The first seeded Denver Broncos and the first seeded Carolina Panthers came into this Super Bowl in Santa Clara, Calif. riding high. The Panthers, at that point 17-1, had only lost to the Atlanta Falcons. They beat the Seattle Seahawks 31-24 in the divisional round and the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 in the NFC Championship game. The Broncos beat the Pittsburg Steelers 23-16 in the divisional round and then came out on top over the favored New England Patriots in the AFC championship game, 20-18. Meeting in Super Bowl 50, these two highly successful teams, and the country, were ready for an epic brawl.

It was a defensive slug fest, each team struggling offensively, that in turn would be the name of the game. In the first quarter, the touchdown-ice was broken as Cam Newton was blind-sided by the eventual Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, who forced a fumble that was recovered by Malik Jackson for a touchdown. The high-powered Carolina Panthers, with the NFL MVP Cam Newton driving the offense, were stifled by a fierce Denver pass rush, which led the NFL in sacks during the regular season. The Broncos defense dominated the game and hit Cam like he hadn’t been hit all year.

The Panthers did not just get beat by the Broncos, they also beat themselves, dropping several interceptions that could have turned the momentum in their favor. Robert McClain, the Panthers’ cornerback, dropped one in particular that could have gone the other way for a touchdown. Carolina’s Jonathan Stewart leaped into the end zone during the second quarter to give the Panthers a score.

Many speculate that Denver’s quarterback, Peyton Manning, has just played his last down as an NFL quarterback. He said that he would “take some time to reflect,” but hasn’t said anything specific about his retirement. Before the game, he told New England Patriots head coach Belichick that the Super Bowl 50 might be his “last rodeo.” Manning now has 200 wins under his belt, making him the winningest quarterback in NFL history.

Cam Newton ended with 265 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, adding 45 yards on the ground. He also lost two key fumbles. Corey Brown had four catches for 80 yards. The leading tackler was Luke Kuechly, with seven.

For Denver, Manning finished with 141 yards and an INT. CJ Anderson had a game high 20 carries for 90 yards and a touchdonwn. Emmanuel Sanders caught six balls for 80 yards, and Chris Harris Jr. lead the team in tackles.

The MVP of the game was Von Miller who was a stat sheet stuffer, with five tackles, two-and-a-half sacks and two forced fumbles.