- Sep 6, 2005
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BRONCOS 24 d. PANTHERS 10
Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Carolina Panthers 24–10 to earn their third Super Bowl title. The game was played on February 7, 2016, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area at Santa Clara, California. As this was the 50th Super Bowl, the league emphasized the "golden anniversary" with various gold-themed initiatives, as well as temporarily suspending the tradition of naming each Super Bowl game with Roman numerals (under which the game would have been known as "Super Bowl L"), so that the logo could prominently feature the Arabic numerals 50.[9][10]
The Panthers finished the regular season with a 15–1 record, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 49–15 in the NFC Championship Game and advancing to their second Super Bowl appearance since the founding of the franchise in 1995. The Broncos finished the regular season with a 12–4 record, and denied the New England Patriots a chance to defend their title from Super Bowl XLIX by defeating them 20–18 in the AFC Championship Game. They joined the Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, and Pittsburgh Steelers as one of four teams that have made eight appearances in the Super Bowl.
Despite their offense gaining just 194 yards and 11 first downs, the Broncos took an early lead in Super Bowl 50 and never lost it, recording seven sacks and forcing three turnovers (including fumble recovery for a touchdown). Denver linebacker Von Miller was named Super Bowl MVP, recording five solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
CBS broadcast Super Bowl 50 in the U.S., and charged an average of $5 million for a 30-second commercial during the game.[8][11] The Super Bowl 50 halftime show was headlined by the British rock group Coldplay[12] with special guest performers Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, who headlined the Super Bowl XLVII and Super Bowl XLVIII halftime shows, respectively.[13]
Host selection process
In early 2012, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the league planned to make the 50th Super Bowl "spectacular" and that it would be "an important game for us as a league".[14]
On May 21, 2013, NFL owners at their spring meetings in Boston voted and awarded the game to Levi's Stadium.[25] The $1.2 billion stadium opened in 2014.[26] It is the first Super Bowl held in the San Francisco Bay Area since Super Bowl XIX in 1985, and the first in California since Super Bowl XXXVII took place in San Diego in 2003.[25]
Teams
For the third straight season, the number one seeds from both conferences met in the Super Bowl. The Carolina Panthers became one of only ten teams to have completed a regular season with only one loss, and one of only six teams to have acquired a 15–1 record, while the Denver Broncos became one of four teams to have made eight appearances in the Super Bowl. The Broncos made their second Super Bowl appearance in three years, having reached Super Bowl XLVIII, while the Panthers made their second Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, their other appearance being Super Bowl XXXVIII. Coincidentally, both teams were coached by John Fox in their last Super Bowl appearance prior to Super Bowl 50.
Carolina Panthers
Despite waiving longtime running back DeAngelo Williams and losing top wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a torn ACL in the preseason, the Carolina Panthers had their best regular season in franchise history, becoming the seventh team to win at least 15 regular season games since the league expanded to a 16-game schedule in 1978. Carolina started the season 14–0, not only setting franchise records for the best start and the longest single-season winning streak, but also posting the best start to a season by an NFC team in NFL history, breaking the 13–0 record previously shared with the 2009 New Orleans Saints and the 2011 Green Bay Packers. With their NFC-best 15–1 regular season record, the Panthers clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Ten players were selected to the Pro Bowl (the most in franchise history) along with eight All-Pro selections.
The Panthers offense, which led the NFL in scoring (500 points), was loaded with talent, boasting six Pro Bowl selections. Pro Bowl quarterback Cam Newton had one of his best seasons, throwing for 3,837 yards and rushing for 636, while recording a career-high and league-leading 45 total touchdowns (35 passing, 10 rushing), a career-low 10 interceptions, and a career-best quarterback rating of 99.4. Newton's leading receivers were tight end Greg Olsen, who caught a career-high 77 passes for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns, and wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr., who caught 44 passes for 739 yards and 10 touchdowns; Ginn also rushed for 60 yards and returned 27 punts for 277 yards. Other key receivers included veteran Jerricho Cotchery (39 receptions for 485 yards), rookie Devin Funchess (31 receptions for 473 yards and five touchdowns), and second-year receiver Corey Brown (31 receptions for 447 yards). The Panthers backfield featured Pro Bowl running back Jonathan Stewart, who led the team with 989 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 13 games, along with Pro Bowl fullback Mike Tolbert, who rushed for 256 yards and caught 18 passes for another 154 yards. Carolina's offensive line also featured two Pro Bowl selections: center Ryan Kalil and guard Trai Turner.
