The Super Bowl is Sunday in Santa Clara, and there a few story lines to follow preceding the game.

First, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history could be playing in what could be his final game.

Peyton Manning is playing in his fourth Super Bowl, and will try to get his record back to .500.

He won his first and only Super Bowl as the quarterback of the Colts, as they beat the Bears 29-17 in 2006.

The Broncos beat the Patriots 20-18 in the AFC championship game, and Manning was overheard telling Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, that this is his “final rodeo.”

Could this really be the end to Manning’s career? And if it is, it could be one of the greatest storybook endings in NFL history.

Manning was hurt for most of the year, and he came back just in time to help the Broncos reach the Super Bowl. Could he keep the magic going and upset the Panthers?

If he could, his exit would almost identical to the likes of his GM John Elway, who played and won his last game in Super Bowl XXXIII, where the Broncos beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-19.

But let’s not forget that the Panthers are 17-1, and are one win away from their greatest season as a franchise.

They also have the surehold league MVP. With a win, quarterback Cam Newton may be able to quiet critics who argue he is not among the league’s elite quarterbacks.

Newton had 50 touchdowns this year, with 38 of them coming through the air, and the other 12 were run in by Newton himself.

It is hard to put money on anything other than the Panthers right now. In the first half of the NFC Championship game, the Panthers rolled one of the top defenses in the NFL for 31 points.

The Panthers’ Kryptonite is the second half of games. They usually jump out to big leads, and find a way to let teams back in in the second half.

Could it be too much dabbing from Cam Newton, or could it be that the Panthers have a weakness for putting away teams?

As a Giant fan, I can remember when the Panthers played the Giants. Carolina jumped out to a 35-7 lead in the first half. Then the Giants managed to tie the game, mounting the largest comeback in NFL history.

If the Panthers have any chance of beating Manning, and destiny, they have to make sure they can finish games as strong as they start.

Will Manning eclipse one of the greatest stories in the history of the NFL, or will Cam Newton and the Panthers steal the show?

We will have to wait and see.