Dave & Adam’s “Leaders of The Pack” – Super Bowl 50

Super Bowl 50 is in the books and the Denver Broncos are once again champions of the professional football world. The Broncos’ defense grounded Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers offense into submission during Denver’s 24-10 win.

The 50th edition of the Super Bowl won’t be remembered for much. The offenses for both teams were pretty bad, most of the commercials weren’t that great and the game lacked any kind of excitement. We will still press on though and give out final round of Dave & Adam’s “Leaders of The Pack” awards for the players that stood out during Super Bowl 50. (Note: We usually honor the top QB, RB and WRs, but since there was a lack of memorable offensive performances we are just going to pick the three best players from the game.)

3. C.J. Anderson – Denver Broncos – 23 carries, 90 yards, 1 touchdown

Anderson might have been lone offensive player to stand out in a game dominated by defense. The Broncos’ two touchdowns in Super Bowl 50 required four yards of total offense, however, they did have two offensive drives that set up Brandon McManus field goals. Anderson was much better at moving the ball for Denver than his teammate, Ronnie Hillman, who failed to finish with any positive yardage on the ground.

Anderson’s regular season wasn’t all the great, with only four games of more than 70 yards on the ground, but he made up for it during the postseason as Andreson rushed for a total of 234 yards and two touchdowns during Denver’s run to the Lombardi Trophy. Look for his rookie cards in select 2013 football products.

2. Kony Ealy – Carolina Panthers – 3 sacks, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble

Ealy was a beast for the Panthers defense as he became the first player in Super Bowl history to record at least two sacks and an interception during the big game. The two turnovers he created kept Carolina in the game. Ealy picked off Peyton Manning late in the second quarter just a few plays after Mike Tolbert coughed up the ball for the Panthers. He then stripped the ball from Manning in the third quarter, which led to a Carolina field goal that made the score 16-10. Unfortunately for Ealy the Carolina offense finished the game with three drives that ended with a punt or a fumble and netted a total of -13 yards.

The Panthers drafted Ealy in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s registered nine sacks in his first two season in Carolina. Look for his rookie card in select 2014 football products.

1. Von Miller – Denver Broncos – 2.5 sacks, 5 tackles, 2 forced fumbles

In the battle of the first and second overall picks of the 2011 NFL Draft, Miller got the better of Cam Newton to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Miller earned the Super Bowl 50 MVP award with his dominating performance. His two forced fumbles directly led to ten points for the Broncos, including one that was recovered in the end zone by Denver for a touchdown.

Look for Miller’s rookie cards in 2011 football products, which also just happen to hold rookie cards featuring Cam Newton.

Thanks to everyone that read our weekly “Leaders of The Pack” posts. We’ll see you in September for the 2016 season.