked defence in the NFL.

One needs to look no further than last week’s AFC championship game to recognise the talent of the Denver defence. Tom Brady was hit an astounding 17 times in that game, and remarkably Denver managed to do so without sacrificing players in coverage to bring a blitz. Instead, using just the rush from their four-man front, they got to Brady and prevented him from getting any rhythm going – no small feat.

One reason for their success in that game, and indeed throughout the season, has been their talented secondary. Cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr, Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby combine to make an exceptional group of corners, and when you add TJ Ward into the mix at safety, the group goes from fierce to frightening for offences. It was their press coverage against New England that made Brady, renowned for his quick release, struggle to find open receivers fast enough to keep himself out of trouble in the pocket.

Coverage only tells part of the story of Denver’s defence. The real threat comes from their explosive pass rush – the best in the league. Showing a rare mix of power, speed, and anticipatory instincts, the Broncos’ pass rush (led by DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller) were first in the NFL in sacks this season. They also pressured the quarterback on a remarkable 35 per cent of snaps throughout the year.

Defensive dominance won’t come as easy as it did last week in Denver. For a start, the Carolina offensive line (which includes two Pro Bowlers) won’t be as easy a task as New England’s injured line (though expect Michael Oher to have plenty of trouble with Von Miller). The unit has allowed defences to hit Cam Newton just 61 times all season long. Much of that success can be attributed to Newton’s ability as a runner, but either way, the Denver pass rush will definitely have a harder task to repeat the production they had last week.

Success in the pass coverage will be equally as difficult. Denver had the luxury of being able to forget about the Patriots running game, as it didn’t factor into Bill Belichick’s game plan. This allowed their linebackers to cheat back in coverage and take away the middle of the field for Brady’s receivers. Not only will the Denver linebackers need to account for Carolina’s running backs, they’ll also need to account for the movement of their mobile and physical quarterback in designed runs and read-option plays.

For Denver to have success, they need to take Newton’s run away, keep him in the pocket and force him to the air. Newton has the strength and touch to make any throw on the field, but his accuracy isn’t his strongest attribute. If they fail to contain Newton he could do a lot of damage on the ground and in the air, as a scrambling quarterback creates chaos in the secondary and allows receivers time to get separation.

Regardless, Denver comes into the game with the number one ranked defence in the NFL, and there’s a saying in the NFL: offence sells tickets, defence wins championships.

The only problem with applying that saying to Monday is that Carolina’s defence are no slouches. Ranked sixth in overall defence and first in turnovers, this season Carolina’s unit has been a big reason for their success.

While Denver edged past Brady and company, Carolina blew past Arizona in resounding fashion. In a game few expected to be a blowout the Panthers defence managed to take the ball away from the Cardinals’ offence an impressive six times. Considering the Cardinals were one of the NFL’s best offences, the fact that they only managed a meagre 15 points should worry the Denver offence.

With Manning’s worrisome turnover ratio, expect the Carolina ball-hawking defence to look to create turnovers early. Led by perhaps the best linebacker tandem in the NFL, Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, the Panthers managed to create 148 points from turnovers, the most in the league. To continue their momentum against the Broncos, the Panthers need their dynamic linebacking duo to take away the middle of the field from Manning, and force him to make throws deep and towards the sidelines – something he’s struggled with for much of the last two seasons.

Though their secondary and pass rush don’t have as many household names as their opponents, the Panthers boast their fair share of talent. Including Kuechly and Davis, the Panthers defence boasted four first-choice Pro Bowl selections, with the oft-vocal corner Josh Norman and the dominant defensive tackle Kawann Short both coming off outstanding years.

Luckily for the Panthers, one of the best ways to get to Manning is through the middle of the offensive line. The Broncos line, which famously gave up five sacks in one game to Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack, have had their share of struggles this season. One major difference between the game against Mack’s Raiders and Monday will be Manning at quarterback. A much smarter quarterback than young Broncos backup Brock Osweiler, Manning is better at feeling edge pressure and using the space in front of him to step into throws and avoid taking sacks.

