Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals during the NFC Championship football game held at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images Jeremy Brevard-Imagn Images

Cam Newton reflects on 10-year anniversary of Super Bowl Panthers team

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Mar 30, 2025 1:51 PM ET

The Carolina Panthers will begin their fourth decade in the NFL in 2025. It’s a franchise that entered the league in 1995, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both of these franchises went through their share of first-year jitters, then each stunned the football world by reaching their respective conference title games in 1996. The Jaguars fell at New England, the Panthers to the Packers at Lambeau Field.

The latter has enjoyed an interesting history. In 30 seasons in the NFL, Carolina has yet to finish with a winning record two straight years. You may recall the Jaguars reeled off four straight playoff appearances from 1996-99. On the other hand, the Panthers have done something that Jacksonville has never done, and that’s play on Super Bowl Sunday.

Carolina’s first Super Bowl appearance came in 2003, and ended with a 32-29 loss to the Patriots in Houston (XXXVIII). The Panthers’ last appearance in the “Big Game” came in 2015. Led by head coach Ron Rivera, the club won its first 14 games, and finished the year with an NFL-best 15-1 mark, and led the league in scoring with 500 points.

Quarterback Cam Newton would earn NFL MVP honors. He threw for 3,837 yards and 35 scores, with 10 picks. He ran for 636 yards and 10 touchdowns. The team would go onto to score a combined 80 points in playoff wins over the Seahawks and Cardinals, and reached Super Bowl 50.

Cam Newton reflects on the 10th anniversary of the 2015 @Panthers pic.twitter.com/8PpGySTGJK
— 4th&1 with Cam Newton (@4thand1show) March 28, 2025

Obviously, Super Sunday vs. the Denver Broncos didn’t go so well. The Panthers were held to a season-low 10 points by Von Miller and company. Newton completed less than 50 percent of his passes (18-of-41) for 265 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. He was sacked six times and lost both of his fumbles. The first resulted in a defensive touchdown for Denver. The second took on a life of its own, and in his own words says there was “no excuse” for not jumping on the ball.

It's hard not to think about the 2015 Panthers and how it ended that day at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. Still, the positives outweigh the negatives. Unfortunately, the franchise has made one playoff appearance (2017) over the last nine seasons. All told, 2015 was memorable indeed for this franchise.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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