Von Miller Super Bowl MVP, explained: Revisiting former Broncos star’s legendary performance vs. Panthers

When it’s all said and done, Von Miller will go down as one of the premier pass rushers of this generation, if not one of the best outside linebackers of all time.

Miller hasn’t hung up the cleats just yet, though, and he’s set to head to the playoffs for the eighth time in his career at the age of 35 as a member of the Buffalo Bills.

Miller will be taking on the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round, the team that drafted him in 2011 and the city where he spent his prime seasons. In a post to his personal Instagram, Miller noted that everything was coming “full circle” ahead of the Bills’ matchup with the Broncos.

Miller had an illustrious career in Denver across nine seasons, highlighted by eight Pro Bowl appearances, seven All-Pro nods and a DROY award. While all of these accolades are great, Miller will be ingrained in the memories of football fans everywhere thanks to his performance in one game: Super Bowl 50.

As the Broncos head to Buffalo ahead of wild-card weekend, let’s take a moment to look back at Miller’s legendary game that capped off Denver’s Super Bowl run.

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Revisiting Von Miller’s Super Bowl MVP performance vs. Panthers

Coming into Super Bowl 50, Miller was fresh off a first-team All-Pro nomination and 2.5 sacks (and a pick) in the AFC Championship Game against the Patriots. If anyone in the upcoming Super Bowl held the reputation of being a game wrecker, it was Miller.

One of the key storylines in Super Bowl 50 was set to be the matchup between Miller and Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. This duo had been connected for several years after they went No. 1 (Newton) and No. 2 (Miller) in the 2011 NFL Draft. Making the matchup even more enticing was the fact that Newton had just been named NFL MVP, while Miller was one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL at the time.

Ultimately, it was Miller who would get the upper hand in this battle. He was dominant throughout the game, but two key plays effectively started and ended the game.

The beginning of the first quarter was rather slow with Peyton Manning leading the Broncos to a field goal on the opening drive, followed by a punt from each team on the second and third drives of the game.

Late in the first quarter, on the Panthers’ second drive of the evening, Miller forced a strip sack that proved to be the turning point of the game.

After that notorious strip sack, the Denver defense became the story for the game. The Denver defense held the league’s No. 1 offense to just 10 points and 4.2 yards per play.

Despite holding Carolina to just 10 points, struggles from Peyton Manning and company kept the game fairly close. With just over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Newton and the Panthers took the field trailing by six points.

After gaining just one yard on first and second downs, Miller and the Broncos’ pass rushers were able to tee off on Newton on 3rd & 9.

Some will remember this play for Newton’s hesitancy to dive on the ball, but this will always go down as the play that won Super Bowl 50 for the Broncos.

After stuffing the stat sheet, leading the Denver defense for four quarters and making the two biggest plays of the game, Miller deservedly won Super Bowl MVP, becoming the 10th (and most recent) defensive player to do so.

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Von Miller Super Bowl stats vs. Panthers

The effect that pass rushers can have on a game often doesn’t show up in the stat sheet. However, looking at Miller’s stats from Super Bowl 50, it’s quite obvious that he wreaked havoc on the Carolina offense.