Why didn't Cam Newton dive for his fumble?

Every season comes down to a single play, a single moment which could be the difference between defeat and victory. Sometimes it's obvious, like a missed kick, and sometimes it's hidden in the chaos of a fumbling ball.

The scene: 4:04 left in the Super Bowl. Panthers down 16-10 but with a chance to win. The Broncos defense had been fearsome, but the faltering Denver offense, which hadn't yet scored an offensive touchdown, had kept Carolina in the game. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton took the snap, dropped back, and was almost immediately swallowed up by Denver's Von Miller. The ball hit the ground, and ...

... Newton froze.

He didn't dive on the ball. He didn't make a play for it. He let it totter away at his feet:

Denver recovered the ball on the Carolina 9, and four plays (and one poorly-timed Josh Norman penalty) later, the Broncos were up 22-10 and the game was effectively over. Twitter was merciless in its opinion of Newton's actions in that moment:

... and oh so many more.

Here, then, is the question: should Newton have dived for that ball? Should he have risked limb, if not life, to dive into that pile and possibly grab the ball before it got kicked out and in the direction of the end zone? It's impossible to say, and there's no guarantee Carolina could have gotten any points had it retained the ball, but it's certain Newton will be thinking about his choice in that moment for a long, long time.

After the game, in a press conference that was brief and painful, Newton gave no real answers:

Yeah ... this one's not going away.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.