That’s where Kawann Short needs to come in. If he or fellow interior lineman Star Lotulelei can cause enough pressure to command a double team, it should free up the other to collapse the pocket on Manning and take away his ability to step into throws. This will force Manning to make throws off his back foot, something the ageing quarterback can’t afford to do, as it will cause his balls to sit up in the air for Norman and company to take advantage of.

For Carolina, the formula for success on offence is easy: keep doing what they’ve been doing. The Panthers come into the game with the league’s best points per game average and have also outscored the opposition 55-7 over the last two playoff games. The Panthers come out of the gate fast and ferociously, and if they can emulate that even half as well on Monday, it could be a long night for the Broncos.

The first step will be to take advantage of every opportunity in the passing game. Unlike the Broncos, the Panthers lack blue-chip talent at wide receiver, and though they have pass catchers like Ted Ginn Jr, who can take the top off a defence, they’ve also been known to make too many drops. The sure hands, and the real threat to Denver through the air, come from tight end Greg Olsen, probably the best player at his position not named Rob Gronkowski. Expect Cam Newton to look his way early and often on Monday, while Denver safety TJ Ward tries to stop him.

Still, the passing game wasn’t Carolina’s main focus this season; instead it was used to complement the league’s second-best ground game. The bulk of the work fell to eight-year veteran Jonathan Stewart, who fell just short of 1000 yards during the regular season, averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

Much of Stewart’s success will come from the read-option, a play type which allows the quarterback to make a split-second decision on whether to keep the ball or hand it off, based on whether or not the defence over pursues the running back. The Broncos, who need to account for Newton keeping the ball, can’t afford to overpursue Stewart, which should allow the back to find holes in the middle of the field.

Helping him in the backfield will be Pro Bowl full back Mike Tolbert, who acts as a handy short yardage back in goal-line situations. Additionally, both men also proved to be very successful in pass protection – something they’ll need to display on Monday.

Perhaps the greatest weapon Carolina have against Denver’s formidable pass rushing unit is their quarterback. Unlike most quarterbacks Denver has faced this season, Newton excels against the pass rush. His rare mix of size and speed make him difficult to contain in the pocket, and when he can’t kill you with his impressive arm talent, he’ll take off running, which he did with great success all season. The only quarterback remotely as mobile as Newton that Denver faced this season was Kansas City’s Alex Smith, who put up 33 yards rushing on just six attempts last time they faced. Alex Smith may be mobile but he’s no Cam Newton.

In the history of the NFL there have been very few players like Cam Newton. With over 4000 yards passing and nearly 700 yards rushing this year he might be the best dual-threat quarterback in the history of the game. His production in the redzone is particularly impressive, as Newton added ten rushing touchdowns to his impressive 35 passing touchdowns.

Where other quarterbacks scramble and avoid contact, Newton’s 6 foot 5 inch, 110-kilogram frame allows coach Ron Rivera to design plays around him as a power runner – something not often done. When you look at the fact that Von Miller is the same weight but two inches shorter, you understand why it’s so hard to bring Newton down. For Denver to have any chance of beating the Panthers they need to find a way to contain Newton in the pocket and take away his ability to make plays with his feet. With a record of 17-1 in what should be an MVP season, this is easier said than done.

On the face of it, the well-matched defences and mismatched offences suggest the odds are right to favour Rivera’s Panthers. However, if Cam Newton is the Panthers’ x-factor, then the Broncos’ is experience.

The Broncos have been here before, just two years ago, when they were overrun by the Seattle’s Legion of Boom. The young Panthers team have not. It may well come down to whether or not the Broncos have learnt from their experience, and whether or not the Panthers can overcome the lack of theirs.

The blueprint for victory for both teams is there; we’ll find out Monday who follows it best.