Reasons to Root for Each Remaining Team to Win Super Bowl 50
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers, the owners of a 15-1 regular season record and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, beat the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round of the NFC playoffs. That little fact right there can be enough to encourage a lot of outside followers to become temporary Panthers’ fan.
Cam Newton and the Panthers knocked off the two-time defending NFC Champion Seahawks, and it was not pretty. It was actually about as ugly as a game could get, considering Carolina took a 31-0 lead into the locker room at the half. But as is customary, the Seahawks came back with a vengeance, shutting out the Panthers and scoring 24 points of their own after the break. The Panthers held on and snuck away, clinging on to a 31-24 win to advance to their first Conference Championship since 2005.
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If you’re a 49ers’ fan, or one of the other many fanbases who don’t like the Seahawks, the Panthers saved you another weekend of agony as the Seahawks worked their voodoo Devil magic to win yet another game. Maybe the top reason to cheer for the Panthers is simply, they’re not the Seahawks.
A new Panthers’ tradition could be enough to sway people on to the temporary bandwagon as well. Newton, once seen as a player who put himself above team, has developed into an MVP frontrunner, and started the very nice custom of giving touchdown balls to small children in the stands around the endzone. Seeing the emotional reactions from those kids could melt even the coldest of hearts.
Next: Arizona Cardinals