The Panthers appeared to think Jordan Norwood called for a fair catch as their coverage team bore down on him in the second quarter of Super Bowl 50, but Norwood never gave the signal.
He caught the ball, bounced off Panthers safety Colin Jones and sprinted 61 yards before Mario Addison ran him down on the Panthers’ 14-yard-line. It’s the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, knocking John Taylor’s 45-yarder against the Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII to second place.
The Broncos offense, which has sputtered since opening the game with a long drive, couldn’t get the ball in the end zone. C.J. Anderson converted a fourth-and-one, but it came with the help of a hold by guard Louis Vasquez that pushed the Broncos back 10 yards and forced them to settle for a Brandon McManus field goal.
It’s the latest in a series of costly penalties against the Broncos, who could be up by a wider margin if they weren’t shooting themselves in the foot in the first half.