REGULAR-SEASON STATISTICS
How they got here: The Panthers came one loss away from a perfect 16-0 season and were the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They raced to a 34-0 lead in the first half of the divisional round and held on to beat the Seattle Seahawks 31-24 when Thomas Davis gathered an onside kick with a little more than a minute left. In the NFC Championship Game, the Panthers had little trouble scoring points early but played a more complete game, beating the Arizona Cardinals 49-15, thanks to seven turnovers.
Season turning point: This seems counterintuitive, but the anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered by wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin during the preseason changed everything for the Panthers. He was supposed to be the true No. 1 target that Cam Newton had lacked, so Benjamin’s absence caused a radical rethinking of how the Panthers’ offense would work. The resulting system put more pressure on Newton as a runner and was better suited to make the best use of surrounding talent. Of course Carolina would probably be even better with Benjamin in the lineup, but his loss seemed to put the pressure for success squarely on Newton — and he thrived.
Last trip to the Super Bowl: 2003 season, lost 32-29 to New England Patriots
Chris Korman