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Broncos say Cam Newton 'tapped out'

Ezra Shaw / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Denver Broncos' defense harassed Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton from the outset of Super Bowl 50 and they continued their assault on him long after the game was over.

Newton, just one day removed from being named the NFL MVP, was forced into one of the worst performances of his career by constant pressure and hits by the Broncos' defense.

"He tapped out," Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib said of Newton, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com. "Yeah, he didn't want it."

The defining moment for Newton was arguably his fumble late in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were down by six, but had a chance to drive and take the lead. However, Newton fumbled, and as the ball bounced at his feet, he appeared to make the decision not to try and dive for the ball. The Broncos recovered and never looked vulnerable again.

Broncos safety T.J. Ward indicated that he thought Newton chose not to fight for the ball because of the punishment he'd already taken.

"If he would have touched that ball, I was gonna hit him right in his face, and I wasn't the only one," Ward said. "We were hungry for that one. We saw that ball and it was like hyenas on an antelope.

"And I don't know - maybe he needed to stay healthy for next year."

Carolina's entire offense looked incapable of consistently finding a way to move the ball on a Broncos defense that were performing at a historically great level.

Cornerback Chris Harris believes the Panthers underestimated the Broncos' defense entering the contest and had no answer after the game began and Denver started to dominate.

"They thought they were going to come in and run the football and throw it all over the place - what?" Harris said. "They hadn't watched us live. And it's a shock to the system."

Harris, too, took a shot at Newton, saying he thought they got into his head.

"Cam was scared to throw it. He looked blind. He couldn't figure out where to throw. That's what pressure does, man."

Newton was hit 13 times by the Broncos, more than double the amount he'd received during a game all year, and was sacked six times.

The 26-year-old was held without a touchdown, meaning he wasn't able to perform any of his signature celebration moves.

"No dancing," Talib said. "He had danced enough. No way he was gonna tear us up. We're too smart for him."

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