Carolina Panthers took both Super Bowl teams to the limit in regular season

The Super Bowl matchup is officially set. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off. These two teams have a lot in common aside from the fact that they've seen each other in this game within the last few seasons. In 2024, they were both almost subject to huge upsets by the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers lost both games in heartbreaking fashion. If they'd won, there's no telling if either would've made it to the Super Bowl. The record and seeding would've most likely changed. As it stands, these two teams were the best in their conferences and had trouble with the Panthers.

Chiefs, Eagles struggled with Panthers during regular season

The Kansas City Chiefs, fresh off their first loss in the 2024 regular season, visited Charlotte looking for a get-right game. They got anything but. They were given fits by Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers. Carolina tied the game with under two minutes to go, but a huge, clutch rush by Patrick Mahomes set up a chip-shot field goal to win.

After that game, Mahomes said of Young in particular, "He gave us a scare today, man. He played his tail off... He's been a great player for a long time and won a lot of football games." Young had over 260 yards and a touchdown in that game.

Against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Panthers have a legitimate claim that they should've won. Facing a 97-yard drive to tie the game pending the PAT, which was no given with Eddy Pineiro, Young then quickly faced third-and-11 from basically the goalline. He pulled out probably the highlight of the year to keep the game alive, avoiding multiple sacks and tossing a strike to Xavier Legette to convert.

Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) escapes the tackle attempt of Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat (19) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Later on in the drive, Legette found himself open again for the would-be touchdown. Unfortunately, he dropped it and prevented the Panthers from taking the lead with under a minute to go. That wound up being the difference-maker.

A few weeks later, those two opponents are the only ones still standing in the NFL. That certainly bodes well for the future of the Panthers.

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