Peyton Manning is once more on top of the world. The Denver Broncos quarterback — a future Hall of Famer in what may be his final season — is once more a Super Bowl champion. The Broncos have beaten the Carolina Panthers, 24-10.
The game fell well short of a quarterback duel, though. Again, it was the Denver defense that led the way, harassing Cam Newton, forcing turnover after turnover and even tacking on a score of their own.
It was sloppy, it was often ugly, but it was, without a doubt, the biggest game of the year. Naturally, we decided to cover it with the littlest poems we could think of: haiku.
With a hat tip to our colleagues at WBUR's Only a Game, where they've long been asking listeners for haiku, we decided it was time for us to try our hand at the art form: a three-line poem, with five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, and five again in the third.
(And yes, haiku-purists, we know the poems are supposed to be about nature, too. But give us some leeway here.)
Think of it as a syllable-conscious live-blog. We tweeted our updates in haiku as the game went on, retweeting your contributions and doing it all using the hashtag #SuperBowlHaiku. You can find some highlights below and, if you want to see all the thousands of tweets — both from us and and readers — you can find them here.
Now, you might be asking yourself why, exactly, we covered the big game with all these tiny poems. Good question. That's because — well, because this is NPR.
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Super Bowl 50:
— NPR (@NPR) February 7, 2016
From start to end — in haiku.
Want to play along?
Just use #SuperBowlHaiku https://t.co/66Yn5SZw0V
Peyton is blazing.
— NPR (@NPR) February 7, 2016
Three completions and big gains.
Who said the guy's done? #superbowlhaiku
There's a football game
— Lora Walburn (@mswalburn) February 7, 2016
At the @Beyonce concert
Guess I'll have to wait#superbowlhaiku
Silent Football Flick:
— Bob Mondello is working from home (@Bob_Mondello) February 7, 2016
Buster Keaton's Three Ages
(Off topic, I know)#SuperBowlHaiku pic.twitter.com/ztucZoaiQK
Three-and-outs just mean
— NPR (@NPR) February 7, 2016
another layer of dip
dearly departed. #superbowlhaiku
Touchdown, Broncos D!
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
Von Miller strips the football,
and Cam looks human.#SuperBowlHaiku
Wow, that's a face-mask.
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
Broncos penalized for it.
Panthers on goal line.#SuperBowlHaiku
Sitting in newsroom,
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
silently counting fingers:
Now, THIS is football.#SuperBowlHaiku
Mr. Anderson,
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
those moves were 'Matrix'-worthy.
34-yard gain.#SuperBowlHaiku
Halftime, and still down --
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
Has 'Superman' Cam finally
found his kryptonite?#SuperBowlHaiku
Coldplay, Beyoncé,
— Sandra Glahn (@sandraglahn) February 8, 2016
No one's wardrobe malfunctioned.
A beautiful day. #superbowlhaiku
Remember, people:
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
There's more football still to play.
Panthers get the ball.#SuperBowlHaiku
Cam is still in game
— Nancy Schneider (@NancyWSchneider) February 8, 2016
The play clock is ticking on
Those flags don't help much#SuperBowlHaiku #SB50
So many mistakes:
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
Fumbles, penalties, oh my!
But Panthers still close.#SuperBowlHaiku
Interception, then --
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
whoops! a fumble. But wait, wait:
still a turnover.#SuperBowlHaiku
O, second chances!
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
Thy face is the yellow flag.
First and ten, again.#SuperBowlHaiku
I keep missing plays
— Kelly Sharp (@kelly_is_sharp) February 8, 2016
Writing Super Bowl haikus
Wait what just happened#SuperBowlHaiku
Oh, and by the way:
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
No TDs for Denver's O.
All D and ST.#SuperBowlHaiku
My son loved halftime
— Michael Goorsky (@MrGoorsky) February 8, 2016
Knees movin' like @Beyonce #retweet these dance skills#SuperBowlHaiku pic.twitter.com/H5O7iNI15r
Dude operating
— Andrew Roman has… Created HaikuHijinks…For inanity (@haikuhijinks) February 8, 2016
Tonight's Super Bowl scoreboard
Is probably like#SB50 #NFL #SuperBowlHaiku pic.twitter.com/tUtT3FVjeL
Von Miller, once more,
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
knocks the ball from Newton's hand.
First and goal, Denver.#SuperBowlHaiku
The Broncos: TD.
— Anthony Di Paolo (@DiPaolo_016) February 8, 2016
But the real story tonight,
Miller: MVP.#SuperBowlHaiku
Viewers unprepared
— Wendy Youngblood (@wayoungblood) February 8, 2016
Bronco defense takes command
Newton, country, dazed
#superbowlhaiku
Denver Broncos win,
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
Peyton gets a second ring --
one question: his last?#SuperBowlHaiku
Super Bowl Sunday.
— Laura Leighton (@LauraLeighton) February 8, 2016
I can't stop writing haiku.
It's NPR's fault. #SuperBowlHaiku @NPR
That’s it, that’s all, folks.
— NPR (@NPR) February 8, 2016
Thanks for haikuing with us.
Next time, limericks?#SuperBowlHaiku
