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The NFL is back and it’s a Super Bowl rematch to kick-off the 2016 season. Can the Denver Broncos win without Peyton Manning or will the Carolina Panthers get revenge? Join The Roar from 10:30am (AEST) for live coverage.
The Broncos will have a new-look offense in 2016 with Paxton Lynch taking the quarterback role from Peyton Manning after four years in Denver.
Lynch has had a strong pre-season with the first-round pick getting a full game under his belt in the Broncos’ final preseason game against the Cardinals.
The Memphis graduate’s passing game stood out, collecting a 103.2 passer rating and picking up 214 passing yards.
The 22-year old picked up a combination with Jordan Taylor, throwing two touchdown passes for the overlooked wide receiver and giving something for Broncos fans to look forward to.
The only kink in Lynch’s passing armour during their 38-17 loss to Arizona was the final touchdown of the game with the first rounder picked by Gabe Martin in the dying stages of the game.
Gary Kubiak will once again have a strong defensive team coached by Wade Phillips.
Brandon Marshall, Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware will be ready to rip in once again as will Aqib Talib however, they will be missing safety Shiloh Keo for the first two weeks after he received a suspension.
All eyes will be on Melbourne product Adam Gotsis with the second-round pick likely to make his NFL debut at the age of 23 having spent four years at Georgia Tech, graduating last year with a degree in Business Administration.
The Broncos’ offense will need to improve drastically as they will have little chance of going back-to-back if they continue to rely too much on their defensive line to win games.
The Panthers were the highest scoring team in the league last year averaging 31.3 points per game however, their passing game was lacking.
Cam Newton will have plenty to prove after a breakout season in 2015 and must pass to the highly rated Kelvin Benjamin to spark Carolina’s offense once again.
They are coming off an 18-6 victory over the Steelers but are in dire need of improvement after what was a low-scoring affair.
The biggest challenge for Ron Rivera in 2016 will be to fill in the gaping hole left at cornerback after Josh Norman left for Washington.
The Broncos and Panthers clashed just once in 2016 with Von Miller and the Broncos’ defense helping Denver to claim their third Super Bowl championship with a 24-10 win at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara.
Prediction
Paxton Lynch will struggle in his NFL debut with the Panthers to capitalise on Denver’s inexperienced quarterback ranks.
Panthers by 10.
Join The Roar from 10:30am (AEST) for live score updates and debate in our live blog.
You can find Riley on Twitter @rileypettigrew.
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