Von Miller is following Cam Newton. It's more of a haunting.
Von Miller won the Broncos the Super Bowl
Von Miller ripped the ball and the Lombardi Trophy from Cam Newton’s hands.
The second time was in Super Bowl 50. Newton came into the game as the NFL's MVP. Miller left as the Super Bowl's MVP, having taken the ball from Newton on the two biggest plays of the game.
Miller’s first big play came in the first quarter, bursting past Panthers RT Mike Remmers and literally ripping the ball out of Newton’s arms.
Malik Jackson jumped on the ball in the end zone, leading to the Broncos' first touchdown of the game.
Miller’s second big play came in the fourth quarter, with just three minutes left. Miller again beat Remmers and got to Newton while he was throwing, forcing another fumble.
That left the Broncos six yards from their second and final touchdown of the game, and that was all Denver needed.
Denver only had 194 yards of offense, the fewest by any Super Bowl winner of all time. No matter how much the cameras focus on Peyton Manning, he didn't have a particularly great game. He didn't fail, and that was enough.
They didn’t need offense. Miller made sure of that. Rarely are defensive players named Super Bowl MVP’s -- Miller is the third linebacker in the 50-year history of the game to earn the honor. But rarely do defensive players set up both of a team’s touchdowns.
Newton is an incredible talent, a combination of speed and size and strength and passing ability unmatched in football. That allowed the Panthers to build a unique, multifaceted offense which almost every NFL team struggled to stop.
Miller and the Broncos’ defense shut it down. Obviously it wasn’t just Miller, as the Broncos’ whole defense wrecked Newton all night. But Miller’s speed allowed him to haunt Newton wherever he went. Dropbacks turned to brutal sacks -- the Broncos had six, for 64 yards. Cam’s runs turned into big hits. Miller haunted Newton from sideline to sideline.
Photo credit: Ed Szczepanski, USA Today Sports
The result was the worst game of Newton’s season, 18-for-41 with no touchdowns and a pick. It was his lowest completion percentage of the year, one of only two games where he didn’t throw a touchdown, and the only one of those two where he threw a pick.
Newton will have nightmares about this game. Miller will be in those nightmares. Chasing Cam, trying to rip the things he loves from his arms.
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