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Bump N’ Run w/ KT: A Super Bowl 50 Post-Post-Post Game Show

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

 

The marathon NFL season that has gone on over the last seven months has finally come to an end. The Denver Broncos are your Super Bowl 50 champions and Peyton Manning finally picked up his second ring to match his little brother Eli. In this edition of Bump N’ Run, we will look at the reasons why the Broncos won the game and the major reasons that the Carolina Panthers lost their second Super Bowl in the franchise’s history. After watching the game for a second time (it was tough to watch the second time too), here is some analysis from the game.

Why The Broncos Won

Simply put the Broncos defense was outstanding. Super Bowl MVP Von Miller had 2.5 sacks, DeMarcus Ware had two sacks and the rest of the defense accumulated two more sacks. The entire defense had Cam Newton running for his life and made him look uncomfortable throughout the game. A 16.9 QB rating shows that fact and the Broncos did the one thing that they had to do…they made Newton one dimensional and took away his running ability. Once you do that, you have Clark Kent instead of Superman and your game plan is working.

For as well as the Broncos defense played, the Broncos offense played not to lose which almost cost them the game. Manning was just a game manager which is what Gary Kubiak as reduced Manning down to. C.J. Anderson rushed for a tough 90 yards but Denver was 1-for-14 on 3rd downs which kept Carolina in the game longer than they should have been. In my opinion, this should be Manning’s last game in his career and honestly, this was definitely his last game in Denver. They need a quarterback who they are not afraid to give the ball to and try to win with because Manning was officially neutered in Super Bowl 50.

Why The Panthers Lost

As mentioned earlier, Cam Newton was not his usual self in Super Bowl 50. 41 pass attempts is not how the Panthers win games and just 45 yards rushing for Newton is not part of the formula for a Carolina win. It almost seemed like the Denver defense was way too advanced for Newton and he couldn’t figure it out. The Panthers offensive coaching staff also seemed to make no adjustments to the game plan at halftime. The lack of changes in the ballgame, along with four turnovers, made the outcome of the game pretty much determined by early in the fourth quarter.

Defensively the Panthers played one of their best games of the year. They held Denver to just 194 yards for the game and held the Broncos to just 3.5 yards per play. Similar to Denver, Carolina’s defense kept the Panthers in the game but the offense was not doing their job. A late rushing touchdown for Denver was a tired Carolina defense who couldn’t hold it together any longer and the game was put out of reach. Good effort from the Panthers defense but a terrible appearance by the Panthers offense.

Final Thoughts 

I will not go into the Cam Newton situation as I feel that it’s been covered way too much. I will say this however; if you celebrate your wins and dab for everything you, you should try to have some class when you lose. It’s okay to be sour and sulk after a defeat but be graceful in your defeats and not just be a sourpuss when it doesn’t go your way. That’s all I will say about it.

On the other of the spectrum, congratulations to Peyton Manning. In what could be his last game, he finally picked up that elusive second ring he has been hunting for. With the way he has been playing and with the injuries he has suffered, now would be the time to call it a career. I know it will be tempting and Peyton will get the urge to get back out there for the 2016 season but remember what Marscellus Wallace said in Pulp Fiction:

“The night of the fight, you may feel a slight sting. That’s pride (expletive) with you. (Expletive) pride. Pride only hurts, it never helps.”

Peyton knows he can’t throw the ball the way he used and it’s time for him to understand that he has had a legendary career and it’s time to hang it up. Go on with his Papa John’s franchises and his future Budweiser advertising. There’s no shame in riding off into the sunset.

As Bump N’ Run, we will be riding off into the sunset as we will be taking a two week break from the column. When we come back, we will begin looking at the scouting combine and which rookies could be coming in to both the Jets and Giants as well as other teams in the NFL.

Thanks to everyone who has read Bump N’ Run from the beginning and rest assured we will be back. See you in a couple of weeks!

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Kahlil Thomas

Kahlil is the College Sports Editor for DoubleGSports.com as well as a columnist, hosting the Bump 'N Run column once per week. He also co-hosts a weekly basketball podcast, The Box Out, every Thursday evening with fellow DoubleGSports.com writer Jason Cordner.
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