Storyline: It was a long time coming; but Peyton finally got his second ring. Surprisingly, he didn’t have to contribute much in order to confirm his legacy.
This was quite possibly one of the most anticipated Super Bowls of the past decade; the two participants being the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos.
Naturally, people gave their input on who was most likely to win the game. The odds were heavily stacked against the Broncos. Carolina had just put up a 15-1 regular season record, no part of which was a fluke.
During the regular season, they put up 31.2 points a game; high enough to rank them number 1 in that category. The last 5 teams, before this season, to average 30+ a game during the regular season and make it to the Super Bowl went 2-3.
One of the losses belongs to Denver who, in 2013, got absolutely obliterated by Seattle(43-8) in a game most of us would like to forgot. However, this is a new year and Denver came with a new attitude.
Courtesy: sportsnola.com
Peyton and the Broncos received the ball first and made quick work of the Panthers defense.
They were able to march down the field with ease; but came just short of the endzone. They had to settle for a field goal.
Denver had the number 1 rated defense in the NFL and it showed crystal clear. At their own 15 yard line, Cam Newton was stripped by Von Miller.
That was fumble was then returned for a TD by fellow D-Lineman, Malik Jackson. The rest of the quarter went on without a score.
This quarter set the tone for the rest of the game. The high scoring Panthers offense was being held in check by the best defense in the league.
Courtesy: broncoswire.usatoday.com
Do we all remember the way the Broncos defensive line got to Tom Brady numerous times? If you can’t remember, in the AFC Championship game, Tom Brady was sacked 4 times.
Well apparently that wasn’t enough for Denver as they sacked MVP QB, Cam Newton, 6 times. Super Bowl MVP, Von Miller, was credited with 2.5 of those sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
Enough of Denver’s defense. Their offense was efficient in ways it hadn’t seen many times this season. The passing game, as we expected, wasn’t anything to stare at; that is, in a good way. If one looked solely at Peyton Manning’s 141 yards, no touchdown, and 1 interception performance, they’d think the Broncos got destroyed.
Courtesy: nflspinzone.com
They’d have to look a little lower on the stat sheet and see the running game. RB CJ Anderson had a better-than-average game with 23 carries and 90 yards to go along with a touchdown.
Carolina struggled severely and Denver thrived. That’s the best way to sum up Super Bowl 50.
