A review of Super Bowl 50

With Super Bowl 50 in the books, the Denver Broncos look to rest on their victory and enjoy the spoils. Perhaps the most speculated question heading into the offseason will be whether Payton Manning retires or not.
Football may be a team sport, but announcers Phil Sims and Jim Nantz gravitated towards Manning. During the game, Sims and Nantz consistently brought up “Manning’s final game” or “winning it for Peyton.”
As a football fan, it was frustrating to hear the announcers drone on and on about Peyton. Despite his lackluster performance, people were still praising him. The career milestone, a second Super Bowl victory, further legitimizes Peyton’s legacy.
The most interesting takeaway from the championship game is Peyton has now matched his younger brother Eli in Super Bowl wins. Statistic-wise, Peyton is a much better regular season quarterback than Eli. However, Eli has the edge in playoff games.
While Peyton has played in more playoff games, Eli has been far more efficient in the postseason. Leading two low-seeded New York Giant’s teams to Super Bowl victories against the New England Patriots twice. However, with Peyton capturing his second title, Eli no longer has the edge on Peyton in championship victories.
Before Sunday’s victory, Peyton had lost his previous two trips to the Super Bowl. In 2009 with the Colts, Manning lost to the Saints, and then again in 2013 with Denver Broncos, Manning’s team was defeated. Sunday’s win could be considered the older Manning finally getting over that hurdle.
While Manning was the most talked about player of the big game, Broncos linebacker Von Miller forced himself into the conversation with a brilliant performance.
Miller earned Super Bowl MVP honors with his 2.5 sack performance and forced fumble that was recovered for a touchdown. Miller’s dominating performance was overshadowed due to Peyton’s publicity and Cam Newton’s postgame antics.
Regardless of what happened on the field Sunday, the biggest talking points were quarterbacks Cam Newton and Peyton Manning. Despite the anticipation of two star quarterbacks facing off, Manning and Newton both had rather lackluster games: turning the football over and taking numerous sacks.
Super Bowl 50 was set up to be the best football game of the season. It featured an aging superstar Peyton Manning, versus the young, athletic MVP Cam Newton, but the hype was overbearing. The game itself fell flat.
Super Bowl 50 was defined by a strong defensive battle, numerous turnovers and overwhelming disappointment. Along with the gameplay, the halftime show consisting of Coldplay and featuring Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, seemed to lack enthusiasm and appeal.
Compared to past performances by Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Prince, The Who, etc., Coldplay failed to live up to the hype set forward by the previous artists. A sound malfunction also added to the struggles as viewers struggled to hear song lyrics.
I think we learned a lot from Super Bowl 50.
Sometimes, championship games are not as spectacular as they are cracked up to be. Perhaps our expectations were set too high from the previous Super Bowl between the Patriots and the Seahawks.
This year’s championship will be remembered mainly as a disappointment. Unimpressive games by the two quarterbacks, sloppy ball security and a subpar halftime performance made for a forgettable spectacle.
For now, America will be waiting for Super Bowl LI.