It was the Broncos' defense, not Peyton Manning and the offense, that was most responsible for Denver's points. A Miller sack and strip of Newton in the first quarter was recovered in the end zone by Jackson to give Denver a 10-0 lead and set the tone that this was a different level than Carolina had seen. The game was capped by another Miller strip of Newton that set the Broncos up on Carolina's 4-yard line. C.J. Anderson scored a few plays later to put it out of reach. Newton was sacked six times, tossed around like rag doll (Yahoo Sports).
Denver got off to a good start setting up for the field goal on their opening drive. Then the defense took over, as mentioned above. After each team punted, Cam Newton appeared to completed a 24-yard pass Jerricho Cotchery, but the call was ruled an incompletion and upheld after a replay challenge. For once the league got the call wrong, even with the review. For anybody who ever followed Jericho Cotchery when he played for the Jets, you know good and well that the guy never ever complained about a pass or a call from the ref unless he was sure that they got it wrong. That's not Cotchery's style to complain, so when he does, it means that somebody got something wrong. Even the TV feed the refs got the call wrong. Mike Carey came on TV and stated stated he disagreed with the call and felt the review clearly showed the pass was complete.
A few plays later, on 3rd-and-10 from the 15-yard line, linebacker Von Miller knocked the ball out of Newton's hands while sacking him, and Malik Jackson recovered it in the end zone for a Broncos touchdown, giving the team a 10–0 lead. This was the first fumble return touchdown in a Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXVIII at the end of the 1993 season. Carolina then finally looked they would get there offense back on track, thanks to that 9-play, 73-yard scoring drive. Newton completed 4 of 4 passes for 51 yards and rushed twice for 25 yards. Jonathan Stewart finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 10–7 with 11:28 left in the second quarter.
One play that sticks out to me from that first half, was when Broncos receiver Jordan Norwood received Brad Nortman's short 28-yard punt surrounded by Panthers players, but none of them attempted to make a tackle, apparently thinking Norwood had called a fair catch. Norton had not done so, and with no resistance around him, he took off for a Super Bowl record 61-yard return before Mario Addison dragged him down on the Panthers 14-yard line. Despite Denver's excellent field position, they could not get the ball into the end zone, so McManus kicked a 33-yard field goal that increased their lead to 13–7. On Carolina's next possession fullback Mike Tolbert lost a fumble while being tackled by safety Darian Stewart, which linebacker Danny Trevathan recovered on the Broncos 40-yard line. However, the Panthers soon took the ball back when defensive end Kony Ealy tipped a Manning pass to himself and then intercepted it, returning the ball 19 yards to the Panthers 39-yard line with 1:55 left on the clock.
The Panthers could not gain any yards with their possession and had to punt. After a Denver punt, Carolina drove to the Broncos 45-yard line. But with 11 seconds left, Newton was sacked by DeMarcus Ware as time expired in the half. When the 2nd half started, Carolina got the ball back, and had a chance to cut into that Denver lead. Carolina would eventually get the ball back, and thanks to a 12-yard run by Stewart late, it set up Gano's 39-yard field goal. That kick cut the Panthers deficit to one score at 16–10. The next three drives of the game would end in punts. With 4:51 left in regulation, Carolina got the ball on their own 24-yard line with a chance to mount a game-winning drive, and soon faced 3rd-and-9.
On the next play, Miller stripped the ball away from Newton, and after several players dove for it, it took a long bounce backwards and was recovered by Ward, who returned it five yards to the Panthers 4-yard line. Newton would later face heavy criticism for not aggressively going after the ball while it was on the ground. Although several players dove into the pile to attempt to recover it, Newton did not. Meanwhile, Denver's offense was kept out of the end zone for three plays, but a holding penalty on cornerback Josh Norman gave the Broncos a new set of downs. Then Anderson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run and Manning completed a pass to Bennie Fowler for a 2-point conversion, giving Denver a 24–10 lead with 3:08 left and essentially putting the game away. Carolina had two more drives, but failed to get a first down on each one.
Cam Newton finished the day 18 of 41 for 265 yards and a pick, he also ended up rushing the ball 6 times for 45 yards which lead the Panthers. Newton was also sacked six times and fumbled the ball twice, losing the ball both times. That goes to show how good the defense was. Peyton finished the day going 13 of 23 for 141 yards and a pick. He was sacked 5 times as well, so it shows that Carolina too got pressure on the opposing quarterback.
Super Bowl 50 featured numerous records from individuals and teams. Denver won despite being massively outgained in total yards (315 to 194) and first downs (21 to 11). Their 194 yards and 11 first downs were both the lowest totals ever by a Super Bowl winning team. The previous record was 244 yards by the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. Only seven other teams had ever gained less than 200 yards in a Super Bowl, and all of them had lost. The Broncos seven sacks tied a Super Bowl record set by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. Kony Ealy tied a Super Bowl record with three sacks. Jordan Norwood's 61-yard punt return set a new record, surpassing the old record of 45 yards set by John Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII. Denver was just 1-of-14 on third down, while Carolina was barely better at 3-of-15. The two teams' combined third down conversion percentage of 13.8 was a Super Bowl low. Manning became the oldest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl at age 39, and the first quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl with two different teams, while Gary Kubiak became the first coach ever to win a Super Bowl with a team he had played for. Super Bowl XXVIII was also the last time we saw a game in which neither QB provided a touchdown.
Von Miller was named MVP of the Super Bowl!
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