The Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday 24-10. This gives Peyton Manning his second Super Bowl ring and he is the first quarterback in NFL history to win one with two different teams. How did the Denver Broncos prevail this season?
The Denver Broncos finished the regular season 12-4 and won the AFC West Division. They were the number one seed in the AFC. Denver also had the number one defense in terms of total yards allowed. They faced the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round, a game I attended. The crowd was nervous throughout because it was a tight game. The wind affected passes and Denver had way too many drops. Denver outscored Pittsburgh 11-3 in the fourth quarter and moved on to the AFC Championship game where they played the New England Patriots.
The AFC championship game was so electric. I am not sure I have heard the fans as loud as they were. It was one of the noisiest games I have ever been to. The key to this game was for the Broncos to create a pass rush with only four down defensive linemen. If Denver blitzed, they would get beat because Brady throws the ball so quickly. Denver rattled Tom Brady the whole game. They hit him 20 times and sacked him four times. The Broncos ended up winning this game 20-18 as they stopped a two-point conversion with 12 seconds left. They would head to the Super Bowl as the AFC Champions.
Waiting for them were the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers went 15-1 throughout the regular season. The Panthers offense gained 366.9 yards and rushed for 142.6 yards per game. They were the number one scoring offense averaging 31.2 points per game. Their defense had been solid all year with 24 interceptions and they lead the league in turn over differential. All I heard leading up to this game was how the Carolina Panthers offense would roll the Denver defense and the running game would open up the pass for the Panthers. The game wouldn’t be close.
The Denver defense made sure that didn’t happen. Carolina scored 10 points in this game, far below their season average and the fewest points they scored all year. They gained 315 yards but the biggest difference was the turnovers. Denver had one interception thrown. The Panthers lost three fumbles and Cam Newton was picked off one time. Newton was also sacked seven times. The Broncos never allowed Newton to roll out of the pocket and throw the football to his receivers. He never had a chance to run for big yardage. They had a effective game plan.
Von Miller was the MVP and he deserved it. Miller had 2.5 sacks including two forced fumbles and harassed Cam Newton the whole game. The NFL could have given the MVP to the whole Denver defense for they way they played the game.
The Broncos are now Super Bowl 50 champs. They will enjoy this one with a parade in Denver on Tuesday. All that is left is to find out if Peyton Manning will retire and what the Broncos plans are for free agency. It’s been one amazing ride and one that I’ll remember forever.
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