The Panthers defense gave up just 308 points, ranking sixth in the league, while also leading the NFL in interceptions with 24 and boasting four Pro Bowl selections. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short led the team in sacks with 11, while also forcing three fumbles and recovering two. Fellow lineman Mario Addison added 6½ sacks. The Panthers line also featured veteran defensive end Jared Allen, a 5-time pro bowler who was the NFL's active career sack leader with 136, along with defensive end Kony Ealy, who had 5 sacks in just 9 starts. Behind them, two of the Panthers three starting linebackers were also selected to play in the Pro Bowl: Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly. Davis compiled 5½ sacks, four forced fumbles, and four interceptions, while Kuechly led the team in tackles (118) forced two fumbles, and intercepted four passes of his own. Carolina's secondary featured Pro Bowl safety Kurt Coleman, who led the team with a career high seven interceptions, while also racking up 88 tackles and Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman, who developed into a shutdown corner during the season and had four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
Denver Broncos
Following their loss in the divisional round of the previous season's playoffs, the Denver Broncos underwent numerous coaching changes, including a mutual parting with head coach John Fox (who had won four divisional championships in his four years as Broncos head coach), and the hiring of Gary Kubiak as the new head coach. Under Kubiak, the Broncos planned to install a run-oriented offense with zone blocking to blend in with quarterback Peyton Manning's shotgun passing skills, but struggled with numerous changes and injuries to the offensive line, as well as Manning having his worst statistical season since his rookie year with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, due to a plantar fasciitis injury in his heel that he had suffered since the summer, and the simple fact that Manning was getting old, as he turned 39 in the 2015 off-season.[27] Although the team had a 7–0 start, Manning led the NFL in interceptions. In week 10, Manning suffered a partial tear of the plantar fasciitis in his left foot. He set the NFL's all-time record for career passing yards in this game, but was benched after throwing four interceptions in favor of backup quarterback Brock Osweiler, who took over as the starter for most of the remainder of the regular season. Osweiler was injured, however, leading to Manning's return during the Week 17 regular season finale, where the Broncos were losing 13–7 against the 4–11 San Diego Chargers, resulting in Manning re-claiming the starting quarterback position for the playoffs by leading the team to a key 27–20 win that enabled the team to clinch the number one overall AFC seed.[28] Under defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, the Broncos' defense ranked number one in total yards allowed, passing yards allowed and sacks, and like the previous three seasons, the team has continued to set numerous individual, league and franchise records. With the defense carrying the team despite the issues with the offense,[29] the Broncos finished the regular season with a 12–4 record and earned home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Manning finished the year with a career-low 67.9 passer rating, throwing for 2,249 yards and nine touchdowns, with 17 interceptions. In contrast, Osweiler threw for 1,967 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions for a rating of 86.4. Veteran receiver Demaryius Thomas led the team with 105 receptions for 1,304 yards and six touchdowns, while Emmanuel Sanders caught 76 passes for 1,135 yards and six scores, while adding another 106 yards returning punts. Tight end Owen Daniels was also a big element of the passing game with 46 receptions for 517 yards. Running back C. J. Anderson was the team's leading rusher 863 yards and seven touchdowns, while also catching 25 passes for 183 yards. Running back Ronnie Hillman also made a big impact with 720 yards, five touchdowns, 24 receptions, and a 4.7 yards per carry average. Overall, the offense ranked 19th in scoring with 355 points and did not have any Pro Bowl selections.
The Broncos' defense ranked first in the NFL yards allowed (4,530) for the first time in franchise history, and fourth in points allowed (296). Defensive ends Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson each had 5½ sacks. Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller led the team with 11 sacks, forced four fumbles, and recovered three. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware was selected to play in the Pro Bowl for the ninth time in his career, ranking second on the team with 7½ sacks. Linebacker Brandon Marshall led the team in total tackles with 109, while Danny Trevathan ranked second with 102. Cornerbacks Aqib Talib (three interceptions) and Chris Harris, Jr. (two interceptions) were the other two Pro Bowl selections from the defense.
Pregame notes
Carolina suffered a major setback when Thomas Davis, an 11-year veteran who had already overcome three ACL tears in his career, went down with a broken arm in the NFC Championship Game. Despite this, he insisted he would still find a way to play in the Super Bowl.[30] His prediction turned out to be accurate.
Peyton Manning became the first quarterback ever to lead two different teams to multiple Super Bowls. He is also the oldest quarterback ever to play in a Super Bowl at age 39. The past record was held by John Elway, who led the Broncos to victory in Super Bowl XXXIII at age 38 and is currently Denver's Executive Vice President of Football Operations.[31]
This was the first Super Bowl to feature a quarterback on both teams who was the #1 pick in their draft classes. Manning was the #1 selection of the 1998 NFL draft, while Newton was picked first in 2011. The matchup also pits the top two picks of the 2011 draft against each other: Newton for Carolina and Von Miller for Denver.[32] Manning and Newton also set the record for the largest age difference between opposing Super Bowl quarterbacks: 13 years and 48 days (Manning was 39, Newton was 26).[33]
With Rivera having been a linebacker with the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX, and Kubiak replacing Elway at the end of the Broncos' defeats in Super Bowls XXI and XXIV, this will be the first Super Bowl in which both head coaches played in the game themselves.
