| 2015 Carolina Panthers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jerry Richardson |
| Head Coach | Ron Rivera |
| General Manager | Dave Gettleman |
| Home Field | Bank of America Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 15-1 |
| Place | 1st NFC South |
| Playoff Finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (Seahawks) 31-24 Won Conference Championship (Cardinals) 49-15 Lost Super Bowl 50 (Broncos) 24-10 |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Thomas Davis C Ryan Kalil LB Luke Kuechly QB Cam Newton CB Josh Norman TE Greg Olsen DT Kawann Short RB Jonathan Stewart FB Mike Tolbert OG Trai Turner |
| Timeline | |
| Previous Season | Next Season |
| 2014 | 2016 |
The 2015 Carolina Panthers season is be the franchise's 21st season in the National Football League and the fifth under head coach Ron Rivera.
Despite waiving running back DeAngelo Williams and losing top wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin who suffered a torn ACL in the preseason, Carolina had their best regular season in franchise history, becoming the 7th team to win at least 15 regular season games since the league expanded to a 16 game schedule in 1978. The Panthers joined the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, 1985 Chicago Bears (which Ron Rivera served as a linebacker), 1998 Minnesota Vikings, 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2007 New England Patriots (who were a perfect 16–0 in the regular season), and the 2011 Green Bay Packers as the only teams to accomplish this feat.
Carolina started the season 14–0, not only setting franchise records for the best start and the longest single-season winning streak, but also posting the best start to a season by an NFC team in NFL history, breaking the 13–0 record previously shared with the 2009 New Orleans Saints and the previously mentioned Packer. They joined the AFC teams 1972 Miami Dolphins, the previously mentioned 2007 Patriots, and the 2009 Indianapolis Colts as the only teams to reach 14-0. Carolina clinched their third straight NFC South title on December 6, when the Atlanta Falcons lost earlier that day, becoming the first team to clinch a playoff berth that season, and giving the Panthers a home playoff game for the third consecutive year. The Panthers undefeated streak came to an end at the hands of Atlanta in a week 16 rematch in 1 close 13-20 game. A week later, however, Carolina rebounded and demolished the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to finish 15–1 in a 38-10. Minutes before their game ended, the Seattle Seahawks routed the Arizona Cardinals, giving the Panthers home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
In the playoffs, the Panthers beat the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round, avenging their elimination from a year earlier. The Panthers then blew out the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game by a score of 49–15 to advance to Super Bowl 50 in their first appearance in 13 years following Super Bowl XXXVIII where they lost to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24-10.
2015 draft class[]
- Main article: 2015 NFL Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | |||
| 2 | 41 | |||
| 3 | 102 | |||
| 4 | 169 | |||
| 5 | 174 |
Schedule[]
Preseason[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | August 14 | at Buffalo | W 25-24 | 1-0 | Ralph Wilson Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 22 | Miami | W 31-30 | 2-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 28 | New England | L 16-17 | 2-1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 3 | at Pittsburgh | W 23-6 | 3-1 | Heinz Field | Recap |
Regular season[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | September 13 | at Jacksonville | W 20-9 | 1-0 | EverBank Field | Recap |
| 2 | September 20 | Houston | W 24-17 | 2-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 27 | New Orleans | W 27-22 | 3-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 4 | at Tampa Bay | W 37-23 | 4-0 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | Bye week | |||||
| 6 | October 18 | at Seattle | W 27-23 | 5-0 | CenturyLink Field | Recap |
| 7 | October 25 | Philadelphia | W 27-16 | 6-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 8 | November 2 | Indianapolis | W 29-26 (OT) | 7-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | October 25 | Green Bay | W 37-29 | 8-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | October 25 | at Tennessee | W 27-10 | 9-0 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | October 25 | Washington | W 44-16 | 10-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 26 | at Dallas | W 33-14 | 11-0 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | October 25 | at New Orleans | W 41-38 | 12-0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 14 | October 25 | Atlanta | W 38-0 | 13-0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | October 25 | at New York | W 38-35 | 14-0 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 27 | at Atlanta | L 13-20 | 14-1 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
| 17 | December 28 | Tampa Bay | W 38-10 | 15-1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
Postseason[]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game Site | NFL.com Recap | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | Bye week | |||||||
| Divisional | January 17 | Seattle (6) | W 31-24 | 16-1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
| NFC Championship | January 24 | Arizona (2) | W 49-15 | 17-1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
| Super Bowl 50 | February 7 | Denver (A1) | L 24-10 | 17-2 | Levi's Stadium | Recap | ||