SANTA CLARA, Calif. — History was on the line, and it was achieved as the Broncos dismantled the Carolina Panthers 24-10 to win Super Bowl 50.

Peyton Manning is now the only starting quarterback to guide two teams to Super Bowl wins. History will not remember that Manning was limited to 141 yards on 13-of-23 passing and a 56.6 quarterback rating; it will recall that he has that unique team accomplishment along with the two most significant milestones for his position and the best single season for a quarterback in NFL history.

Von Miller

Von Miller had the greatest individual defensive performance in Super Bowl history in winning the MVP award: 2.5 sacks for 27 yards in losses and two forced fumbles, one of which was recovered for a touchdown, with the other setting up C.J. Anderson‘s game-clinching points.

The Broncos have their third world championship. Gary Kubiak has world championships as a head coach and an assistant coach with the only NFL team for which he played. John Elway is the first man in NFL history to win a Super Bowl MVP trophy and a Vince Lombardi Trophy as a general manager.

Owner Pat Bowlen has his third world championship in 32 seasons as Broncos owner. Although Alzheimer’s disease prevented him from being at Levi’s Stadium for Super Bowl 50, Elway ensured the moment was all about the team’s beloved boss, declaring, “This one’s for Pat!” and providing perfect symbiosis with Bowlen’s declaration after the club’s first Super Bowl win 18 years ago.

Denver’s defense etched its name alongside the 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens, 2002 Buccaneers and 2013 Seahawks as the best title-winning defense of the Super Bowl era. It dared NFL MVP Cam Newton to throw and feasted on the goodies, intercepting him ones, pressuring him into 23 incompletions in 41 attempts and, along with six sacks of Newton and one of Ted Ginn Jr. on a trick play, limited the Panthers to just 4.1 yards per pass play.

It was a performance that belonged to the ages and proved that the old maxims about defense and stopping the run remain valid. How did the Three Keys turn out?