Super Bowl 50 odds: Panthers are favored early after stomping their way through NFC

The Carolina Panthers have been easily the most dominant team of the 2015 season and subsequent post-season, so the fact that they're easy favorites in the Super Bowl shouldn't shock you.

The line opened up with the Broncos as 3.5 point underdogs, though the line is already up over 4 points, depending on where you look. That line could move further as time goes on, because right now Vegas appears to be giving the Broncos the benefit of the doubt when it comes to generating offense.

After what Newton and the Panthers have done to the Seahawks and Cardinals, it's hard not to think they're capable of handling whatever the AFC throws at them. Thankfully, the Broncos do have one of the most legitimately terrifying defenses in the NFL, so if anyone's going to suddenly clamp down on Carolina, it would be them.

Bottom line: It's going to take one hell of an effort from the Broncos defense and a competent game from Peyton Manning to actually propel this Denver team to victory over Carolina, as loath as I am to admit it. Let's hope they can pull it off.