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All the GIFs, memes and ‘Crying Jordans’ you could ask for in a Super Bowl recap

Super Bowl 50 put a bow on top of a great NFL season, with the Denver Broncos winning their third title in franchise history by defeating the Carolina Panthers, 24-10. It was amazing to see Peyton Manning earn his second … Continued

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by:
SiriusXM Editor
February 8, 2016

Super Bowl 50 put a bow on top of a great NFL season, with the Denver Broncos winning their third title in franchise history by defeating the Carolina Panthers, 24-10. It was amazing to see Peyton Manning earn his second Super Bowl ring in what might be the last game of his career. It was shocking to see Cam Newton and the Panthers get dominated the way they did. (And it was totally unsurprising to see the criticism the young quarterback received after the game.)

But before we get to all that, let’s give the people what they want: The best GIFs, vines and memes from a long Sunday night!

First, we must preface this recap by pointing out that your resident NFL writer correctly predicted the outcome of the big game, to finish with a 9-2 record in postseason predictions. Hence forth, from now on, I shall be known as NostraSamus.

The pregame festivities were on fleek, starting with Carolina native and reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry pounding the Panthers’ “Keep Pounding” drum:

After the loss, Curry won the internet with this “Crying Jordan” meme. You’ll be seeing a lot of these.

Lady Gaga slayed with her powerful performance of the National Anthem, probably the second-best rendition after Whitney Houston’s epic performance at Super Bowl XXV. Who cares if Gaga looked like Elizabeth Banks’ character from “The Hunger Games”? This performance was spectacular.

Both Denver and Carolina boast two of the best defenses in the NFL, but it was the Broncos’ unit that was able to put on an all-time great performance. The Denver pass rush was relentless all game, with Newton seeing more pressure on Sunday than he had all season. The Broncos recorded seven sacks and forced four turnovers.

Von Miller led the way with six tackles and 2.5 sacks. Two of those sacks forced fumbles by Newton, and one of those fumbles was recovered in the end zone for an early touchdown.

Newton was sacked six times and pressured 19 times with a total of 13 hits. He finished with 265 yards and an interception on 18-for-41 passing, and rushed for an additional 45 yards.

Miller, who was named Super Bowl MVP for his performance, was humbled afterwards. Listen to this clip from his visit with SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“It’s honestly not about me,” Miller said in his post-game press conference. “If I could cut this award, I would give it to DeMarcus (Ware) and (Derek) Wolfe and all the other guys. That’s what I would do. This is all great and stuff, but for me, I want to be with my guys. I would take the ring, the MVP is great, but I’ll take the ring.”

Humble in public, but #Savage on social media, Miller posted this hilarious picture on his Instagram of the dabbing “Crying Michael Jordans.”

Jus Dab!!! 😎

A photo posted by Von Miller (@millerlite40) on

Manning didn’t have to do much himself, able to rely on the outstanding Denver defense to control the game. The Sheriff threw for just 141 yards and an interception on 13-of-23 passes, but managed to orchestrate a late scoring-drive capped by a rushing touchdown by C.J. Anderson, who ran for a game-high 90 yards on 23 carries.

When the game was in-hand, we saw a shot of the Manning family’s celebration in the press box. But one person didn’t look too enthused.

Peyton’s younger brother Eli was expressionless after the game-sealing score. Maybe because now he and big brother have the same number of rings?

After the game, Manning sought out the Panthers for post-game hugs and handshakes, his teammates for celebrations and his wife and kids for hugs and kisses. But the first person he ran into for a post-game kiss was … Papa John? Yes, the proud Papa made his way onto the field to share a moment with Manning.

Here’s Manning discussing the win with SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Newton’s post-game did not go as smoothly. The young quarterback was understandably distraught after suffering a loss on the biggest stage in his career, unable to compose himself for the press conference. A visibly-dejected Newton spoke for a little over three minutes, giving short answers and looking down the entire time before walking off the podium.

Now, as the newly-crowned league MVP and the face of the NFL for the foreseeable future, Newton probably should’ve handled that situation a little bit better. A lot of current and former players from across different sports argued that he should’ve acted more mature and professional. But isn’t it understandable for an athlete to be dejected after a loss? If we criticize the way he celebrates when he wins and how he acts when he loses, are we telling him to be a robot and show no feelings whatsoever?

A particularly disgusting reaction came from former NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski, who called Newton “boy” in a tweet before deleting it and later apologizing. (Not to Cam, but to anyone he offended.) It was just last week that Romanowski, who was known as one of the dirtiest players of all time, said he’d choke Newton if he were playing against him. Last night’s tweet was an absolutely classless, yet unsurprising, statement from Romanowski, who owes Newton an apology.

On a lighter note, the Super Bowl 50 halftime show saw Beyonce and Bruno Mars shine alongside the headlining act, Coldplay. You can watch the show in its entirety here. The dance-off between Bruno and Queen Bey was everything, and it was an overall solid show.

And yes, we said it was Coldplay headlining, NOT Maroon 5.

In homage to the social media gaffe, Chris Martin was #LeftSharked.

Martin wasn’t the only one to get the #LeftShark treatment. Check out these two old dudes dancing behind Mark Ronson.

But the night belonged to the Broncos, who turnt all the way up at their after-party celebration. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips even got to #DabOnEm:

Congrats to the Denver organization and the fans of Broncos Nation.

Now, join me in crying as we wait seven months for the start of the next NFL season.

Tags:

BeyoncéBruno MarsCam NewtonCarolina PanthersChris MartinColdplayDenver BroncosEli ManningLady GagaPeyton ManningSiriusXM NFL RadioStephen CurrySuper Bowl RadioVon Miller
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