As one of the NFL's youngest franchises, it's remarkable that the Carolina Panthers have already made two Super Bowl appearances. That's more than 10 other NFL teams.
And while there certainly has been some disappointing seasons in between the highs that the Panthers have reached, it's undeniable that the organization has fielded some great teams since 1995.
While several iterations have a reasonable claim as the best team in Carolina history, one, in particular, is ahead of the rest. That team, of course, is the 2015 Carolina Panthers.
In 2014, the Panthers went a disappointing 7-8-1 after winning 12 games the season before. Obviously, the talent was there but no one expected them to have the best record in the league.
The team opened up the season with a 20-9 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars and then would win their next three games to head into their bye week with a 4-0 record.
After the bye, the Panthers kept racking up wins. They couldn't seem to lose. There were, of course, some close games, but they also tallied a 44-16 victory over the Washington Redskins in Week 11 and a 39-0 shutout of the Atlanta Falcons a few weeks later, two examples of just how dominant Carolina was in 2015.
What makes the 2015 Carolina team so special was its ability to drop 40 points on seemingly any defense while also having the ability to completely shut down opposing offenses.
While quarterback Cam Newton and his MVP season often get most of the credit for the team's success that season, the 2015 defense could hang with anyone.
The team ranked sixth in the NFL in points allowed per game (19.2), first in turnovers forced (39), fourth in rushing yards allowed per game (88.4) and sixth in total penalties.
The defense had star power at every level. Up front, Carolina had Pro Bowl third-year defensive tackle Kawaan Short, along with Mario Addison, Kony Ealy and veteran Jared Allen. At linebacker, the team had the duo of Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, who both were named to the All-Pro team that season and who combined for 223 total tackles. Additionally, rookie Shaq Thompson and A.J. Klein gave the team impressive depth at linebacker.
Lastly, the Carolina secondary was led by breakout superstar cornerback Josh Norman. The former fifth-round pick was a First-Team All-Pro selection that season and held elite receivers such as DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Mike Evans, T.Y. Hilton and Dez Bryant to a combined nine receptions for 89 yards.
Other than Norman, safety Kurt Thomas chipped in a team-high seven interceptions, while Charles Tillman and Roman Harper also made significant impacts.
Turning to the offense, the 2015 Panthers were a points-scoring machine powered by the 6-foot-5, 245-pound athletic freak of nature at quarterback.
While Newton had put together some great seasons prior to 2015, the former Auburn star exploded in his fifth season for 3,837 yards, 35 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. This was especially impressive considering the team's lack of a true No. 1 option at receiver that season.
But part of what Newton so valuable that season was his dual-threat ability, as the former Heisman Trophy winner added 636 yards and 10 additional touchdowns on the ground as he overpowered defenses with his size and elite athleticism.
The 2015 team was without second-year wideout Kelvin Benjamin after his breakout rookie campaign in 2014, but that didn't stop the team from putting up a league-best 31.3 points per game.
Tight end Greg Olsen became a security blanket for Newton as he caught 77 balls for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns while veteran speedster Ted Ginn Jr. put up a career year with 739 yards and 10 scores. Other than those two, rookie Devin Funchess and the duo of Corey Brown and Jerricho Cotchery gave the Panthers some solid options in the passing game outside of the top guys.
While Newton dominated the ground game as a quarterback the team still had a near-1,000-yard rusher with veteran Jonathan Stewart, who totaled 989 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games. Lastly, fullback Mike Tolbert led the way for the Carolina rushing game and was named a first-team All Pro for his efforts.
All in all, the Panthers would end the regular season with a league-best 15-1 record, only losing a meaningless Week 16 game to the Atlanta Falcons.
The team would then survive a Seattle Seahawks comeback attempt in the Divisional round of the playoffs before putting a 49-15 beatdown on a Carson Palmer-led Arizona Cardinals squad in the NFC Championship.
The Panthers and their high-powered offense would meet their match in the Super Bowl against Von Miller and an elite Denver Broncos defense. But with an overall record of 17-2, it's hard to not put the 2015 team as the best in franchise history.
And while Newton may forever be criticized for not jumping on that fumble in the Super Bowl, the dominance of the team prior to that game cannot be denied. With Carolina still searching for its first championship, this version of the team will remain on top until that happens.
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