Carolina’s Kony Ealy makes big impression in losing effort

The second-year defensive end from Missouri had three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in his team’s 24-10 Super Bowl loss.

Ealy became the first player in Super Bowl history to record multiple sacks and an interception in the same game.

The Panthers’ head coach said it came down to which team took advantage of its opportunities.

Tolbert recovered his first-quarter fumble.

In the second quarter, however, he couldn’t get the ball back after Denver safety Darian Stewart stripped him at the Broncos’ 40.

“As an offense, we can’t do certain things,” said Tolbert, who finished with 18 yards on five carries.

Carolina was without one of its top receivers down the stretch Sunday.

“We’ve played with guys who’ve had to step up throughout the year,” Carolina offensive coordinator Mike Shula said.

When he headed to the locker room, Brown was the Panthers’ leading receiver, with four catches for 80 yards.

The play on which he was injured, a 42-yard catch on 3rd-and-8 from Carolina’s 20, stood as one of his team’s highlights.