SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton didn't have much to say after the Denver Broncos completely shut him down in a 24-10 victory in Super Bowl 50.

But the Broncos defense? Oh, they were plenty chirpy about the league MVP's performance and a Panthers team that, in their estimation, hadn't played a "real team" all season.

Those were the exact words of Denver linebacker Brandon Marshall, who was standing a few feet away from Super Bowl MVP Von Miller in a jubilant winning locker room on Sunday.

"When you looked at who they played this year, what great defense did they play?" Marshall said. "I think the best defense other than us was Seattle, but Seattle's not the same as they were two years ago.

"They haven't faced anybody. Go down the schedule. Look who they played, man. AFC South, NFC South, whatever the case may be, they haven't faced anybody like us with our team speed, with our team athleticism, our soundness, our grit. They hadn't played a real team."

It was a sentiment echoed on the other side of the room by Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. when asked if Newton seemed rattled at the constant pressure from the Denver defense.

"He just ain't faced nobody, man!" Harris said. "We looked at their schedule. They played the AFC South, the ... what (division) are they? NFC South? I don't know what division they are. They haven't played nobody, man! You look at their schedule and you see we're the first dogs they've played and we showed it."

When a reporter followed up to ask if Newton looked rattled, Harris replied, "Man, their whole team was rattled. Once we started hitting them, running backs fumbling the ball, (Newton) throwing picks, they ain't been hit like we hit today."

Harris and his defensive teammates had earned the right to brag. They sacked Newton six times and forced four Carolina turnovers. Two of those, knocked loose by Miller, led directly to the two touchdowns that were the winning points in an otherwise tight game.

Asked to explain why the Broncos had so much success against a Carolina offense that had allowed just 14 sacks all these, defensive end Malik Jackson just laughed.

"Because we're DOGS," he said. "Because we go out here and demolish offenses. That's what we do. This is nothing new, man. We put offenses to sleep. They can't do nothing against us, man. At all."

Added Marshall: "I feel like we're the greatest defense of all time, and nobody can convince me that we're not."

Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevePoliti. Find Steve on Facebook.