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Where do Panthers rank among NFL teams trying to win their first Super Bowl?

The Carolina Panthers are preparing for their 31st season, and are still looking to win a Super Bowl. What are the odds they pull off that feat in 2025?
Russell Baxter|
Dec 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Dec 15, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

It’s a list that a team in the National Football League doesn’t want any part of. In the 59-year history of the Super Bowl (1966-2024), 20 different clubs have won at least one title. The list is led by the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, both who have won six times on Super Sunday.

Meanwhile, there’s the other end of the spectrum. Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports ranked the 12 franchises that still haven’t hoisted a Lombardi Trophy. The Cleveland Browns, one of four teams that have never made a trip to the Super Bowl, have the longest odds. The Buffalo Bills, who still hold the record for most consecutive Super Bowl appearances (4)—albeit without a victory—are atop this list.

What about these current Carolina Panthers? Well, according to Benjamin, only the Browns have longer odds. “Dave Canales may have Bryce Young on the right track, and the young quarterback has seen big stages before. We’re still not sure about Young’s NFL ceiling, though, and his pass-catching corps still feels like a major work in progress.”

Bryce Young
Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) passes on the run against the Atlanta Falcons during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The first overall pick in the 2023 draft really came into his own after an early-season benching by Carolina’s new head coach. Young responded positively to the move, and was one reason the Panthers won four of their final nine games this past season after a 1-7 start. Of course, getting to a Super Bowl is a team accomplishment. Carolina’s defense has a long way to go when it comes to contending for a championship.

Is it realistic to think that Canales and company could wind up Super Bowl LX, and could the Panthers shock the world by winning a Lombardi Trophy—something the franchise failed to do in 2003 (Super Bowl XXXVIII) and 2015 (Super Bowl 50)? The last team to finish with a losing season and win an NFL title the following year were the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who captured Super Bowl LV after finishing 7-9 in 2019.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.