The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League(NFL), the highest level of professional football in the United States. It is the contest to end all contests. Some may not know that this year, two number 1 overall NFL draft picks went head to head in Super Bowl 50! Everybody thought it could have gotten out of hand quickly, because of how ferocious and prepared Panthers looked; it didn’t.

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was drafted number 1 overall in the 1998 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He was the first player in Super Bowl history to start and win the Super Bowl on two different teams.

On the other hand; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was also drafted number 1 overall in the 2011 NFL draft by The Carolina Panthers. Newton came into the game with 50 total touchdowns under his name, 38 passing and 12 rushing.

The Panthers came into the game after beating the Seahawks 34-21 in the NFL divisional playoff round, and then moving on to destroy The Arizona Cardinals 49-15 in the NFL Conference Championship game. The Panthers looked very promising; Quarterback Cam Newton finished the regular season dabbing on all his opponents with 3,837 yards through the air and 636 yards on the ground with 35 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns. Newtons performance was so impressive that he won NFL MVP award.

The Denver Broncos started off the regular season undefeated (7-0) until suffering a tough 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts in week 8 ending their streak. They went into the playoffs as the number 1 seed, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-16 in the NFL divisional round. The Broncos beat the Patriots, 20-18, in the NFL conference championship game. Quarterback Peyton Manning finished the season with only 9 touchdowns through the air and a tough 17 interceptions.

Now, it’s time for a Super Bowl 50 recap!

The Denver Broncos started off the game with the ball. They drove down the field behind quarterback Peyton Manning who threw for 46 yards in total on that opening drive and then letting running back C.J Anderson do what he does best. The opening drive ended with a 34 yard field goal giving the Broncos an early lead.

The Panthers then got a chance to try but… their second drive of the game ended in the ball being stripped out of QB Cam Newtons possession by linebacker Von Miller and recovered in the end zone for another Broncos score giving them a 10-0 lead, still early in the game.

The game went into the second quarter with the Panthers still trailing 10-0, and it wasn’t until then that they showed a little bit of life. The Panthers drove the ball down the field behind Cam Newton and RB Jonathan Stewart. This drive ended in an amazing touchdown by Stewart. He was handed the ball at the goal and his athleticism showed on that play as he leaped over the defenders into the end zone finally putting Carolina on the board, 10-7.

Both teams stepped off the field at half time with Denver up 13-7.

That was as exciting as it got. The third quarter only saw 3 points on the board. The Broncos still lead, 16-7.

Then with 5 minutes left on the clock, Cam Newton was sacked by Von Miller again and forced yet another fumble! The Broncos then took over with good field position. They punched the football in for another touchdown. The Broncos were up 24-10 after a successful 2 point conversion.

The clock wound down without too much other action.  The broncos came away as the winners of Super Bowl 50! Peyton Manning came away with his 2nd Super Bowl win!

Now what everyone is talking about…Was this Peyton Mannings last game?

I guess we have to wait for next season to find out, #warriornation!