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| Photo Credit: rantsports.com |
The Carolina Panthers had yet to have great success in a
season, until 2015. It seemed like everything went right for Carolina, for most
of the season. Carolina was coming off a season where they barely made the
playoffs, it didn’t seem likely they would do so in 2015, after star wide
receiver Kelvin Benjamin was out for the year with a torn ACL.
Nothing is
impossible, and the Panthers proved that statement to be true this season.
Carolina started the season on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Carolina
was up 10-9 at the end of the second quarter, but a missed extra point kept the
score the same, and Carolina wound up winning 20-9. The next two games were
home games, against a depleted New Orleans team, and Houston.
They won both
games by single digits, including defeating a Luke McCown lead Saints team by
five. Week 5 was perhaps the toughest game of the regular season for Carolina.
They were to face the Seattle Seahawks, a team they’ve struggled with in the
past. Carolina was down a field goal around the two minute warning. Quarterback
Cam Newton found a tiny bit of space to throw to Greg Olsen, and he caught it,
and the Panthers had the 27-23 lead.
That would be enough to win the game, and
Carolina just played in one of the most exciting games of the season. After two
thrilling wins on national TV, Carolina was set to play Aaron Rodgers and the struggling
Packers. Carolina jumped out to a huge lead, and they ended up winning 37-29. After
two more wins, next up was a meeting with the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.
Dallas was just getting quarterback Tony Romo back, and they were looking to
make one last playoff push. Carolina’s defense sweltered America’s team, and
Romo had broken his collarbone again.
Carolina wound up winning 33-14. Two
weeks later, the Panthers faced the Atlanta Falcons, who they absolutely demolished,
winning 38-0. The next game they played was perhaps the most interesting of the
year. Carolina was playing the New York Giants. The Panthers were crushing Big
Blue, 35-7, and Newton was playing practically a perfect game. Punches and
words were exchanged, and all of a sudden, the game was tied.
Carolina pulled
away late on a field goal, but they certainly didn’t need a game like that.
Carolina was 14-0, and they were two games from a perfect season. Next, they
faced the team that they had just dominated two weeks ago, the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta was clearly motivated, and they sweltered Cam Newton like a bunch of
gnats.
Atlanta shocked Carolina, winning 20-13. The perfect record was over,
and the Panthers had just one game left in the season. They would dominate the
Buccaneers, in their final game of the season. They finished the season 15-1,
and they were the number one seed in the playoffs. They got a first round bye
in the playoffs, which set up a rematch with none other than the Seahawks.
Carolina roared out to a 24-0 start, but after a slow second half, they only
won 31-24.
That set up a meeting with the Arizona Cardinals in the Conference
Championship. Carolina got out to another fast start, and they never looked
back. They dominated Arizona, 49-15, and they were headed to Super Bowl 50. They
were to play Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. This game was new territory
for the dominant Panthers. They were swarmed by Denver, and they couldn’t get
any offense going. They would end up losing 24-10. Carolina still had a
fantastic season, and so did Newton. He went 296-495 for 3,837 yards and 35
touchdowns. He also had 636 rushing yards.
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