The Big Dance is over. The NFL season ended with kind of a fairy tale finish as the Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos in pulling off a mild upset in beating the Carolina Panthers 24-10. The irresistible force (Panther quarterback Cam Newton) met the immovable object (the Bronco defense) and was unable to move it.
The game was about defense. The Carolina defense was able to shut Manning and the Bronco offense down. They picked him off once, forced a fumble from him, and held him to under 150 passing yards. Most of the Denver drives were three and outs. Denver’s punter Britton Colquitt was probably their most valuable offensive player. His booming punts pinned the Panthers deep in their own territory. All of the Bronco points came as a result of the Bronco defense pressuring the Carolina offense. Denver’s pass rushing linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware were all over Newton and were directly responsible for both Denver touchdowns. For Ware it had to be especially gratifying. In his 11th season he finally got a ring. In nine years of disappointment playing with the Dallas Cowboys, there was a fear that he would be another one of those great players who would never see a championship banner.
Von Miller was the big story. He collected 2.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and six tackles. It was Miller’s hit on Newton with 6:24 left in the first quarter and the resulting fumble that was recovered in the end zone for a Denver touchdown that gave the momentum to Denver. He was truly the best player on the field and his MVP award was well deserved. Miller was injured and unable to play in Super Bowl 48. Don’t know if he would have been able to make a difference or not.
For Cam Newton it was a bitter pill to swallow. Named the NFL’s most valuable player the night before, he just did not have an answer for the brutal Denver defense. His offensive line did not help him much. They got pushed, shoved, and out maneuvered all game long. Left tackler Michael Oher of The Blindside fame got spun like a turnstile the whole game. The Panther defense played well. They held Denver to just one third down conversion. The Panther special teams were another matter. Kicker Graham Gano missed a 44 yard field goal in the third quarter that would have helped. Denver return man Jordan Norwood set an all time Super Bowl record by returning a Brad Norman punt 61 yards which set up Brandon McManus field goal. No one has ever returned a punt for a touchdown in any Super Bowl but Norwood came close. The Panther touchdown was a gift from Bronco cornerback Aquib Talib. Talib got called for a face mask grab and had to give the ball to the Panthers on the one yard line. Runningback Jonathan Steward ran it in. Talib then got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the extra point attempt. Teammates worked on getting Talib calmed down on the sideline.
Lady Gaga sang the National Anthem to open the festivities. There were those who felt that she was not an appropriate choice due to her provocative persona. The halftime show was another glitzy affair with Beyoncé, Coldplay, and Bruno Mars providing the entertainment. Beyonce’s newest album was released the next day. So she got some major publicity for it. Sorry, I wasn’t that impressed by the show, but then I had some personal business to attend to.
At the games end Newton seemed really stressed out, somewhat upset and was not responsive to the media. With all the trash talk he and the rest of the Panthers provided before the game it wasn’t that they were a bit hangdog and not just a little humiliated after the game was over. Newton will recover but these things are part of the growing up process. Players on the both sides complained about the poor condition of the field, saying it was slippery and hard to get a footing on.
Denver GM John Elway has to be commended for rebuilding the Bronco defense after the 2014 disaster and making it the reason for the Bronco win. Poor Peyton Manning has been hearing about his retirement all of the post season. The media is really pushing Peyton to ride off into the sunset since he now has his second ring. In their collective minds, it would be a fitting end to number 18’s football playing career. Do not look for that to happen. Peyton still thinks he has some gas left in the tank and I don’t think he is ready to give it up.
As for the football fans: What are we going to do until the end of July when the NFL preseason begins? Well there’s the 2016 college draft to play around with — that should keep us engaged. So fare thee well football . . . and wait. Is that the sound of automobile racing engines I hear?
snicewanger@yahoo.com