Concerns were raised over whether Levi's Stadium's field was of a high enough quality to host a Super Bowl; during the inaugural season, the field had to be re-sodded multiple times due to various issues, and during a week 6 game earlier in the 2015 season, a portion of the turf collapsed under Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker, causing him to slip and miss a field goal, although the field has not had any major issues since. As is customary for Super Bowl games played at natural grass stadiums, the NFL re-sodded the field with a new playing surface; a hybrid Bermuda 419 turf. NFL and Atlanta Braves field director Ed Mangan stated that the field was in "great shape" for gameday.[34][35][36] However, the turf showed problem throughout the game, with a number of players needing to change their cleats during the game and player slipping during plays all throughout the game.[37]
As the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Broncos elected to wear their road white jerseys with matching white pants.[38] Elway stated, "We've had Super Bowl success in our white uniforms."[38][39] The Broncos last wore matching white jerseys and pants in the Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXXIII, Elway's last game as Denver QB, when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–19. In their only other Super Bowl win in Super Bowl XXXII, Denver wore blue jerseys, which was their primary color at the time. They also lost Super Bowl XXI when they wore white jerseys, but they are 0-4 in Super Bowls when wearing orange jerseys, losing in Super Bowl XII, XXII, XXIV, and XLVIII.[39] The only other AFC champion team to have worn white as the designated home team in the Super Bowl was the Pittsburgh Steelers; they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21–10 in Super Bowl XL 10 seasons prior. The Broncos' decision to wear white meant the Panthers would wear their standard home uniform: black jerseys with silver pants.[39][40]
Pregame
In honor of the 50th Super Bowl, the pregame ceremony featured the on-field introduction of 40 of the 43 previous Super Bowl Most Valuable Players. Bart Starr (MVP of Super Bowls I and II) and Chuck Howley (MVP of Super Bowl V) appeared via video. No plans were announced regarding the recognition of Harvey Martin, co-MVP of Super Bowl XII, who died in 2001.[88] Six-time Grammy winner and Academy Award nominee Lady Gaga performed the national anthem.[4]
Halftime show
In late November 2015, reports surfaced stating that "multiple acts" would perform during the halftime show. On December 3, the league confirmed that the show would be headlined by the British rock group Coldplay.[5] On January 7, 2016, Pepsi confirmed to the Associated Press that Beyoncé, who headlined the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show and collaborated with Coldplay on the single "Hymn for the Weekend", would be making an appearance.[6] Bruno Mars, who headlined the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show, and Mark Ronson also performed.[7]
Game summary
First half
Denver took the opening kickoff and started out strong with Peyton Manning completing an 18-yard pass to tight end Owen Daniels and a 22-yard throw to receiver Andre Caldwell. A pair of carries by C. J. Anderson moved the ball up 20 yards to the Panthers 14-yard line, but Carolina's defense dug in over the next three plays. First, linebacker Shaq Thompson tackled Ronnie Hillman for a 3-yard loss. Then after an incompletion, Thomas Davis tackled Anderson for a 1-yard gain on 3rd down, forcing Denver to settle for a 3-0 lead on a Brandon McManus 34-yard field goal. The score marked the first time in the entire postseason that Carolina was facing a deficit.
After each team punted, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton appeared to completed a 24-yard pass Jerricho Cotchery, but the call was ruled an incompletion and upheld after a replay challenge. CBS analyst and retired referee Mike Carey stated he disagreed with the call and felt the review clearly showed the pass was complete.[89] A few plays later, on 3rd and 10 from the 15-yard line, linebacker Von Miller knocked the ball out of Newton's hands while sacking him, and Malik Jackson recovered it in the end zone for a Broncos touchdown, giving the team a 10-0 lead. This was the first fumble return touchdown in a Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXVIII at the end of the 1993 season.
After a punt from both teams, Carolina got on track with a 9-play, 73-yard scoring drive. Newton completed 4/4 passes for 51 yards and rushed twice for 25, while Jonathan Stewart finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 10-7 with 11:28 left in the second quarter. Later on, Broncos receiver Jordan Norwood received Brad Nortman's short 28-yard punt surrounded by Panthers players, but none of them attempted to make a tackle, apparently thinking Norwood had called a fair catch.[90] Norton had not done so, and with no resistance around him, he took off for a Super Bowl record 61-yard return before Mario Addison dragged him down on the Panthers 14-yard line. Despite Denver's excellent field position, they could not get the ball into the end zone, so McManus kicked a 33-yard field goal that increased their lead to 13-7.
