Holy crap...are the Panthers actually going to LOSE this thing?

[Ken Burch]

Did ANYBODY see this coming?

[B Calm]

1. LOL,

[gratuitous]

2. I didn't see it coming at all

Denver has had Carolina's number all day long. I hate the Broncos, but they have earned and totally deserve to win today.

[Ken Burch]

3. Peyton will probably retire after the game.

Best possible note he could go out on.

[hlthe2b]

9. Yup, just like Elway did--after winning Super Bowl XXXIII... Can't possibly pick a better time.

I'm happy tonight!

[TDale313]

4. Looks like.

I thought Carolina was gonna win this thing.

[oberliner]

5. Guess the white jerseys were lucky

Good call!

[HooptieWagon]

6. All the turnovers is a bit of a surprise.

If they'd taken care of the ball they'd be leading 10-9, which is about how I figured the game would be.

[Ken Burch]

7. On the sidelines just now...John Elway looked just like Biff Tannen for a moment. n/t.

[Ex Lurker]

25. Denver has a great defense. They shut Cam down, and Carolina didn't have a plan B NT

[HooptieWagon]

30. Carolinas D also good.

If they had protected the ball and played field position/punting game they might have won 10-9.
Anyway, I didn't have a favorite so it was a pretty good game no matter who won. I guess it's pretty cool Manning retires as SB winner.

[edhopper]

8. yes

Dernver had a better D. Didn't anyone see SB 48?

[BeyondGeography]

10. They've made just about every flub you can make

So, yeah.

[Egnever]

16. Agreed they beat themselves.

[alarimer]

11. I'm so happy. I hate Cam Newton.

What an obnoxious ass. It definitely shut him up. LOL.

[Skeeter Barnes]

13. Loved his end zone tantrum after getting pounded into the turf yet again.

Sipping Panther tears right now.

[davidn3600]

12. Carolina needs to bring down their arrogance and overconfidence just a tad

Panthers looked completely inexperienced in the game and were obviously overhyped by the media. It went to their heads and they couldnt deliver on the big stage.

[backscatter712]

14. Their tears of unfathomable sadness are sweet and yummy! nt

[pokerfan]

15. I expected a low scoring game given the defenses

A few turnovers one way or the other and anything can happen.

[KentuckyWoman]

17. I saw this coming.

Actually about 3 minutes into the first quarter. I could see the refs decided they wanted Denver to win. It was obvious to me and I don't know didly squat about football. Saw the same garbage in the Bengals vs Steelers game. First quarter I told my husband no way will Cincinnati be allowed to win this game. Refs had already decided.

Fans see what they see but I really have no horse in the game. Just wish officiating was fair.

[Waldorf]

22. Oh please, the refs won the game for the Broncos? No, the Bronco defense is what won the game.

[KentuckyWoman]

23. not quite what I meant

Actually I didn't watch much of the game. About 5 minutes at the beginning and also about 5 minutes after half time. Can only say when they came back from half time the quarterback for Carolina looked tired. My husband said Carolina's offensive line wasn't holding up well and he'd been thrown around a bit.

A lot of things go into play but I can tell you the officiating at the beginning of the game was geared toward Denver winning.

[Ken Burch]

29. Interesting.

To me, in much of the second quarter particularly, it looked like the officials were trying to keep Carolina in the game.

People can perceive things differently.

[Paulie]

18. Where have I heard this story before?

[fishwax]

19. I didn't, and I'm a Broncos fan

I knew our defense meant we had a solid chance, but Denver's history in the Super Bowl didn't have me exactly confident.

[ecstatic]

20. Yes. All the money in Vegas was on the Panthers.

Always bet on the other team when that happens. The NFL is corrupt / compromised!

[Waldorf]

21. No, I figured Carolina would beat them pretty good. But damn, that Bronco defense took no

prisoners tonight.

[hifiguy]

26. Yup. They beat Newton like a gong

through the whole game. That is one fierce defense. They gave up only 44 points through three playoff games.

[Dr. Strange]

24. Norm Macdonald predicted 24-20 before the game.

Denver wins 24-20.

https://twitter.com/normmacdonald/status/696462965617262592

[Ken Burch]

38. 24-10, actually. n/t.

[Dr. Strange]

41. No, I mean the 24-20 was Norm's prediction.

Which wasn't too far off--and he was one of the people who saw a Broncos win coming.

He's a funny comedian (e.g. creator of SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy sketch), but he really knows his sports too.

[nc4bo]

27. I haz sad. nt

[adigal]

44. Don't be sad...your team will win. Newton is an excellent quarterback.

You will have many victory nights!!!

[redstateblues]

28. Cam will hopefully learn some humility

Saw him in Nashville when he played the Titans. They won but watching him do extended taunting victory dances even after the game was out of hand was disgusting. I'm not a Broncos fan or a Peyton fan but I sure don't like Cam.

[Whiskeytide]

32. Don't count on him learning that humility...

... Not his strong suit.

[hifiguy]

43. Apparently his son is named "Chosen."

You're on the mark. He's arrogant as can be.

[HughBeaumont]

31. Shot themselves in the foot. Repeatedly.

315 yards offense. 10 points. Awful execution.

Great defenses make up for horrible offenses. The Broncos had 194 total yards offense. They were 1/11 on third downs. Peyton had a 55.6 QB rating.

I mean, "go out on a high note" and all that, but let's not pretend Peyton contributed to this win. Their offense was the stuff of the Br_wns tonight.

[earthside]

33. Von Miller was the star.

Peyton just didn't make that much difference to the game.

[awake]

34. Bernie saw it coming

He call it for the Broncos today on one of the interviews he did, they asked him who he was for and he said since New England was not in it he thought the Broncos would take it.

[bluedigger]

35. Any one who watched the AFC championship might have had a clue.

Denver has an excellent defense. The games played out similarly, except Brady kept the Pats in it.

[Nye Bevan]

36. I give Cam Newton credit for toning down the showboating somewhat in this game (nt)

[Ace Rothstein]

42. There wasn't much to showboat about.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

37. Sure

Denver's defense is really, really good.

[littlewolf]

39. number 1 in the NFL ....nt

[restorefreedom]

40. was hoping for the panthers..... nt