Super Bowl 50 is now over and the Denver Broncos are champions. This was a highly anticipated battle between two top-seeded teams, one with an old-school quarterback (Peyton Manning) and the other with a new-age quarterback (Cam Newton).
In a game that seemed to fizzle out and lose its excitement, the Broncos claimed a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in large part due to a fierce, dominant defense.
Newton, the league MVP who had arguably one of the best seasons in the history of the NFL, completed 18 passes for 265 yards, had an interception, two fumbles, and was sacked six times.
On the other hand, Peyton Manning, the oldest starting quarterback to play in a Super Bowl at age 39, didn’t play the best game of his career. The Broncos had 194 yards total on offense, which is a new Super Bowl record for least number of offensive yards.
Both the Panthers and Broncos came into the game with strong defenses; however, as the game went on, the Broncos’ defense reigned supreme, reminding fans why they were the top defense in the league throughout the season.
The game which was meant to be entertaining eventually died out as Manning continued to throw wobbly passes and Newton spent most of the game desperately looking for ways to escape the Denver defense’s pressure.
As the oldest quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, Manning isn’t off the hook just yet. Even with the game over and other important events coming up, the big question that still remains is whether or not Manning will retire.
Many people would suggest that this is the perfect way for him to go out, winning a ring and riding off into the sunset. Others say that his time with the Broncos is over, but that doesn’t mean he is done playing football.
“I think Peyton will definitely retire. He just won the Super Bowl and can go out on top, there is no other way to do it better,” says McDaniel student John Chamberlin.
“At this point, I would hope that he does,” says Chris Inge, another McDaniel student. “Just coming off a Super Bowl victory and being the age that he is, I would think that Peyton would like to retire in this way. There’s no better way.”
Seeing how Brett Favre bounced in and out of retirement a few years ago, it is difficult to tell whether or not Manning will retire. The fans may think his time is up, but he may have other plans in mind.
