8th February, 2016
The Denver Broncos produced a defensive masterclass to upset the Carolina Panthers 24-10 and win Super Bowl 50.
Carolina were heavy favourites, having lost only once all season and with the league’s Most Valuable Player of the season Cam Newton at quarterback.
But Newton was smothered by the Broncos defence and gave up three turnovers – including one that led to a touchdown.
That opened up an early 10-0 lead for Denver, quarterbacked by veteran Peyton Manning, and they never lost it.
It had been rumoured that the game would be 39-year-old Manning’s last, but he said after the match he would “take time to reflect”.
“It’s been an emotional week and it’s an emotional night,” he added.
Newton did not have a good game, but he was not helped by an awful display by Carolina’s receivers, with Jerricho Cotchery guilty of two particularly crucial drops.
It’s a third Super Bowl title for the Broncos, while for the Panthers, the wait for their first goes on.
- Broncos win first Super Bowl since 1999
- Second Super Bowl for Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning
- Malik Jackson scores early defensive touchdown for Denver
- CJ Anderson touchdown clinches victory for Broncos in fourth quarter
- Jonathan Stewart scores second-quarter touchdown for Carolina
- Carolina quarterback Cam Newton gives up three turnovers
- The Broncos’ 194 total yards were the fewest ever for a Super Bowl winner
- Denver’s defence wound up with a Super Bowl record-tying seven sacks
Most Valuable Player
Broncos linebacker Von Miller was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after a superb performance in which he managed five tackles, two and a half sacks and two forced fumbles.
He becomes only the 10th defensive player to win the award, and the fourth linebacker.
Miller, 26, was the number two pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, in which Newton was drafted first by the Panthers.
Manning’s the man
For Manning – the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes – this win will strengthen his case to be seen as the greatest quarterback of all time.
He has now won two and lost two of his four Super Bowl appearances – and improved his postseason record to 14-13.
It was not a vintage performance from the quarterback, who was sacked five times and did not throw for a touchdown.
But simply playing on the winning team represented a remarkable turnaround after a difficult season during which Manning was ignominiously benched for deputy Brock Osweiler after throwing four interceptions in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in November.
Coldplay and Beyonce star in half-time show
British group Coldplay were the main performers at the half-time and they were joined by Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson.
Coldplay opened the show by singing ‘Yellow’ and ‘Viva La Vida’ as children carrying multi-coloured umbrellas and violins streamed onto the pitch.
Mars and Ronson performed their hit ‘Uptown Funk’, before Beyonce sang her new song ‘Formation’.
The artists closed the show by performing a mash-up of Coldplay’s hit ‘Fix You’ and Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’.
Super stats
- The game was watched by an estimated 120m viewers in the USA, and 160m worldwide.
- Advertisers shelled out an estimated $5m (£3.45m) for 30-second commercials in this year’s Super Bowl.
- The day of the Super Bowl is the second largest day for consumption of food and drink for Americans, behind Thanksgiving Day – with an estimated 1.25bn chicken wings and 325m gallons of beer guzzled.
- The Broncos players pick up $97,000 (£67,000) each in prize money, while Peyton Manning reportedly pockets a $2m (£1.4m) win bonus.
- Panthers tackle Daryl Williams and Broncos guard Louis Vasquez were the heaviest players on show, at 24st (152kg) apiece.