Denver outside linebacker Von Miller, who was named the game’s most valuable player, turned in a dominating performance in the Super Bowl 50 on Sunday night.
He terrorized Carolina right tackle Mike Remmers and relentlessly chased around Carolina quarterback Cam Newton for much of the game. He had two sack-strips that led to two Denver touchdowns.
“It just shows what type of defense that we’ve been playing,” Miller said.” It’s honestly not about me. If I could cut this award, I would give it to DeMarcus (Ware) and (Derek) Wolfe and all the other guys.”
Miller, who led Denver with 11 sacks during the regular season, also covered Carolina wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery down the field early in the third quarter. Miller finished with six tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and two quarterback hits. Outside linebacker Ware also had two sacks.
With Miller on the loose, the Broncos had seven sacks and forced four turnovers. Newton, who has a tendency to lock in on tight end Greg Olsen, at times seemed frustrated, which may have worked to Miller’s advantage.
“I just wanted to key in to my guy, key into my tackle, the center, key into Cam (Newton),” Miller said. “His cadence is definitely one of the hardest to get down in the National Football League. We just keyed in. That’s the type of defense that we’ve been playing all year long.”
Coaches' corner: It was the first Super Bowl victory for Denver's Gary Kubiak as a head coach.
Kubiak had appeared in six previous Super Bowls, including three as a player (1986, 1987 and 1989), one as an assistant coach with San Francisco (1994) and two as an assistant with Denver (1997 and 1998).
“I’ve been telling the players all year long, it’s one thing to be in the playoffs, but can you be the best team for one month,” Kubiak said. “That’s what we preached. Can we be the best team for one month. We found a way to do that.”
Carolina coach Ron Rivera won a Super Bowl title as a player with the 1985 Chicago Bears. He also reached the Super Bowl as a defensive coordinator with the Bears after the 2006.
Fumble recovery: Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson's fumble recovery for a touchdown in the first quarter was the sixth in Super Bowl history.
It was the first since Dallas’ James Washington had one in Super Bowl XXVIII, the Cowboys’ 30-13 win over Buffalo.
Keep pounding: The Panthers were built behind a strong rushing attack that featured running back Jonathan Stewart, fullback Mike Tolbert and Newton.
The Panthers were held to 118 yards on 27 carries. Stewart had just 29 yards on 12 carries. Newton rushed six times for 45 yards.
The Panthers averaged 148 yards rushing in postseason wins over Seattle (31-24) and Arizona (49-15), after averaging 142.6 yards rushing per game during the regular season, which was second in the NFL.
“They did a lot of stunts,” Stewart said. “They just played… I mean, the Denver Broncos played better than us today. Our defense, I think, played lights out. But as an offense, we’ve got to do better.”
Davis starts: Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis, who suffered a broken bone and had a plate and 12 screws in his right forearm, started and performed well for the Panthers.
Davis broke his right forearm in the NFC title game against Arizona. The former Georgia star, Davis has come back from three torn ACL reconstructive surgeries over his NFL career.
He’s in his 11th season and was determine to play in his first Super Bowl. He finished with seven tackles.
“I’m fine,” Davis said. “I think the trainers did an amazing job of making sure that I was ready to go and that I didn’t have any issues throughout the game.”
Thomas not a factor: Denver wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who caught 105 passes during the regular season, continued to struggle in the postseason.
Thomas had one drop in the first half and was leveled by Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly on a route across the middle. He was targeted six times but finished with one catch for 8 yards.
Ealy's record: Carolina's defensive end Kon Ealy, who had three sacks, became the first player in Super Bowl history with multiple sacks and an interception in the same game.
Record's corner: Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, at age 39, became the oldest quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl… Denver's Jordan Norwood's 61-yard punt return was the longest in Super Bowl history… The 12 combined sacks were the most two teams in a Super Bowl game. …Denver had the fewest total yards of a winning Super Bowl team with 194.
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