It’s pretty obvious who won and who lost after Super Bowl 50 on Sunday night without a glance at the scoreboard that read Broncos 24, Panthers 10.
The storybook finish happened for one, an emergence for another. And for the losing team we saw the best and the worst possibilities — for guys who have plenty of good and now bad potential on cardboard. Here’s a rundown …
Von Miller — Not long ago he was a guy coming off a suspension and an ACL tear, but on Sunday night the Broncos LB became one of a handful of defensive stars named the Super Bowl MVP. He recorded six tackles, two forced fumbles and two sacks for a loss of 27 yards. His strip of Cam Newton in the fourth quarter set up the final score of the game. Miller’s Rookie Cards can be found in 2011 boxes and he’s undoubtedly seen an uptick in interest simply because defensive stars are often overlooked. Will it last? Probably not, but he’ll always have the MVP award in the record book. It will help, though, if he remains in Denver.
Cam Newton — Had the scoreboard remained the same and his post-game interview walk-off not happened, then we’d probably not have any doubts about the Panthers QB and the reigning league MVP. But with a big loss, a fumble not chased, and a less-than-MVP interview session does nothing but fuel the critics who don’t like his antics when he’s winning. Newton really was the only loser on Super Bowl Sunday — and this won’t help his cardboard even as the league MVP.
Josh Norman — The Panthers’ CB has seen the spotlight this season as the other half of the Odell Beckham Meltdown Game. He’s been brash, he’s been successful, he even cried on the sidelines. After the game, he faced the media and showed his QB how it should be done. “I’m having a hard time sitting here,” he said. “I’m going to be straight up honest. I didn’t even want to talk to you guys.” But he did, and, perhaps it’s because of Newton, it all came off as a positive. What else is positive? How little cardboard he has. After a run to the Super Bowl, there will still be demand even without a win.
Peyton Manning — The Broncos QB declined to say that Super Bowl 50 was, indeed, his last rodeo but it was one of the top moments in a long and historic NFL career. He’s easily among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and a second Super Bowl ring diffuses the weak notion that his record book-topping performances are somehow null without postseason perfection. Manning’s future is likely done in Denver. Would another season playing for another team hurt his image compared to walking off as a Super Bowl winner? Maybe, but he may not want to be done yet. Buzz is pretty sure that his cardboard, a collectable resume that started way back in 1998, is secure either way.
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