Dud No. 1 – Demaryius Thomas & The Offense (Mostly)
Don’t snap to judgment, just yet. There were several players who were great on offense. C.J. Anderson and Emmanuel Sanders were both instrumental in Denver’s win. Demaryius Thomas, despite having only one measly catch on the day, drew a critical holding penalty to led to a touchdown instead of a field goal.
But as has been their habit all year, the offense couldn’t muster first downs when they needed them. In fact, Denver set a new Super Bowl record (breaking their own sad record) of 12 consecutive failed third-down conversions. Denver converted just one of 14 on the day; it came on their opening drive.
That wasn’t the only record they set; they also had the fewest yards of total offense (194) by a winning team in the Super Bowl. Anderson, who scored Denver’s one offensive touchdown, accounted for 90 of those on the ground and 10 on catches.
The one thing the Denver offense did do, it converted most opportunities into points. Jordan Norwood’s 61-yard punt return became a field goal. Graham Gano’s missed field goal became one for Denver. And Von Miller’s second strip sack was the game-sealing touchdown and two-point conversion.
It wasn’t pretty, but it worked.
