Cam Newton has earned headlines all season for his tremendous play and boisterous personality. But following Sunday’s Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos, Newton was far from his usual confident and bubbly persona.
The NFL MVP struggled his way through four quarters of relentless Broncos pressure in his team’s 24-10 loss in Super Bowl 50, and his frustration was evident in the post-game news conference.
"They just played better than us," Newton said postgame. "I don’t know what you want me to say. They made more plays than us and that’s what it comes down to.
"I mean, we had our opportunities. It wasn’t nothing special that they did, we dropped balls, we turned the ball over, gave up sacks, threw arrant passes, that’s it, they scored more points than us."
His answer was one of the few times in his post-game presser that Newton uttered more than one or two words. After just a few minutes of taking questions, Newton, looking visibly dejected, muttered something to indicate he wouldn’t take any more questions, then stood up and walked away.
His lack of candor following the loss was criticized by some following the game.
Newton threw one interception and fumbled twice, with both fumbles forced by Super Bowl MVP Von Miller. One of the fumbles was recovered by the Broncos in the end zone for a touchdown.
The second fumble, coming midway through the fourth quarter in a one-possession game, helped the Broncos punch the ball into the end zone for an insurmountable lead.
Newton finished the game with 18 completions in 41 attempts for 265 yards and no touchdowns. He also rushed 6 times for 41 yards.
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