The Denver Broncos ended the 2015 season as Super Bowl champions with the great Peyton Manning enjoying one more moment in the spotlight.
Manning, aged 39, endured a rollercoaster season that didn't always look like it would end with the ultimate glory after he came within a whisker of losing his quarterback role altogether.
Sky Sports have looked back over the Broncos' season...
The biggest statement
An unbeaten eight weeks at the start of the season had crumbled away in potentially catastrophic fashion for the Broncos, who had slipped to a 3-4 in seven games heading into a Week 16 clash with the Cincinnati Bengals. Manning's career was under the microscope like never before, and his poor form resulted in Brock Osweiler stealing his starting spot.
But the Broncos, without their legendary quarterback, rallied to a 20-17 overtime win against the Bengals to confirm their own play-off spot thanks to DeMarcus Ware's late points. What's more, they leapfrogged the Bengals who also advanced from the AFC West to earn a bye in the first week of the postseason - in contrast, the Bengals were forced into the Wild Card Weekend where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
For the Broncos, it was a momentous overtime effort that kick-started their path to Super Bowl 50. Osweiler soon found himself back on the bench for a rejuvenated and rested Manning, and the Broncos haven't looked back since.
The toughest game
A rough season for Manning arguably reached his lowest point when he returned to his first team, the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9, only to be sent packing as a loser. The 27-24 result was the Broncos' first defeat of the season and worryingly was handed to them by Manning's successor in Indy, the impressive Andrew Luck.
It was also a cruel venue for Manning to fall three yards short of becoming the NFL's all-time leading passer, and agonisingly short of the all-time record for wins by a quarterback. He has since broken both of Brett Favre's records but this game back in November was a tough one to take.
Manning threw for 281 yards, two TDs and two interceptions against the Colts but Luck, his opposite number wearing his old shirt, outshone him.
Playoff push
The Broncos' AFC title victory over the New England Patriots in late January could, when it's time to write the history books, be remembered as one of Manning's finest moments. The 39-year-old's team were significant underdogs to Tom Brady's Patriots who were aiming for a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance but the Broncos' rugged defence spoiled their party.
Brady boasted an 11-5 head-to-head record against Manning but the Broncos quarterback won the 17th and most recent installment of their personal duel. Brady failed to convert a game-tying two-point conversion with just seconds remaining, handing the Broncos a 20-18 win which took them to their second Super Bowl in three years.
It was a performance built upon the best defence in the NFL rather than Manning's individual brilliance, as Brady was repeatedly stifled and the Patriots were forced to punt the ball more than they would have hoped.
Previous Super Bowl history
The Broncos won back-to-back Vince Lombardi Trophies in 1998 and 1999, after which the legendary John Elway retired and eventually ushered in a new generation by becoming the team's General Manager and bringing Manning to Denver.
Overall, the record books haven't been kind to the Broncos. Those two wins in the late-90s and their recent triumph apart, their Super Bowl appearances have been a misery. They have lost a further five Super Bowls (resulting in an overall 3-7 record) having been on the wrong end of the score-line in their first four attempts. A 55-10 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers 25 years ago is the biggest ever hammering in Super Bowl history, while Manning played in a 43-8 stuffing by the Seattle Seahawks two years ago.
Super Bowl 50
Denver lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy for the third time in franchise history as their resolute defence confirmed their reputation as the NFL's best with a 24-10 pounding of Carolina Panthers. Manning, who became the oldest starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the only starting quarterback to win the prize with two teams after a 2009 triumph with Indianapolis Colts, played second fiddle to Denver's defence.
Von Miller won the Super Bowl MVP while DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib also put in aggressively brilliant defensive displays to sack Panthers quarterback Cam Newton seven times. Manning, for his part, threw for only 141 yards, completing 13 of 23 passes, and tossing one interception.
The legendary quarterback wouldn't commit to retirement in the immediate aftermath of the match, claiming he doesn't make decisions based on emotion. Should he never return, the abiding memory of Manning will be lifting his second Vince Lombardi Trophy and bringing it back to Colorado.