Cam Newton met the Denver defense Sunday and, for the first time all season, was shut down via an onslaught of pass rushers that pounded him right up until his final costly turnover doomed the Panthers' championship chances. For four quarters, Newton was under siege, bombarded and shellacked by the Broncos' pass rush.

And now, fair or not, the perception surrounding Newton has taken a turn for the worse. He didn't dive for that costly fumble. He didn't play well, though not many would've given the circumstances. He walked out during his press conference, providing a fitting ending for his nightmarish night. In all, Newton went 18 of 41 for 265 yards, no touchdowns and one pick. Furthermore, he was sacked six times and compiled a 55.4 passer rating. 

Let's take a look at five stats that sum up the Broncos defense's dominance over Newton in Super Bowl 50.

Cam Newton was frustrated all game long by the Broncos defense. (USATSI)

1. Newton was hit ... a lot

A pretty startling statistic: Newton was hit a season-high 13 times last night. Entering Sunday's game, Newton hadn't been hit more than seven times in a single game this season.

For the sake of comparison, in two games against the vaunted Seahawks' defense, the Panthers allowed seven hits -- combined. 

2. Newton was pressured ...  a lot

Even when the Broncos weren't hitting Newton, they were still making him uncomfortable. 

By the numbers, Super Bowl 50 was the most uncomfortable Newton's been in his entire career. 

3. Newton didn't fare so well under pressure

And the pressure, for obvious reasons, impacted Newton's performance. 

He didn't complete many passes. According to Pro Football Focus, Newton completion percentage dipped to 31.3 percent when he was pressured by the Broncos.

Again, not many quarterbacks would've thrived in Sunday night's environment. The Broncos were simply too dominant. 

4. When Miller and Ware were sent to rush the passer ...

But let's get more specific. How did Newton fare when DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller were deployed to destroy Newton?

Not well.

Miller ended up capturing the game's MVP award thanks to his 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, both of which led to Broncos' touchdowns. Ware, meanwhile, registered two sacks of Newton (and he's coming back for more).

5. Overthrown passes

Due to the pressure, Newton wasn't very accurate on Sunday night. He actually tied a Super Bowl record for the most overthrown passes.

Now, just to reiterate, the Panthers' loss isn't entirely on Newton. It's also on the offensive line, which appeared to be playing on roller skates.

It's also on the wide receivers, who dropped two costly passes, one of which could've gone for an early touchdown. Instead, a few plays later, Newton was sacked and stripped and the Broncos' defense scored a touchdown.

And the other dropped pass resulted in a pick near the Broncos' end zone.

Give credit to the Broncos' defense. Because, as much as those five stats above are about Newton's day, they're just as much about one of the greatest defenses of all time, which showed up to play in Super Bowl 50 and shut down the NFL's MVP for the first time all season.