CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will be forever linked in NFL history by Super Bowl 50.
Both teams played at an elite level during the 2015 season and met on that fateful February 2016 day to crown a new NFL champion. Denver came out on top 24-10 to capture their fourth Lombardi Trophy.
The Panthers and Broncos will play once again on Sunday with much lower stakes. Carolina (1-6) is desperate for a win and Denver (4-3) is eager to prove they belong in the AFC playoff picture. The Panthers are 2-6 all-time against the Broncos but won the latest matchup in 2022.
Although the Panthers fell short in the most high-profile meeting with the Broncos, their run to that Super Bowl was an iconic push that neared perfection.
Building momentum
Carolina's 2015 season began with momentum stored from the previous year. The 2014 Panthers won the NFC South with a (7-8-1) record after winning four straight games to close the regular season. Carolina was the second team to win a division with a losing record and beat the Cardinals in a Wild Card round matchup. The Panthers lost the following week in the divisional round to Seattle.
The Panthers roster stayed mostly the same from 2014 to 2015. Defensive end Jared Allen, cornerback Courtland Finnegan, and then-rookie linebacker Shaq Thompson were some of the few additions added to improve Carolina's defense. Cornerback Josh Norman, linebacker Thomas Davis, and safety Kurt Coleman were among the stars on the defensive side of the ball.
Quarterback Cam Newton fronted a strong offense that featured running backs Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert, tight end Greg Olsen, and linemen Ryan Kalil and Trai Turner, among others.
The 2015 squad had 10 Pro Bowlers and eight All-Pro selections.
Strong start
Carolina opened the season against fairly weak opponents and easily started the season 4-0. The Panthers cleared the Jaguars 20-9, held off the Texans 24-17, bested the Saints 27-22, and crushed the Buccaneers 37-23. The team's offense was not electric during this span but stepped up when necessary.
Against the Saints, Newton had 315 yards passing and two touchdowns while running in another score. The dynamic performance from Newton pushed the Panthers to a late 27-16 lead over the Saints after the Panthers trailed 16-10 in the third quarter.
The toughest challenge of the season up to that point awaited the Panthers after their Week 5 bye. The Panthers faced the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 6, an opponent Carolina had lost to in the preceding five meetings. Seattle took a 20-7 lead in the third quarter but the Panthers avoided their first loss of the year with three touchdowns in the final 19 minutes of regulation to win 27-23.
Undefeated push
Carolina beat Philadelphia 27-16 the following week to go 6-0, the best start in franchise history. In a Monday night contest against the Colts, the Panthers held a 23-6 fourth-quarter lead until Indianapolis scored 17 points in the final seven minutes to force overtime. The teams traded field goals in overtime before linebacker Luke Kuechly intercepted a pass to set the Panthers up for a game-winning score. Graham Gano's 52-yard kick gave the Panthers the 29-26 overtime win.
A 24-point second quarter pushed the Panthers to a 37-29 win over the Packers in Week 9 before blowouts over Tennessee and Washington put Carolina at 10-0.
The Panthers' first Thanksgiving Day game came against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12. Carolina's defense intercepted three Tony Romo passes and led 30-6 by the fourth quarter. The Panthers closed the game with a 33-14 win to go to 11-0.
Outplaying expectations
Most 11-0 teams are treated with praise and given high odds to win the Super Bowl. But the 2015 Panthers were met with skepticism all season long by analysts and fans across the league.
A scathing article by FiveThirtyEight dubbed the Panthers the "worst team to ever start 11-0." A statistical analysis showed the Panthers had a relatively low margin of victory against a soft schedule. No 11-0 team had posted numbers so low before.
These reviews did little to break the Panthers' spirits and their social media team responded in the best way possible.
With an awful undefeated record, the Panthers narrowly beat the Saints 41-38 to go to 12-0. A Newton touchdown pass to Jerricho Cotchery in the final two minutes sealed the Carolina win.
Carolina's 13th win came with a 38-0 destruction of the Atlanta Falcons, further burying any doubters to the Panthers' greatness in 2015.
After a close win over the Giants put the Panthers at 14-0, Carolina met the Falcons for the second time in three weeks. This time, the Falcons got on the scoreboard and ended the Panthers' hopes for perfection. Atlanta won 20-13 by controlling the ball and holding the Panthers to a single touchdown in the first quarter.
The Panthers closed the regular season with a 38-10 win over Tampa Bay to finish 15-1, making them the seventh team to go 15-1 or better.
With homefield advantage for the playoffs, the Panthers were primed for a deep postseason run.
Playoff domination
The Panthers started the playoffs with a 31-0 halftime lead over the Seahawks in the divisional round. Stewart rushed in two scores while Newton threw a touchdown pass to Olsen. Kuechly got the defense involved in the scoring with an interception return for a touchdown.
Seattle scored 24 unanswered points in the second half but fell short 31-24, sending the Panthers to the fourth NFC championship appearance in franchise history.
The Panthers hosted the Cardinals on a cold Bank of America Stadium field and routed Arizona 49-15. Carolina forced seven turnovers and saw Newton score four touchdowns -- two passing and two rushing.
An exuberant crowd made the stadium visibly shake after yet another Kuechly interception return touchdown.
Carolina won its second George Halas Trophy with the NFC title win, earning a berth in Super Bowl 50 against the Broncos.
Super Bowl 50
Denver beat New England in the AFC Championship Game to lock in a matchup with Carolina. The Broncos were led by a strong defense and Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who was noticeably off in what proved to be his final season.
The Broncos gained an early 10-0 lead after Newton was sacked and fumbled the ball into the end zone. Denver recovered the ball for a defensive score.
Stewart tightened the game with a 1-yard rushing score to to make the score 10-7.
A series of field goals left the score 16-10 in the fourth quarter in favor of the Broncos. Newton fumbled once again with four minutes left in the game, giving the Broncos great field position and a chance to ice the game. Denver added another touchdown and a two-point conversion to win 24-10.
Carolina's Super Bowl hopes ended there and the 2015 Panthers were left relegated to lists of "best teams to never win a Super Bowl."
The Panthers fell to 6-10 the following season and have only one playoff appearance since then in 2017. The magic of 2015 quickly faded but the memories will always be there for Panthers fans.
Maybe some of that spirit can be captured on Sunday against the Broncos once again.