Hot Shot vs. Old School,

A battle between ages for Super Bowl 50

        Every year, the Super Bowl is the event of the season, dominating the TV and gathering people all over the country around the little screen to watch their team fight for the Heisman Trophy. This year was especially great, as it was the 50^th anniversary of the big game and it didn’t disappoint. Although the commercials may have lacked compared to previous years with the exception of Doritos and the ever creepy ‘Puppy Monkey Baby’ theme for Mountain Dew, the game itself was exceptional. Usually you have the same two or three teams and usually the Patriots end up winning it but finally, we had two different teams fighting for the title. The Denver Broncos may be a well-known team, but were never able to make it to the Super Bowl thanks to its horrible postseason record. But this year, they defeated the one and only Patriots to get there to face off with an even more unlikely team, the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have only ever been in the Super Bowl once before this year and they lost, never to return until now.

       Usually in order to win a game, you want to score as many points as possible. This was a battle of the defenses though with only 3 touchdowns being scored between the two teams combined. Both quarterbacks were also sacked numerous times, especially Cam Newton, who got sacked 7 times! Speaking of the quarterbacks, they were a big part of the reason why this Super Bowl was so interesting. On one side, you have Peyton Manning, the old veteran who has already won a Super Bowl ring but spent a couple weeks of the season hurt with a foot injury ad who has had a bad reputation in the postseason. On the other side, you have Cam Newton, the young, unbeatable quarterback who led his Panthers to a 16 and 1 season and whose dance moves and boisterous and lively attitude made him popular among fans everywhere. It was a battle between the old version of the game and the new version, generation against generation. In the game of football, experience and maturity can be overlooked when talking about the traits of a good quarterback, but when you’re in a big game like the Super Bowl and trying frantically to throw a pass while under pressure of a good defense, those two things are what’s going to get you out of there successfully. That’s what Peyton did and that’s why he was able to overcome Cam Newton’s energetic game. Between those two factors combined with a quarterback sack that led to a touchdown and a 62 yard run off of a kick reception, this game certainly lived up to all of the hype surrounding it.