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.
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.
Cam Newton was hit 13 times last night, nearly 2x his season high and 10 more than his avg https://t.co/UcHLkg4HFU pic.twitter.com/jot0gn8NHW
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) February 8, 2016
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.
Last week, @sonofbum defense hit Tom Brady 23 times - most in #NFL this year. In #SB50, they pressured Cam Newton career-high 21 times
— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) February 8, 2016
Cam Newton most dropbacks under pressure in a game:
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 8, 2016
21 in #SB50 vs Broncos
17 in 2012 vs Broncos pic.twitter.com/yn5Wc6AYTf
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.
Under pressure in #SB50 Cam Newton completed just 31.3% of his passes, and he was under pressure a lot!
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) February 8, 2016
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.
Cam Newton when both Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware rushed the passer in #SB50:
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 8, 2016
1-of-12 passing, 4 sacks, 2 fumbles (CAR lost 33 total yards)
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.
Cam Newton: 10 overthrown passes in #SB50, tied for the most in a game in Super Bowl history (Jim Kelly in XXVI, Stan Humphries in XXIX)
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 8, 2016
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.
Someone get Michael Oher new spikes, DeMarcus Ware has him skating backwards pic.twitter.com/ziTnGSqGoQ
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) February 8, 2016
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.
Von Miller strip sacks Cam Newton.
— NFL (@NFL) February 8, 2016
Cam fumbles.
Broncos recover in the end zone! #Touchdown!!#SB50 https://t.co/V6rHEfcTYu
And the other dropped pass resulted in a pick near the Broncos' end zone.
The interception from Cam Newton's view pic.twitter.com/grY71edSwq
— The Cauldron (@TheCauldron) February 8, 2016
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.