On Carolina's next possession the lost another turnover when fullback Mike Tolbert lost a fumble while being tackled by safety Darian Stewart, which linebacker Danny Trevathan recovered on the Broncos 40-yard line. However, the Panthers soon took the ball back when defensive end Kony Ealy tipped a Manning pass to himself and then intercepted it, returning the ball 19 yards to the Panthers 39 with 1:55 left on the clock. The Panthers could not gain any yards with their possession and had to punt. After a Denver punt, Carolina drove to the Broncos 45. But with 11 seconds left, Newton was sacked by DeMarcus Ware as time expired in the half.
Second half
The Panthers seemed primed to score on their opening drive of the second half when Newton completed a 45-yard pass to Ted Ginn Jr. on the Denver 35 on their second offensive play. But the Broncos defense halted the drive on the 26-yard line, and it ended with no points when Graham Gano hit the uprights on a 44-yard field goal attempt. After the miss, Manning completed a pair of passes to Emmanuel Sanders for gains of 25 and 22 yards, setting up McManus' 33-yard field goal that gave the Broncos a 16-7 lead. Carolina got off to another strong start after the kickoff, with Newton completing a 42-yard pass to Corey Brown. But once again they came up empty, this time as a result of a Newton pass that bounced off the hands of Ginn and was intercepted by safety T. J. Ward. Ward fumbled the ball during the return, but Trevathan recovered it to enable Denver to keep possession.
There would be no more scoring in the third quarter, but early in the fourth, the Broncos drove to the Panthers 41. On the next play, Ealy knocked the ball out of Manning's hand as he was winding up for a pass, and then recovered it for Carolina on the 50-yard line. A 16-yard reception by Devin Funchess and a 12-yard run by Stewart then set up Gano's 39-yard field goal, cutting the Panthers deficit to one score at 16-10. The next three drives of the game would end in punts.
With 4:51 left in regulation, Carolina got the ball on their own 24-yard line with a chance to mount a game-winning drive, and soon faced 3rd and 9. On the next play, Miller stripped the ball away from Newton, and after several players dove for it, it took a long bounce backwards and was recovered by Ward, who returned it 5 yards to the Panthers 4-yard line. Newton would later face heavy criticism for not aggressively going after the ball while it was on the ground.[91] Although several players dove into the pile to attempt to recover it, Newton did not. Meanwhile, Denver's offense was kept out of the end zone for three plays, but a holding penalty on cornerback Josh Norman gave the Broncos a new set of downs. Then Anderson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run and Manning completed a pass to Bennie Fowler for a 2-point conversion, giving Denver a 24-10 lead with 3:08 left and essentially putting the game away. Carolina had two more drives, but failed to get a first down on each one.
Statistics
Manning finished the game 13/23 for 141 yards with 1 interception. Sanders was his top receiver with 6 receptions for 83 yards. Anderson was the game's leading rusher with 90 yards and a touchdown, along with 4 receptions for 10 yards. Miller had 6 total tackles (5 solo), 2.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. Ware had 5 total tackles and 2 sacks. Ward had 7 total tackles, a fumble recovery, and an interception. McManus was a perfect 4/4 on field goals, giving him a perfect score of 11/11 in Denver's three postseason games. Newton completed 18/41 passes for 265 yards, with one interception. He was also the team's leading rusher with 45 yards on six carries. Brown caught 4 passes for 80 yards, while Ginn had 4 receptions for 74. Ealy was the top defensive performer for Carolina with 4 total tackles, 3 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and an interception. Defensive End Charles Johnson had 4 total tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Linebacker Luke Kuechly had 11 total tackles, while Thomas Davis had 7, despite playing just two weeks after breaking his right arm in the NFC title game.
Super Bowl 50 featured numerous records from individuals and teams. Denver won despite being massively outgained in total yards (315 to 194) and first downs (21 to 11). Their 194 yards and 11 first downs were both the lowest totals ever by a Super Bowl winning team. The previous record was 244 yards by the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV. Only 7 other teams had ever gained less then 200 yards in a Super Bowl, and all of them had lost.[92] The Broncos 7 sacks tied a Super Bowl record set by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX.[93] Kony Ealy tied a Super Bowl record with 3 sacks. Jordan Norwood's 61-yard punt return set a new record, surpassing the old record of 45 set by John Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII.[94] Manning became the oldest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl at age 39, and the first quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl with two different teams, while Gary Kubiak became the first coach ever to win a Super Bowl with a team he had played for.
