SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Thank goodness Peyton Manning was on the right side of this Orange Crush.
“I’m glad I was on the same team as that defense,’’ Manning said, “and didn’t play against them.’’
Manning needed every bit of the force and ferocity of his Broncos defense to turn what almost definitely will be his final NFL game into a glorious ride off into the sunset. If this indeed was the last we’ll see of Manning, he exits the stage with a final, historic victory that was signed, sealed and delivered by his teammates who get paid to prevent points.
The Broncos outlasted the Panthers 24-10 Sunday night in an often ugly, brutal and inelegant Super Bowl 50, winning despite their legendary but broken-down quarterback, as Manning huffed and puffed and could not blow anything down. He was a winner in what likely — and hopefully — is his swan song because teammates such as Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and Danny Trevathan and Malik Jackson made life miserable for Cam Newton, the reigning NFL MVP, who after a dreamy season had a nightmarish game to forget.
Cam, Cam, Cam,’’ Jackson said. “We got tired of hearing about him all week. We went out there and dominated.’’
It was Miller, the menacing linebacker, who dominated most of all, earning the Super Bowl MVP honor — a rarity for a defensive player — thanks to his 2.5 sacks, six tackles, two forced fumbles and constant harassment of Newton. Manning and the Broncos did not drive to score an offensive touchdown and Miller forged the way for Denver’s only two TDs.
Miller, abusing right tackle Mike Remmers, stormed in to strip Newton in the first quarter and Jackson, a 293-pound defensive tackle, recovered the loose ball in the end zone to give Denver a 10-0 lead.
“They were the number one offense in the world before this,’’ Broncos safety Chris Harris said. “All y’all talked about was Cam Newton.’’
Leading 16-10, Miller made sure the Broncos sealed the deal when he hit Newton’s arm, the ball came loose and safety T.J. Ward recovered on the Carolina 4-yard line with 4:04 remaining. That led to a C.J. Anderson 2-yard touchdown run with 3:08 left and Manning then hit Bennie Fowler for the two-point conversion, as the relieved orange-clad Broncos fans that filled Levi’s Stadium erupted.
The Broncos sacked Newton seven times and forced four turnovers.
“We read them like a book,’’ Ward said. “They did the exact same things out of the exact same formations they did all season.”
Manning, 39, did almost nothing to help the cause. He was 13-of-23 for 141 yards, threw one interception and lost a fumble. His passer rating was 56.6. At times in the fourth quarter, the Broncos looked to be in a prevent offense, not trusting Manning to put the ball in the air. The Broncos managed just 194 total net yards, the lowest total by a Super Bowl winning team.
“It’s just awesome because he was on a team that could help him get a win,’’ Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. “He didn’t have to go out there and do it all on his own and he knew that.’’
The youthful, fun-loving, dabbing and dancing Panthers (17-2) have themselves to blame for failing to finish what would have been a magical season. They lost three fumbles, Newton threw an interception, they allowed the longest punt return (Jordan Norwood, 61 yards) in Super Bowl history, missed a field goal, gave up a touchdown on offense and committed 12 penalties. Newton never got into a groove, seemed tentative and uncertain when to run, when to throw and when to duck for cover. He completed only 18-of-41 passes for 265 yards. He ran for 46 yards in the first half but only rushed it once, for minus-1 yard, after halftime.
“They just played better than us, I don’t know what you want me to say?’’ said Newton, who wore a hooded Panthers sweatshirt, a dour expression and abruptly cut short his postgame interview session with a terse “I’m done, man.’’
The Lombardi Trophy heads to Denver for the third time in franchise history, the first time since John Elway — now the team’s head honcho — won back-to-back titles following the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
Elway, a Hall of Famer, entrusted Manning — a first-ballot entrant to Canton five years after he retires — to get the Broncos (15-4) here.
“I got a chance to talk to the team [Saturday night] and I kind of thanked them for letting be a part of the journey,’’ said Manning, who vowed to “drink a lot of beer’’ to celebrate.
This was a crash-landing for the favored Panthers. It was simply not their time.
“You don’t dream about it going this way,’’ Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart said. “You dream about winning it.’’
The dream goes to Manning, gift-wrapped by the Denver defense.
“Peyton, whether this is his last one or not,’’ tight end Owen Daniels said, “he deserves to go out on top.’’