Broncos Beat Panthers 24–10 In Super Bowl 50

It featured strong defense from the Broncos — and Beyoncé.

The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50, in what featured a quarterback duel between Peyton Manning and Cam Newton — a battle of the old versus new generation.

The Panthers and the Broncos met at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

The Broncos went 12–4 during the regular season to finish first in the AFC West. To get to the Super Bowl, they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, then the rival New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. The Broncos were most recently in the Super Bowl following the 2013–2014 season, when they lost in a 43–8 blowout to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Panthers finished the regular season with a record of 15–1, the best in the NFL. After finishing first in the NFC South, the Panthers beat the Seahawks and the Cardinals to appear in the first franchise Super Bowl since 2003.

Here's some of what happened during the big game:

Lady Gaga belted out the national anthem — while wearing an ensemble that looked familiar.

The Broncos led the Panthers for the first half.

Well, that's one way to score a touchdown #SB50

Though running back Jonathan Stewart caught some impressive air while making a touchdown for the Panthers.

Jonathan Stewart got some altitude on that touchdown

CBS confirmed via a commercial that The Good Wife is ending.

CBS confirms this is the final season of #TheGoodWife during the #SuperBowl

Beyoncé and Bruno Mars stole the show during Coldplay's halftime performance.

And Queen Bey slayed her new song, "Formation," and officially announced a world tour 🎤.

With a strong defense, the Broncos hung onto their lead throughout the second half — while bringing home a final score of 24–10.

🐴🐴🐴🐴

Congratulations @Broncos. It was an honor to face the best. #SB50

Here are some other things that made this year's game memorable:

Peyton Manning vs. Cam Newton

Rumors have swirled that Super Bowl 50 will be Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning's last game of his 18-season career. It is his fourth Super Bowl appearance; he won one ring in Super Bowl XLI with the Indianapolis Colts. Manning is a five-time MVP and at age 39 is considered to be one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was named league MVP Saturday night. The 2015–2016 season was his fifth in the league. Newton is known for being a mobile quarterback who is often able to run in his own touchdowns. He scored 10 rushing TDs during the regular season. Newton won the Heisman Trophy in 2010 and was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft.

Demaryius Thomas and his mom

The quarterbacks absorbed much of the focus of announcers and fans Sunday, but another big storyline was Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. Thomas's mother, Katina Smith, was given an early release from prison in January 2016, and Super Bowl 50 is only the second game of her son's career she'll have attended in person. Smith was arrested in 1999 for drug trafficking. Earlier this week Thomas told reporters his mother was feeling overwhelmed about being around so many people, but that "I'm just excited about the situation and being in the Super Bowl and that she's going to be able to make it."

Other notes:

• Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak is in his first season with the team after eight years with the Houston Texans. This is Kubiak's first time coaching in a Super Bowl.

• Panthers coach Ron Rivera is the league's only Latino head coach and only the third Latino head coach in NFL history. Rivera is known as "Riverboat Ron" for some of his bigger play-calling gambles. Rivera has derided the nickname, famously saying he'd prefer to be known as "Analytics Ron."

• Broncos guard Evan Mathis is the only player in Super Bowl 50 to have played for the Panthers and the Broncos. Mathis started his NFL career with the Panthers in 2005; he played in Carolina for three seasons. This is Mathis's first season with the Broncos.

And if you're not a football fan at all, don't worry! We have you covered. Here's our guide to faking your way through tonight's game.

Here's some of earlier Super Bowl coverage from BuzzFeed News:

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