Postgame analysis: Broncos 36, Panthers 14

Cam Newton’s “Superman” shirt-ripping celebration was on display all afternoon Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Unfortunately for the Panthers (2-7, 1-2 NFC South), Newton wasn’t the one celebrating.

Denver (6-3, 2-0 AFC West) sacked Newton seven times and throttled the Carolina offense on its way to a 36-14 win.

Broncos LB Von Miller promised to mock Newton’s touchdown celebration when he sacked the Panthers quarterback. It took him all of five snaps to keep his promise. Miller and the Denver defense intercepted Newton once and sacked him in the end zone for a safety.

Peyton Manning was 27 of 38 for 301 yards and a touchdown, and Trindon Holliday returned a punt 76 yards for a score to lead Denver.

When the game turned: On the first play of the second quarter, Carolina rookie Brad Nortman punted 59 yards. Holliday, who had come close to breaking long returns twice in the first quarter, broke a tackle attempt by Richie Brockel at the 24, where he caught it, and turned up the right sideline. The only other Panther who had a shot at him was Nortman, who dived and missed at the Panther 45. The touchdown and PAT gave Denver a 14-7 lead and the Broncos never looked back.

Highlight moments: Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, Manning completed passes of 32 and 9 yards to get the Broncos to first-and-goal from the 10. He rolled right and threw across his body, finding a wide open Brandon Stokley, who scored a game-tying touchdown. … After recovering a Willis McGahee fumble, the Panthers took over at their 34 early in the third quarter. On the first play, Newton was chased from the pocket by Miller. In the grasp and on his way down, Newton threw the ball toward Brandon LaFell on the left sideline. Tony Carter stepped in front of the ball and took the interception 40 yards for a score and a 24-7 Broncos lead.

Top-shelf performances:

Broncos LB Miller -- 6 tackles, all solo, 1 sack, 4 tackles for loss, 1 quarterback hit and 1 forced fumble.
Broncos WR Demaryius Thomas -- 9 catches for 135 yards

What they said about Carter’s interception return:

Panthers coach Ron Rivera -- “That interception for a touchdown in the third quarter, that just offset us right there.”

QB Newton -- “I was just trying to make a play. I saw LaFell flash in front of me as I was running away, not knowing there was a guy behind him. I should’ve thrown it out of bounds and taken my losses as losses. After a good play by the defense, I’ve got to be more mature. It’s better to be second-and-10 than have a pick-6."

QB Manning -- “People talk about the Broncos offense, defense and special teams, but we’re one team. Any time anyone on the team wants to score a touchdown, I’m for it. Our defense played great today.”

What they said about Miller’s sack and celebration:

LB Miller -- “It was definitely great to get it that early and break the anticipation. I really wanted to do it, although I’m sure Cam really didn’t want to see it. It definitely set the tempo.”

Rivera -- “They rushed him off the end a couple times and brought him under a couple of times. They rushed him inside, too. They also blitzed outside of him, so we had to change our protections. He’s a special player.”

QB Newton -- “He was a very impactful player today.”

Numbers you should know: Peyton and Eli Manning have combined for 72 points in two games at Bank of America Stadium this season. Newton has produced 82 in five games. … The Panthers were 0 for 11 on third-down conversions. … The Panthers threw to Steve Smith seven times. He caught one for 19 yards.

Injury update: Broncos -- DE Elvis Dumervil left in the first half with a shoulder injury and didn’t return. … WR Demaryius Thomas was shaken up right before halftime, but he returned for the start of the third quarter. … Panthers -- LG Amini Silatolu suffered a cut on his leg and left the game in the third quarter. He returned in the fourth.

Going forward: Broncos -- Denver takes a four-game win streak home to face the Chargers, followed by a trip to Kansas City. The team is on a roll and can take a commanding lead in the AFC West by winning those two games. … Panthers -- Carolina stays home for a game against Tampa -- a rematch of a season-opening loss. Carolina travels to Philadelphia and Kansas City after that for three straight winnable games.