Wednesday 11 January 2017 11:48, UK
It has been another NFL season of record offensive production but the Denver Broncos proved that defence can still win championships as they demolished the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Sunday night.
The final score of 24-10 in favour of the underdog Broncos may not seem like a demolition, but it was from a defensive point of view as they took on the highest-scoring offense in the NFL and hammered them from start to finish.
It was a glorious afternoon and evening in northern California and here are six things that caught my eye from the sidelines of Levi's Stadium.
Broncos general manager John Elway went into Sunday's Super Bowl claiming Denver's D was the best he had seen in 30 years. That would put them alongside the legendary 1985 Chicago Bears. It's hard to argue with that statement having seen the Broncos up close and personal.
From pitch level, I was struck by the speed of this Denver defence. They just swarmed to the ball like a bunch of jacked-up sprinters, harassed Cam Newton to the point of frustration, shut down the running game and smothered his receivers.
You pick an area of the game and this Denver defence dominated it. I was impressed by Seattle's defence in defeating the Broncos 43-8 two years ago in New York but this was a much better display than that, in my mind.
Denver's offence produced just 194 total yards and that is 50 less than any other Super Bowl-winning team in league history. But they got that Vince Lombardi Trophy because of a speedy and stifling defence.
The Broncos tried to edge Peyton Manning into retirement at the conclusion of the 2014 season and this year they might give him a harder shove. But I don't think that will be necessary because I expect 'The Sheriff' to hang up his helmet and shoulder pads.
Manning wanted to come back for one more shot at Super Bowl glory and, incredibly, he achieved his goal at the end of what he himself labelled "a unique season." Peyton has been dealing with the weakest set of physical skills at any point in his Hall of Fame career - he has been benched, injured, humbled and even accused of taking human growth hormone, an allegation the quarterback vehemently denied.
But while there was not much of his play to get excited about on Sunday night, he is a Super Bowl champion once again and deserves his moment in the spotlight. Then I expect him to pull a Ray Lewis, John Elway and Jerome Bettis and retire as a champion.
Von Miller was named the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl 50 and that might have been the easiest call of all-time. He was dominant from start to finish with six tackles, two and a half sacks, two quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.
Miller was a thorn in Cam Newton's side all day long and his explosive speed was a key to this championship game. Newton had not been hit more than six times in a game all season and had actually only been hit a total of three times in Carolina's previous two play-off wins.
But in Super Bowl 50, Cam was sacked a record seven times and hit on 13 occasions and Miller, who was smart enough to go for the football and force fumbles when he hit the quarterback, was a key to those impressive stats.
Let's be clear here - the Carolina defence certainly held up their end of the deal. They held the Broncos to one of 14 on third down attempts and those 194 total yards and made some big plays of their own. They just did not create the same kind of turnovers as those swarming Broncos.
Kony Ealy had the best game of his young career, Luke Kuechly is so breath-taking to watch in person and let's spare a thought for a couple of old warriors in Thomas Davis and Jared Allen, who played through a broken arm and a broken foot respectively.
This unit was the real deal - they just didn't have enough support from an offence that got very little in the running game and nothing much to write home about from the league's newly-crowned Most Valuable Player.
From Sky Sports to the Super Bowl
We were very fortunate to have Wade Phillips join us in the Sky Sports studios in London for the 2014 NFL Draft as the veteran coach had been fired by the Houston Texans and was beginning a frustrating year out of the game.
It was clear from spending a day with Wade that he is a genius of defensive football and now he is on top of the American football mountain after masterminding this Denver effort in Santa Clara. After 38 years in the NFL, Wade finally has a Super Bowl ring and it is thoroughly deserved.
Wade's defence produced a performance for the ages with a Super Bowl record seven sacks, three interceptions and a fumble.
I fully accept that Cam Newton was bound to be disappointed at the end of Super Bowl 50 but his post-game press conference was not one you would associate with a leader or a good sport. In fact, it was the press conference of a sullen and sulky young man - it was the kind of press conference that Cam went through earlier in his career.
Newton sulked and one-word-answered his way through the question and answer session in the bowels of Levi's Stadium before getting up and walking out after three minutes, stating: "I'm done, man."
You can't have it both ways, Cam. If you're going to be all smiles and actually rub your opponent's nose in it by organising team photo shoots on the sideline when you win, the least you can do is put on a brave face when you lose.
I know for a fact that Cam is impacting young American football players around the world because I have seen them dabbing in America and on the practice fields of England. All Cam did to those young fans on Sunday night was tell them it is okay to be a bad loser. It is not, of course. He must do better.
Peyton Manning said this week that Cam was going to be the face of the NFL for the next eight to 10 years. He's not mature enough and ready for that role yet, based on Sunday's post-game display.
