Carolina Panthers' Jonathan Stewart (28) scores a
touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the first half of the NFL
Super Bowl 50 football game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif.
SAN FRANCISCO - 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.
Denver Broncos' Von Miller (58) strips the ball from Carolina Panthers'
Cam Newton (1) during the first half of the NFL Super Bowl 50 football
game Sunday, Feb. 7, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif
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.
Cam Newton connected
with Ted Ginn Jr. for a 45-yard gain to the Broncos 38 and Ginn caught a
14-yard pass to the 25. But the drive stalled and Gano missed the kick.
Gano was 3 for 3 in the playoffs and 30 of 36 in the regular season.
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