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Broncos Defense leads to Super Bowl win

Super Bowl 50 kicked off Sunday afternoon in Santa Clara without a hitch.

Peyton Manning came out firing and the Broncos scored first.

The Panthers won the coin toss when Thomas Davis called tails but elected to defer so NFL MVP Cam Newton has to wait to take the field.

Denver took the opening kick and the first four plays were passes for 46 yards. C.J. Anderson then ran for 8 and 12 yards.

After Ronnie Hillman lost 3 yards, Manning threw two incomplete passes and the Broncos settled for a 34-yard field goal by Brandon McManus to take a 3-0 lead.

Manning got away with a poor pass that Robert McClain nearly picked near the sideline.

The Orange Rush strikes first. Von Miller sacked Cam Newton, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Malik Jackson in the end zone for a touchdown that gave Denver a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

After the Panthers lost the first challenge when Jerricho Cotchery couldn’t control Newton’s pass over the middle, the Broncos’ top-ranked defense made its presence felt quickly.

On third-and-10 from the 15, Miller blew past a blocker and stripped the ball from Newton’s hand.

The Panthers had outscored opponents 55-7 in the first half this season in the playoffs entering the game.

Panthers Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Stewart has returned to the game after missing one series with a foot injury. Stewart hobbled off the field midway through the first quarter after it appeared his foot got twisted under the pile.

All zeroes won the first quarter pool. The Broncos led the Panthers 10-0 after a defensive touchdown. Peyton Manning was 7 of 9 for 61 yards.

Cam Newton was 4 of 8 for 31 yards and was sacked twice. The first sack by Von Miller resulted in a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Malik Jackson for a score.

Brandon McManus kicked a 34-yard field goal on Denver’s first possession.

Superman showed up in the second quarter. Cam Newton started scrambling and led the Carolina Panthers on a scoring drive to cut Denver’s lead to 10-7.

Newton, sacked twice already, had runs of 11 and 12 yards on the drive before connecting with Corey Brown for 13 yards to the 2. Jonathan Stewart then leaped in from the 1 for the score.

Newton hit Brown for 20 yards and Greg Olsen for 19 yards on the drive.

Special teams are doing their part to help Peyton Manning.

Jordan Norwood set up Brandon McManus’ 33-yard field goal with the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.

Norwood fielded a short punt that appeared to be deflected. After a Panthers player bumped into him, Norwood bounced it outside and went 61 yards down the right sideline before Mario Addison caught him from behind at Carolina’s 14. But Manning and the offense stalled again.

A holding call on Louis Vazquez nullified C.J. Anderson’s 2-yard run on fourth-and-1 and McManus kicked his second field goal to make it 13-7. San Francisco’s John Taylor had the previous longest punt return, 45 yards in the 1989 Super Bowl against Cincinnati.

Defense and mistakes dominated the first half.

Cam Newton hardly looked like the NFL MVP and Peyton Manning played like a 39-year-old quarterback at the end of his career.

Thanks to Von Miller and the Orange Rush, the Broncos led the Panthers 13-7 at halftime of Super Bowl 50 on Sunday. Newton was 8 of 19 for 95 yards and was sacked three times.

He ran for 46 yards. Manning was 9 of 16 for 76 yards and one interception. The offenses combined to go three-and-out seven times in 15 possessions.

The Panthers also lost two fumbles on third-down plays. Manning threw a pick from the Panthers 24, costing Denver a chance at a field goal. Miller forced a fumble that was recovered in the end zone for a score by Malik Jackson. Brandon McManus made field goals of 34 and 33 yards.

Jordan Norwood’s 61-yard punt return – the longest in Super Bowl history – set up McManus’ second field goal. Jonathan Stewart had a 1-yard TD dive for the Panthers.

Carolina’s Graham Gano hit the right upright on a 44-yard field-goal try on the first possession of the second half and the Broncos still led the Panthers 13-7.

Call Brandon McManus “Mr. Reliable.”

McManus hit a 30-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 16-7 lead over the Panthers in the third quarter. McManus is 3 for 3 in the Super Bowl and 10 for 10 in the playoffs.

After Graham Gano hit the upright on a 44-yard field goal attempt for the Panthers, Peyton Manning connected with Emmanuel Sanders for 25 yards. Manning then hit Sanders for a 22-yard gain to the Panthers 17. But the drive stalled and McManus hit another one.

Brandon McManus kicked his third field goal, a swarming defense smothered Cam Newton and the Broncos led the Panthers 16-7 after three quarters.

Trailing 16-7, the Panthers appeared to be going in for a score before another turnover cost them. On second down from the Broncos 28, Newton’s pass sailed through Ted Ginn Jr.’s hands and was intercepted by T.J. Ward. He returned it 4 yards, but was stripped by Mike Tolbert.

Denver’s Danny Trevathan fell on it at the 7. The teams traded punts after that and the Broncos had the ball to the start the fourth. Von Miller had 1 ½ sacks of Denver’s five sacks and he also forced a fumble recovered by Mailk Jackson for a TD. Newton was 14 of 31 for 218 yards and one pick.

The NFL MVP was visibly frustrated after the interception.

Carolina’s Graham Gano kicked a 39-yard field goal to cut Denver’s lead to 16-10 with 10:21 left in the fourth quarter.

Cam Newton drove the Panthers into field-goal range after Charles Johnson recovered Peyton Manning’s fumble at midfield.

The Panthers are playing the final quarter without wide receiver Philly Brown, who left with a concussion after a 42-yard catch in the third quarter.