Panthers make unfortunate history by missing playoffs after back-to-back titles 

Two NFL teams have come up shy of winning three straight Super Bowls since 2000 

The NFL's New England Patriots came up short in their pursuit of a three-peat in the early 2000s, falling in the divisional round after winning back-to-back Super Bowls in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Years later, the Kansas City Chiefs lost in Super Bowl LIX, ending their chance at becoming the first NFL team to capture three straight Super Bowl titles. 

Three different NBA franchises have repeated as champions this century 

In the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers won three championships in a row from 2000 to 2002. A different iteration of the Lakers won in 2009 and 2010, but then fell in the second round in 2011. 

The LeBron James-led Miami Heat made four straight trips to the NBA Finals from 2010-14, winning in the middle years. And more recently, the Golden State Warriors lost in the 2019 NBA Finals following consecutive championships and three in four years. 

Before the Panthers' run, Sidney Crosby's Penguins lifted the Stanley Cup two years in a row in 2016 and 2017 before being eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2018. In general, the last two occurrences of a team coming off back-to-back titles failing to make the playoffs took place in the same year (1999). 

Multiple teams missed after consecutive titles before the end of the 1990s

First, the 1998-99 Chicago Bulls missed on the heels of their second three-peat, granted the team that wasn't able to pursue a fourth didn't have the staples from the championships, most notably Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. Then, the back-to-back champion Denver Broncos went 6-10 minus the retired John Elway. 

The Panthers are now left looking to retool to refuel their attempt at achieving full dynasty status and also hoping they are joined by a partner in missing out on the playoffs in a season that opened with dreams of a championship trifecta.  

It's unlikely the MLB's Dodgers will follow in the Panthers' footsteps 

For that to happen, the back-to-back reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers would have to miss out on the MLB postseason, something no one is predicting, assuming the health of Shohei Ohtani and the rest of their stacked lineup and pitching staff. The Dodgers were the first MLB team to repeat since the New York Yankees won three in a row from 1998 to 2000. 

But regardless of whether the Panthers stand alone or not, it's safe to say most franchises are still envious of their streak of dominance. Deep down, Matthew Tkachuk and company might even be alright with taking a summer off to rest.