Arkush: To win Super Bowl 50, Denver's run game must deliver

It is a given that sports writers and analysts should never deal in absolutes because you know it will jump up and bite you in the butt.

Nonetheless, it seems to be a great bet that if the Denver Broncos can't run the football Sunday against Carolina, they have almost no chance of winning Super Bowl 50.

It's about a lot more than John Elway saying he "wants a team that's tough and runs the football."

The Broncos' lead back, C.J. Anderson, responded to Elway's comment by saying he was "happy, why wouldn't you want it to be that way? But at the end of the day, we still know who plays quarterback.

"It won't shock me not one bit (if) Peyton (Manning) goes out there and plays the best game of his life and is the Peyton Manning that we've all seen, so that wouldn't shock me either."

It would, however, shock most everyone else, possibly even Manning.

The future Hall of Famer was blunt in evaluating his arm upon arrival in San Francisco.

"My arm has not been the same since I got injured four years ago. It just simply hasn't been," he said. "I had a strange injury. I had a neck injury that caused some nerve problems in my right arm.

"I hurt my arm and I had that nerve. I've worked hard to sort of manage with the physical limitations and have gotten to a place where I think I could be affective and that's where it is."

In essence, one of the greatest passers of all time has now labeled himself a game manager, and that means Denver can't win without running the football.

If the Broncos can have some success on the ground and bring the Panthers' safeties up, it will create some easier options for Manning to throw into.

If they can't …

"We've had our moments running the ball. We've had our moments throwing the ball. We've just got to make sure we try everything or we attack every part to make the defense cover everything," said offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. "If we run the ball decent, they've got to honor that and get somebody else up in there. Then, that gives you a chance to throw the ball, play action and do the things we like to do."

Anderson knows how crucial it is the Bronco backs get the job done.

"Super important, all parts and in all of the phases of the offense are super important," he said. "Sometimes we'll leave some runs out there throughout the season, but Sunday is not one of those times. If we've got a chance to make a big play and change the game, then that's something that we have to do."

Denver struggled to run the ball at times this season, finishing 17th in total rushing and 13th in average gain per rush, and the Panthers have the fourth-best run defense in the league.

Some of Denver's problems were due to injuries on the offensive line, which head coach Gary Kubiak detailed.

"You go back and look at what we went through losing (tackle) Ryan (Clady), losing (tackle) Ty (Sambrailo), picking up (tackle) Ryan Harris as a street free agent. Michael (Schofield) goes in starts 13 football games (at tackle). We played (center) Max (Garcia), Max has started, (guards) Lou (Louis Vasquez) and Evan (Mathis) have gone through injuries.

"The one constant has been (center) Matt (Paradis) and he's a first-year player at center. So it's been a work in progress, it's been a challenge."

The veteran guard, Vasquez, probably sums it up best.

"It's going to be tough for us," he said. "They're a big, strong, physical group. Their linebackers run fast, even their D-line. Their defense is incredibly fast. They gang tackle - we're going to have our hands full, that's for sure.

"But, if we come out and play our 'A' game and we're able to run the ball and take the pressure off Peyton (Manning), it'll be a good day for us on offense."

• Chicago Football editor Hub Arkush can be reached at harkush@chicagofootball.com or on Twitter at @Hub_Arkush.