Panthers Newton: I took Super Bowl loss ‘extremely personal’

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton smiles as he watches Auburn and Clemson players warm up for an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton smiles as he watches Auburn and Clemson players warm up for an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016, in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

By Associated Press September 4, 2016 4 min read

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – The jovial, fun-loving and wide-smiling Cam Newton was nowhere to be found Sunday.

The NFL Most Valuable Player instead took on a serious tone talking about Thursday night’s regular season opener, a Super Bowl rematch with the Denver Broncos.

“No one likes losing, so I took it extremely personal,” Newton said about the Carolina’s 24-10 loss to the Broncos in the title game.

Newton had a league-high 45 combined touchdowns in a memorable 2015 regular season and added five more in the NFC playoffs. But he never got a chance to “dab” on the game’s biggest stage with running back Jonathan Stewart scoring Carolina’s only touchdown.

Simply put, Denver’s defense dominated.