Carolina Panthers have no ‘legitimate shot’ at Super Bowl title

Carolina Panthers left off potential Super Bowl champions list for this season.

The Carolina Panthers are celebrating 25 seasons this year since becoming a franchise in the National Football League. A relatively short amount of time compared to other members of the league, only the Baltimore Ravens (1997) and Houston Texans (2002) are younger but both of those cities previously had teams of their own.

Despite playing only since 1995, the Panthers have won five divisional titles and two NFC championships. They have yet to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, but compared to other prominent teams the amount of success has been considerable.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots each have six Super Bowl titles. Respectively, they have participated in eight and 11 total championship games. Both significantly higher than Carolina, who has played in only two – but each has also played many more seasons. The Steelers are entering their 86th season, while New England is suiting up for their 59th attempt. Two appearances in 24 years may not be an exact replication but it’s very close (within one-percent of Pittsburgh) considering these are the two winningest teams in history.

Regardless, CBS Sports analyst Jason La Canfora believes the Panthers have no ‘legitimate shot’ at winning the Super Bowl this season. His reasoning? Only five teams possess a future first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback and Cam Newton apparently isn’t one. He makes a compelling argument, backed by some historical statistics but there are instances where quarterbacks who aren’t guaranteed to wear a gold jacket have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.

Newton may very well be inducted into Canton one day and there’s no doubt he’s entering a pivotal season in terms of both his health and future contract. The Panthers have made a series of changes on the roster and apparently are gearing up for a more versatile defense, but to count them out entirely in May seems a bit premature.

View the five teams La Canfora believes have an opportunity to win the big game here.