SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Back in the locker room after earning Super Bowl MVP honors, Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller danced and sang along to “Big Rings” by Drake and Future: “`Cause I got a really big team! And they need some really big rings!”

A few feet away, teammate Brandon Marshall explained why Miller’s first-quarter strip-sack of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was such a significant moment in Denver’s 24-10 victory Sunday night that earned rings for the Broncos.

“We got in (Newton’s) head after that. We got in his mind. Because he hasn’t been harassed like that all season,” Marshall said.

Then, pounding his right fist in his left palm, Marshall added: “That play rattled him. That did it.”

Five years after being drafted No. 2 behind Newton, Miller bothered Carolina’s quarterback from start to finish Sunday, forcing two fumbles and compiling 2½ sacks in a showdown between a couple of shutdown defenses.

“I’m going for the ball every single time,” said Miller, the second defensive MVP in the past three Super Bowls. “That’s just the type of football player I am. If it was basketball, I’d definitely be a 3-point shooter.”

Miller really was everywhere — and he did a bit of everything.

He created Denver’s first touchdown by zooming past right tackle Mike Remmers ripping the football away from Newton, honored as the regular-season MVP on Saturday. The fumble bounced into the end zone, where defensive end Malik Jackson landed on it to put the Broncos ahead 10-0 about 8 1/2 minutes into the game.

With 4 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Miller set up Denver’s only other TD, too. Again, he got past Remmers and, as the offensive lineman grabbed a fistful of his white jersey, Miller reached out with his left hand to grab Newton’s right arm as the QB brought the ball back to throw.

This one was recovered by safety T.J. Ward, and soon thereafter, C.J. Anderson’s 2-yard run sealed the victory for Denver (15-4), which allowed the fewest yards per game in the regular season and was just as stingy against the run as the pass.

Earlier, Miller laid a big hit on Newton near the sideline. He also shared a third-down sack with Derek Wolfe to get Denver the ball back at the end of the third quarter.

And, showing his versatility, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Miller even made plays in pass coverage, dropping back to force an incompletion from Newton to Jerricho Cotchery.

It was all part of quite a display by Denver’s defense, making the league’s top-scoring offense look decidedly mediocre.