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Resilient defense earns Broncos Super Bowl victory
Offense wins games, defense wins Championships
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O
ffense wins games, defense wins Championships.
That proverb, as old as sport itself, was never truer than during Sunday's Super Bowl match between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.
Starring Peyton Manning, in perhaps his final game after a long and illustrious career, Sunday's big game proved to be a thrilling display of attrition and resilience for soccer fans. It wasn´t Manning who single-handedly carried the day, but rather a defensive pack of muscle that played at an great and elevated level for the entire playoffs and then led the team to a 24-10 win in Santa Clara.
The combination of the pass-rushing ability of Von Miller and Demarcus Ware combined with the excellent pass-coverage of secondary players like Aqib Talib proved to be too much for the young and talented Panthers.
'This game was much like this season has been, testing our toughness, our resiliency, our unselfishness. It's only fitting that it turned out that way,' Manning was quoted on the nfl.com as saying.
After the Broncos managed to score a field-goal in the first drive of the game, the lead never changed. On the other side, Cam Newton was never able to find his rhythm. He made one costly mistake in the first half, letting Von Miller punch the ball out of his hands that Malik Jackson then returned for a touchdown.
It was fitting that the only touchdown the Broncos scored in the first half was scored by their defense, ending the half at 13-7. Miller, who was voted the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) after the game, said: 'Today I wanted to play at a level where I make everyone around me even better'.
The second half began with a costly mistake by Panthers kicker Graham Gano, who hit the right post from 40 meters out. Shortly thereafter, Ted Ginn Jr let a pass by Newton slip through his hands right into the arms of TJ Ward for an easy interception.
Meanwhile, Denver's offense didn´t do anything particularly well either, turning the ball over twice in the second half.
With the score at 16-10, the Panthers had a chance to take their first lead of the game.
But yet again it was Von Miller who had other ideas, as he forced the ball out of Newton's hands for a second time, putting his team in a great position to eventually seal the deal with a CJ Anderson touchdown and a 2-point conversion.
In order to put Sunday's performance by the Broncos' defensive line-up into perspective, one statistic is particularly important: The Panthers scored an average of 31.25 points per game this season, and scored less than 20 points only once this season.
Linebacker Brandon Miller put it this way: 'In my opinion, we're the greatest defense ever to play the game. Ever. It's a bold statement but top to bottom, we have the greatest talent ' from rushers to safeties to linebackers. Better than anybody's ever done it.'
After the game, the attention quickly fell on Manning's planned retirement. But the 39-year old refused to make an emotional decision, stating: 'I'll take some time to reflect. I got a couple priorities first. I'm going to go kiss my wife and my kids. I'm going to drink a lot of Budweiser tonight. Take care of those things first.'
Cam Newton left the press-conference in a state of terrible disappointment. 'I don´t know what you want me to say. I'm sorry,' he said.
The disappointment is understandable, but his youth and his talent will undoubtedly make his team a force to be reckoned with for years to come.
As for now, there's just one thing to remember: Offense wins games, defense wins Championships.
' The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
