Another fantastic Super Bowl in the books. With this being one of the most highly anticipated matchups for the “Big Game” in the last five seasons, it was surely one to be remembered. With the hype riding on the unstoppable Carolina Panther’s offense going up against the league’s number one defense of the Denver Broncos, this was sure to be a thriller.

With so much riding on the opening coin toss, the Denver Broncos won the toss and Super Bowl 50 was underway. The Broncos’ offense took to the field with a surge, marching down the field to set up place kicker Brandon McManus with a 34 yard chip shot to give the Broncos an early 3-0 lead. On the Panther’s pursuing possession, quarterback Cam Newton was stripped of the football and was recovered by Denver’s Malik Jackson in the end zone for a defensive touchdown with 6:27 minutes left in the first quarter. This was clearly a turning point and a strong statement made by the Broncos this early in the game.

Starting off the second quarter scoring cap, the Carolina Panthers managed to push a 9 play 73 yard drive on the Denver defense, capping off the 4:50 minute drive with a flamboyant touchdown run by Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart. Carolina now closed the gap to 10-7 with 11:25 left in the second quarter. Denver’s McManus was able to punch one more field goal in, this one coming from 33 yards out before the two teams headed to half. Carolina trying to answer back before the break, Cam Newton was brought down by a thundering Broncos defense with 11 seconds to go before the whistle, halting any attempt at a shot to close the gap. Heading into the locker rooms, Denver lead Carolina 13-7.

A stellar halftime show with featured band Coldplay and head singer Chris Martin ran the spotlight. Guest performers Beyoncé and Bruno Mars were heading the show as well paying tribute to recent past performances under the bright lights. The show featured images of all past performers over the history of the Super Bowl.

After the music, commercials and the refilling of nacho trays, the game resumed with the second half kickoff to the Carolina Panthers. Over the history of the Super Bowl, these next 30 minutes are where champions rise and this 50th edition surely did not disappoint. Unfortunately, this one took a while to get off to a solid second half. The third quarter scoring between the two teams was held to a single field goal by Denver’s McManus with 8:18 left. Heading into the home stretch the Broncos lead a depleted Carolina Panthers 16-7.

Although, the Panthers weren’t ready to give up just quite yet. Carolina marched down field to set up place kicker Graham Gano for 39 yard field goal with 10:21 left. The teams traded possessions, but finally the Broncos’ number one defense was just too much for Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers after a couple of huge turnovers, anchored by the outstanding Broncos linebacker Von Miller, Denver was in the driver’s seat and they never looked back.  Denver running back, C.J. Anderson, ran in another touchdown with 3:08 left on the clock, followed by a successful two point conversion to give the Broncos a commanding 24-10 lead to wrap up the game. The Panthers tried to regain the deficit, but the Denver defense was just too much to handle.[

Super Bowl 50 was shy from legendary. One quarterback entering the prime of his career and the other entering the twilight. The game was focused around the amazing season Cam Newton put together on his rise to stardom and what most could see as Peyton Manning’s last rodeo in the NFL. Two of the most dominating defenses were on display and that gave no shortage of stellar plays on both sides of the ball. The Denver Broncos’ Linebacker Von Miller was the game’s MVP. Super Bowl 50 will be claimed by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, closing out another unbelievable NFL season for football fans across the nation.