Denver defense pounds Panthers in Super Bowl

The Denver Broncos defense dominated a turnover-plagued Carolina Panthers to win Super Bowl 50 24-10 Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Broncos linebacker Von Miller, the game’s MVP, led the way, forcing fumbles that set up both Denver touchdowns, while helping veteran Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning win his second Super Bowl title.

“Whenever you’re doing something for your buddies, it means a little bit more,” Miller said. “As human beings, we’re selfish but when you’re doing something for somebody else, that’s when the magic happens.”

Manning, who will turn 40 in March and was injured for part of this season, may have played his final game. He was appreciative of his team’s defensive effort.

“I certainly knew that [with] this defense, this team would have a chance,” Manning said. “Our defense has just been, from the get-go, they’ve been nothing but awesome. Being hurt and struggling early in the season wasn’t a lot of fun so I was grateful to get back healthy and to try and play my part these last couple of weeks.”

Denver’s “Orange Rush” defense, which tied a Super Bowl record with seven sacks, set the tone early in the game, with Miller getting to Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and ripping the ball out of the NFL MVP’s hands. Malik Jackson recovered the fumble in the end zone, giving the Broncos a 10-0 first quarter lead.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the Broncos trying to protect a 16-10 lead, Miller got to Newton again and caused a fumble. T.J. Ward recovered the ball at the Carolina 4-yard line. C.J. Anderson sealed the Broncos victory with a touchdown run followed by a 2-point conversion pass from Manning to Bennie Fowler.

The Carolina defense also played tough, holding Denver to just 194 yards, the fewest ever for a Super Bowl champion, but the Panthers could not make Denver cough up the ball in key situations.

Newton, nicknamed “Superman,” had accounted for 50 touchdowns passing or running in the previous 18 games, but on Sunday evening he produced no TDs for the first time this season.

“They made more plays than us and that’s what it comes down to,” a sulking Newton told reporters during a brief three-minute interview after the game. “We had our opportunities and it was nothing special that they did. We dropped balls. We turned the ball over. We gave up sacks. We threw errant passes. That’s it.”

Manning, who has thrown for more yards, more touchdowns, and won more starts than any other quarterback in NFL history, would not say whether last night’s Super Bowl would be his last game under center.

“I got some good advice from Tony Dungy,” Manning said of the first of four coaches with whom he’s been to the Super Bowl. “He said, ‘Don’t make an emotional decision.’ This has been an emotional week, an emotional night. I’m going to take some time to reflect.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.