Super Bowl 50 Was The Most Dominant Defensive Performance In Recent Memory!

The name “Orange Crush” was originally formed in 1977. It was given to capture how dominant the Denver Broncos’ defense was during that period. Its aggressive style of play and the jerseys being predominantly orange are what earned them that honor.

Fast forward 39 years from that time, and Denver saw a rebirth of that name in the form of the “No Fly Zone”. The 2016 defense was punishing like no other. They led the league in sacks with 52 and passing yards per game allowed(199.6 yards per game), causing problems to quarterbacks all year long. This defense was ranked top three in a lot of defensive categories.

Super Bowl 50 was no different. Coming off a game where they had hit Tom Brady 20 times and sacked him four times in the AFC Championship, they were ready to do the same to league MVP Cam Newton. At the time, he was a force, racking up 45 total touchdowns and nearly 4500 total yards.

The Carolina Panthers, in their two previous playoff games, scored 31 and 49 points and never trailed. They entered the big game as heavy favorites, but left the game heavy-headed. They were not prepared for the ferocity of that Denver defense.

The Broncos, in that game, sacked Newton seven times. They also had a total of 19 pressures and had him flustered all night long. The No Fly Zone did their part as well, forcing Newton to go just 18/41 on his passes and intercepting him once without allowing a touchdown in the air.

The demolition was led by Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, who had 2.5 sacks and two crucial forced fumbles. The first one led to a score putting Denver up 10-0 early in the game, and the second one sealed the game late in the fourth when the Broncos were up 16-10.

The Panthers walked into that game with the league MVP and the best offense. They had no answers for Miller and company as they lost 24-10.

No Fly Zone Or Legion Of Boom?

Many people like to debate which defense had a better performance: The Broncos in Super Bowl 50 or the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 48. Seattle, in Super Bowl 48, won 43-8 and completely shut down the Broncos. Denver that year had a historic offense.

The Broncos were led by MVP Peyton Manning, who shattered every single-season QB record known to man. The offense, as a whole, broke mark after mark, and many considered this to be the greatest offense of all time.

Seattle holding them to just eight points gives them the nod for many people. The score being more lopsided than Super Bowl 50 tends to sway people toward the Legion of Boom.

The score, however, does not tell the entire story. The case for Denver having the better performance is the lack of production from its offense.

Seattle’s defense was incredible, but its offense being competent certainly helped. The Seahawks’ offense generated 341 yards of offense, turned over the ball zero times, and possessed the ball for 31 minutes.

Denver’s offense generated just 194 total yards, turned the ball over twice, and only possessed the ball for 27 minutes. It felt like the Broncos’ defense had a much bigger responsibility. The circumstances were not on its side, and it still delivered.

Seattle, on the other hand, played a complementary style of football that put their already incredible defense in good situations, which allowed them to play at their best.

End Of My Super Bowl 50 Rant

Denver’s defense capped off an incredible season with a dominant game in Super Bowl 50. They made the league MVP and the best offense in football look lost for 60 minutes.

To make matters even more impressive, they did all this while getting virtually nothing from their offense. That part of the team took on all of the responsibility. Broncos fans are now hoping for a little repeat in history.

Super Bowl 60 ends in the same venue, and Denver has a team that many believe is the best since their Super Bowl-winning year.