Cam Newton opens up on emotional toll of going up against Peyton Manning's Broncos in Super Bowl 50
Cam Newton said he was mentally drained when he led the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50.
Newton led the Panthers to an incredible 15-1 season and was named MVP. It was a great year for Carolina as the Panthers began the season 14-0.
After losing in Week 16, Carolina won its final regular-season game and then defeated the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs to advance to the Super Bowl.
Entering Super Bowl 50 against Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, Carolina was favored by 5.5 points, but Denver ended up winning 24-10.
It was a disappointing game for Newton and the Panthers and he admitted he was mentally drained.
“Only thing I remember from that Super Bowl was that I was mentally drained. Still to this day, I’ve never really watched the game. No film no coaches view, none of that. I remember that feeling during the game ‘I’m tired.’”
In Super Bowl 50, Newton went 18-for-41 for 265 yards and one interception, while rushing for 45 yards on six carries.
After the Super Bowl 50 loss, Cam Newton and the Panthers failed to replicate that success, as the following season Carolina went 6-8.
Newton was the starting quarterback for three more seasons before losing his job and ended up signing with New England.
Cam Newton still regrets not jumping on the fumble in Super Bowl 50
In the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 50, the Carolina Panthers were down by six points to the Denver Broncos.
As Carolina had the ball, Cam Newton fumbled as Von Miller hit the ball out of his hands. Newton had a chance to dive on it but didn't recover it. That helped seal the win for Denver and years later, Newton said that still is a major regret.
"It ain't no excuse for me not jumping on the fumble," Newton said on his Fourth & 1 show. "I should've jumped on the fumble, straight up. The competitor in me, if that happens again, duh. This is the Super Bowl... that wasn't Super Bowl energy, and I think that is what hurts the most, is you don't get an opportunity to go back. It's not promised for you to go back."
"That was your time to seize the moment," Cam Newton continued. "Carpe diem, the words that I live by. And I didn't. Looking back at it, you will never have an opportunity again."
That was the only time Newton played in a Super Bowl. The quarterback last played in the NFL in the 2021 season as he returned to Carolina but went 0-5 in his starts.