On the day, Miller had 2.5 sacks, six total tackles, two forced fumbles, two hurries and a pass defensed. Anderson iced the game with Denver’s first offensive touchdown of the day with 3:08 left. Ward recovered and returned it to the Carolina 4-yard line. Gano hit a 39-yarder with 10:26 remaining to cut the deficit to 16-10, but late in the period, Miller forced his second fumble from Newton.

Ward, quashing a promising drive that had Carolina in Denver territory. Later in the quarter, Newton threw an interception into the hands of safety T.J. Talib had a terrible first half with three penalties, two of which were personal fouls.īut Carolina squandered an opportunity early in the third quarter when a 44-yard field goal attempt by Graham Gano hit the right upright.

What transpired the play before was a face mask personal foul penalty by Talib. This time, Broncos safety Darian Stewart forced a fumble from Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert inside linebacker Danny Trevathan recovered.Ĭourtesy of a huge mistake by Broncos’ cornerback Aqib Talib, the Panthers were able to capitalize and get on the scoreboard with a 1-yard run by running back Jonathan Stewart. Later in the second quarter, Carolina coughed up the football again. It was the first fumble recovery for a touchdown in a Super Bowl in 22 years. On Carolina’s 15-yard line, Miller forced a Newton fumble on the strip sack for an 11-yard loss while defensive end Malik Jackson scooped up the ball for the score to give Denver a 10-0 lead. The one that was the most costly came in the first quarter, Carolina’s second turn on offense. He was sacked seven times, tying a Super Bowl record. Newton got to see – and feel – that up close. The Broncos lead the NFL in total defense, pass defense and sacks. Newton was responsible for 79.3% of the Panthers’ offensive scores this season heading into Sunday.īut Carolina didn’t face a defense like Denver’s all season. The Panthers, having lost just once coming into this game, were accustomed to having their way offensively.Ĭarolina had the league’s top offense this year – averaging 31.3 points per game in the regular season and a whopping 40 points per game in the postseason. It was a different story for Carolina (17-2). It started well for the Broncos (15-4) on their opening drive, capped by a 34-yard McManus field goal to take an early 3-0. Being hurt, the struggle early in the season wasn’t a lot of fun, so I was grateful to get back healthy and to try to play my part these last couple of weeks.” “Our defense has just been from the get-go, they’ve been nothing but awesome. “I certainly knew with this defense that this team would have a chance,” Manning said. While backup Brock Osweiler filled in, Manning missed six games because of a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot.īut in Week 17, Manning returned, coming off the bench to lead Denver to a win over the San Diego Chargers to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs. He was benched for the first time in his career, which was a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in November. Manning’s 18th – and perhaps final – season has been his most challenging. Manning’s line: 13 of 23 passing for 141 yards with one interception and a lost fumble. Manning didn’t play flawlessly, but he did enough, which is all a suffocating Broncos-led defense has needed this season.

I’m going to take care of those things first, and say a little prayer to thank the man upstairs for this great opportunity. I’m going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight. I want to go kiss my wife and my kids, I want to go hug my family. “You know, I’ll take some time to reflect,” Manning said.

And like his boss, Broncos general manager and executive vice president of football operations John Elway, Manning can ride off into the sunset after securing his second championship in his career.Īfter the win, Manning was noncommittal on his future. Going into Sunday, he hadn’t confirmed if Super Bowl 50 would be his last game. Manning, at 39, is the oldest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history. Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller, who had two strip-sack fumbles of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player. Anderson – in addition to a defensive score and three field goals from kicker Brandon McManus – gave the Denver Broncos a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in front of 71,088 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. If this was the final game of Peyton Manning’s 18-year career, he couldn’t have scripted the ending much better.Ī 2-yard rushing touchdown from running back C.J.

Superbowl 50 first touchdown gif