SANTA CLARA, Calif.: Peyton Manning got his second Super Bowl ring. Now he can ride off into the sunset a winner. But it was the Broncos defense — and in particular Super Bowl MVP Von Miller — that provided the venerable quarterback with a Hallmark ending to his career.
The Broncos badgered, battered and bloodied Cam Newton for nearly 60 minutes Sunday night as they put the 26-year-old Panthers quarterback’s coronation on hold for at least one year. They survived the ineptness of their own offense and their hall of fame quarterback and cemented their place in NFL history as one of the league’s greatest defenses with a 24-10 win in Super Bowl 50.
Manning would not announce his retirement in the week preceding the game — despite several attempts to get the 39-year old to reveal his hand — but it is likely he laced up his NFL cleats for the last time.
“I’ll take some time [to] reflect,” Manning said just after the game. “I’m going to drink a lot of Budweiser first.”
It was a storybook ending for Manning, who came back from a career-threatening neck surgery four years ago, and reached Super Bowls in two of four seasons with the Broncos. But Manning, who won his first title in 2006 and lost another with the Colts three years later, failed to capture his second two years ago when he ran into another dominating defense in the Seahawks.
John Elway, Denver’s vice president of football operations, knew two years ago that he had to bulk up his defense if was to compensate for Manning’s decline. In doing so, he aided Manning’s cause. Like Elway 18 years ago with the Broncos, Manning can exit a champion.
But if you like defensive football, this was your Super Bowl. In a defensive performance that will go down as one of the greatest in NFL history, Miller earned his MVP award. He was spellbinding. He was every bit as good as Richard Dent in the 1985 Bears’ Super Bowl victory and he was as electric as a pass rusher as Lawrence Taylor in his heyday.
He sacked Newton 2½ times, forced two fumbles — one of which was recovered for a touchdown — and was in Carolina’s backfield on countless plays.
In a game that was billed by many as a battle between Manning and Newton, it was defense that dominated the action.
And the quarterbacks, as a result, were shaky for almost the entire outing. Manning, on his last legs and with a failing right arm, fluttered passes and telegraphed throws that seemed to take an extra second to reach their targets. More damaging were his two turnovers — a second-quarter interception and a third quarter strip-sack fumble.
Newton had slightly more success through the air — and his receivers let him down with a collection of drops — but he was off target early and had trouble in the pocket. He had one more turnover than Manning: a tipped interception and two strip-sack fumbles.
Newton completed just 18 of 41 passes for 265 yards. He was sacked six times. He also picked up 45 yards on the ground, but none in the second half. Manning was 13 of 23 for 141 yards.
Their struggles, particularly Newton’s, had more to do with the defenses they were facing than anything. Broncos coordinator Wade Phillips, who had never won a Super Bowl in nearly 40 years in the NFL, dialed up blitzes and coverages that confounded Newton all day.
And Panthers coordinator Sean McDermott, who got his NFL start with the Eagles and was fired five years ago, helmed a unit that made one of the greatest quarterbacks ever look less than ordinary. But it wasn’t enough.
Miller, meanwhile, harassed Panthers right tackle Michael Schofield for almost the entire game. Miller hit him with a variety of moves that showed off his speed, agility and strength. He went around Schofield, he went through him and he tripped him up with a devastating spin move late in the third quarter.
Newton avoided Miller at first, but the linebacker and defensive end Derek Wolfe teamed for the sack that forced another Panthers punt.
Nursing a 16-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos worked their way into the Panthers’ end of the field. But on third down, Manning dropped and was stripped by defensive end Kony Ealy just before he threw. In the mad dash for the football, Carolina’s Charles Johnson came up with the recovery.
Ealy, who earlier intercepted Manning, had his second forced turnover.
The Panthers went the other way and kicker Graham Gano, who clanked a 44-yard attempt off the right upright early in the second half, rebounded with a 39-yard field goal and trimmed the Broncos’ lead to 16-10.
Manning had his first throwing first downs since the opening drive when he hooked up with receiver Emmanuel Sanders on 25- and 22-yard gains on the Broncos’ first drive of the second half. But Denver’s offense once again couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone — despite its third trip into the red zone.
McManus wedged a 30-yard field goal through the uprights and the Broncos padded their lead to 16-7.
The Panthers continued to hit the Broncos with big plays, but mistakes marred their efforts. They advanced into Denver territory when Newton floated a 42-yard pass to receiver Corey Brown. But four plays later, Newton was intercepted when his pass to Ginn was deflected into safety T.J. Ward’s hands.
It was Newton’s second turnover and Carolina’s third up until the point.
Despite the Manning-Newton pregame hype, the first half was dominated by defense as the quarterbacks struggled to get into any kind of rhythm. Manning struggled to reach his receivers, while Newton had several adrenaline throws that sailed either high or wide.
Manning got off to a hot start, though. He completed 22- and 18-yard passes downfield as the Broncos advanced to the Carolina 14. But he was nearly picked off on second down and threw well short of the sticks on third and Denver walked away with only three points on their longest drive of the first half.
After the opening drive, Manning completed just 6 of 11 passes for 30 yards before the break. A few more of his weak-armed throws were almost intercepted and he was finally picked off when Panthers defensive end dropped and snared an ill-advised pass.
Newton, meanwhile, completed just 8 of 19 passes for 95 yards. He was sacked three times and fumbled when Miller decked him from behind and wrestled the ball free at the Panthers 4. Malik Jackson and DeMarcus Ware pounced on the loose ball in the end zone and Jackson was credited with the touchdown.
The Broncos kept winning battles up front and when they didn’t, Broncos defensive coordinator Wade Phillips dialed up blitzes that closed the pocket on Newton.