Super Bowl rematch kicks off new NFL season tonight

DENVER — The 2016 NFL season will start the same way the last one ended: with Von Miller staring down Cam Newton.

The Denver star linebacker got the best of Newton in Super Bowl 50, stripping both the football (twice) and the Lombardi Trophy from the Carolina quarterback’s grasp in the Broncos’ 24-10 win over the Panthers.

The sequel won’t feature Peyton Manning, who retired a month later. And when longtime backup Brock Osweiler signed with Houston two days after Manning’s tearful goodbye, Denver general manager John Elway embarked on a months-long search for a successor.

He didn’t find him in the draft, free agency or via trade, but right there on his roster. Trevor Siemian, a seventh-round draft pick in 2015 from Northwestern, is set to make his first NFL start tonight.

Siemian has never thrown a pass as a pro, but at least he won’t have to face star cornerback Josh Norman, who signed with the Washington Redskins after the Panthers rescinded their franchise tag in the offseason.

Instead, Siemian will square off against two rookie cornerbacks. James Bradberry and Daryl Worley are the biggest changes on the NFC champions’ roster that returns 18 starters.

“I’m not going to look at them like they’re rookies,” Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders said. “I’m going to treat them like they’re Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman.”

While the Panthers were restocking, the Broncos were busy rebuilding. Denver returns just five offensive starters from the Super Bowl.

The defense once again features Miller, who skipped the offseason program before signing a record-breaking contract.

His torment of Newton in the Super Bowl was just the start. He made him the butt of his jokes on “Saturday Night Live” and trolled him on Instagram, digitally editing himself knocking another ball out of Newton’s hands when the quarterback posted a picture of himself playing with the U.S. water polo team.

Miller said this week it was all in good fun and called Newton “the best player in the league.” Newton insisted he took no offense and called Miller “one of the great players in this NFL.”

Denver’s dazzling defense was one of the best ever, and it doesn’t look like the Broncos will retreat minus lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan, who moved on via free agency.

“We know what we can do,” safety T.J. Ward said. “We’ve got the same defense as last year. We plan on picking up right where we left off.”