If Carolina had won the Super Bowl last night, Kony Ealy probably would have been the MVP. Hot damn, was he great.
Ealy, a second-round draft pick in 2014, had a record-setting performance for the Panthers with three sacks, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble and an interception. He tied the single-game Super Bowl record with his three sacks and became the first player in Super Bowl history with multiple sacks and an interception.
Ealy also forced two turnovers on the night. The first came with about 4:30 left in the first half, when he dropped into coverage on Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders, snagged a Manning pass with just his right hand and returned it 19 yards to the Panthers' 39.