By: Grant Venman

Each year, the two best teams in the NFL meet on the first Sunday in February. The winner of the game is crowned the world champion, while the loser is demoralized and is usually beat up all over social media and sports news. This year, the Denver Broncos faced off against the Carolina Panthers in an exciting game of mostly defense.

The Panthers won the coin toss and elected to defer and the Broncos chose to receive the opening kickoff.  Thirty-nine year old Peyton Manning only took a few minutes to get his team on the board as he drove the offense down the field and was eventually stopped on third down. The drive led to a 34 yard field goal for the Broncos giving them a small lead early in the game. The Panthers’ effort to get their first points was quickly halted by the Broncos defensive end, Von Miller, as he stripped the ball from Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. The ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by the Broncos to make the score 10 to 0 in their favor.

To start the second quarter, Newton put a successful drive together, which allowed Jonathan Stewart to score and the Panthers to get their first points of the night. Both teams struggled to move the ball for the rest of the quarter due to strong defensive efforts from both teams. Finally, towards the end of the second quarter, Jordan Norwood made a super bowl record punt return of 61 yards to give the Broncos good field position. The Broncos offense was stopped, but, due to the good punt return, was able to kick a field goal to make the score 13 to 7, with the Broncos winning going into halftime.

Despite halftime coaching, the only score in the third quarter was another field goal by the Broncos, which made the score 16 to 7. Turnovers and sacks prevented the offenses from putting together successful drives. Both defenses were playing outstanding, especially the Broncos defensive line, who were relentless in putting pressure on Cam Newton.

In the final quarter of the game, the Panthers finally got in range to make a field goal and put points on the board for only the second time all night. The Broncos made an important drive down the field and scored off a one yard run from running back CJ Anderson and converted the two point conversion giving them the two score lead of 24 to 10. The Broncos defense prevented the Panthers from scoring anymore and the Denver Broncos were crowned the champions of Super Bowl 50.

The Squire secured an interview with Eisenhower student, and Denver Broncos fan Ryan Schnars, to talk about the game.

The Squire: When did you become a Denver Broncos fan?

Ryan Schnars: Ever since I started watching football, I’ve been a Broncos fan.

TS: Being 39 and winning his second Super Bowl, do you think Peyton Manning’s career is over?

RS: Yes, I think he will go out as a champion and retire.

TS: Do you agree with the MVP nomination?

RS: I do agree with the nomination. I voted for him when the polls opened up and I think that he had a standout performance on defense.

TS: Who is your favorite Broncos player?

RS: My favorite player is Brandon Marshall because I remember when he was traded to the Broncos and he does a good job on the field.

TS: Who do you predict will compete in super bowl 51?

RS: I would pick the Broncos but that would be biased. I would say Vikings for the NFC and Steelers for the AFC side.

Be sure to watch the super bowl next year on the first Sunday of February to see if Ryan’s prediction is right.

Photo Source: AP Photo