It was only a valiant Falcons effort in week 16 which stopped Carolina going unbeaten in the regular season last year, the last time a team went so close to being perfect was the 2011 Green Bay Packers. The Panthers did not only win the NFC in 2015, they won it in style, led by Cam Newton, who scored 45(!) total touchdowns, enough to give him the MVP award. Not that the Panthers were a one man team, the defense was almost as impressive, bringing in a lead leading 24 interceptions and 22 fumbles over the regular season. With such strength in depth, it is unsurprising that the team which finished 15-1 top the list of teams most likely to reach next Super Bowl XLI. Carolina may have lost 24-10 in the Super Bowl, but it is hard to see Rivera's team as anything but the favourites for Super Bowl XLI. With few important players about to hit free agency, the Panthers look set to retain most of the current team and should be ready to defend their NFC Championship in 2016.
