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Broncos ride defensive masterpiece to Super Bowl 50 win over Panthers

Mike Blake / REUTERS

The Denver Broncos overpowered the Carolina Panthers en route to a 24-10 victory in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday.

The win gave the Broncos their third Super Bowl in franchise history, moving them into a tie with the Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins on the NFL's all-time list.

The Panthers' No. 1-ranked scoring offense was no match for a Broncos pass rush that sacked league MVP Cam Newton six times.

The Broncos' defense was led by Super Bowl MVP Von Miller who finished the game with six tackles, one pass defensed, and 2.5 sacks - including a sack-fumble that led to the Broncos' opening touchdown.

RELATED: Von Miller named Super Bowl MVP

Heading into halftime with a 13-7 lead, the Broncos' stifling defense never allowed Newton to get comfortable, forcing two fumbles and an interception on the day.

Peyton Manning put together an underwhelming Super Bowl performance, completing just 13-of-23 passes for 141 yards and an interception. Whether or not it's his last professional game remains to be seen.

RELATED: Manning says he'll take time to decide on retirement

On the other side of the ball, Newton did not live up to his brilliant MVP season, struggling to move his offense with the exception of two long passes to Philly Brown and Ted Ginn Jr.

Panthers defensive end Kony Ealy kept his team in the game, forcing two turnovers on a sack-fumble and an athletic one-handed interception. He finished the game with three sacks and four tackles.

RELATED: VIDEO: Panthers' Ealy forces turnover with 3rd sack

The game could be described as sloppy, with six turnovers upsetting game flow throughout the contest. The Panthers were allowed to stick around, with the score locked at 16-10 with just over four minutes left in the game.

But Miller's sack-fumble closed the door on any comeback as the Broncos were able to punch in a touchdown on the subsequent drive to seal the deal at 24-10.

RELATED: VIDEO: Cam Newton inexplicably backs away from ball after late fumble

The Broncos' 194 offensive yards is the lowest total by a Super Bowl-winning team in the game's 50-year history. The previous record was held by the Baltimore Ravens with 244 yards in 2001.

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