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Can Panthers come back from Super Bowl 50 loss?

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Late Sunday night, Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera stood against a wall in a mostly empty locker room. A few players who remained hustled by with headphones on. Despite litter strewn across every inch of the room, he clutched an empty water bottle tightly, sliding down into a chair. The 24-10 Super Bowl loss to the Denver Broncos had begun to sink in, and someone in Rivera's ear questioned whether critics might chop down an entire season of growth over one night of failure.

"That's baloney," Rivera said, his voice and shoulders squaring into sharp rigidity. "If someone expects to take it from us, they're going to have to fight me for it."

He'd say it again before heading to the bus, that he's ready to fight for what Carolina accomplished this season. And that's probably a good thing on a night like this, when shoulders sagged in disappointment and the locker room exit looked more like an evacuation zone. Going 17-1 and entering Sunday as a favorite, this was undoubtedly the toughest loss to take. But it happened. And now Rivera and the Panthers will have to square up and fight. The same way the Broncos did two years ago, when the Seattle Seahawks dismantled the franchise on the biggest stage.

Carolina's Josh Norman (24) sits on the bench after his team's loss to Denver at Super Bowl 50. (AP)
Carolina's Josh Norman (24) sits on the bench after his team's loss to Denver at Super Bowl 50. (AP)

Much like that Broncos team, there are changes to be made. Despite a young roster that will remain intact in all the right places next season, Denver's defense spotlighted significant cracks that will need to be addressed. Carolina should have the finances to handle some of that in free agency, thanks to a salary cap that could rise as high as $155 million in 2016. If that happens, the Panthers will have $20 million to $25 million in space – though some of it will be eaten by the new contract (or franchise tag) devoted to cornerback Josh Norman.

Norman officially became Job No. 1 after the Super Bowl loss, largely because his contract status will impact so many other facets of Carolina's quest to fine-tune the roster. While that was almost impossible for players to focus on Sunday night, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman and the front office (along with Rivera and the coaching staff) will shift gears immediately. Super Bowl film will be digested, grades will be attached to players, and the process of erasing mistakes will begin. That's how it works after the Super Bowl – the winner sips champagne all night, while the loser is left with vinegar.

"I'm sure the personnel guys and the powers that be will start [troubleshooting] probably on tomorrow," Panthers tight end Greg Olsen said. "[They'll be] getting ready for the [scouting] combine and draft. The NFL season is kind of a 12-month-a-year thing. As for players, you pour so much energy, you pour so much of your being into the preparation and the game and just everything that goes into the whole season and it's over. It comes to a crashing halt."

That crash may feel even worse when Carolina has a chance to examine an offensive line that allowed Cam Newton to get shelled against Denver's rush – allowing seven sacks despite mixing up protections. While Super Bowl MVP Von Miller is one of the best edge rushers in the NFL, the Panthers made him look like a once-in-a-generation talent like Lawrence Taylor or Reggie White. The offensive tackles were consistently poor, and the quality and depth at that position will be a pressing consideration in every phase of talent acquisition. Left tackle Michael Oher allowed Newton to get blindsided by linebacker DeMarcus Ware at one point, in the kind of moment that can knock quarterbacks out of games. Right tackle Mike Remmers? He will likely be having Miller nightmares for a while. Despite positive media attention recently, both were little more than average (or arguably below average) players this season.

"[The pressure on Newton] was a factor, obviously," Rivera said. "We turned the ball over twice because of it. You've got to do your job. … I do believe we play the AFC West next season, so we're going to have to have an answer [for Von Miller]."

Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton (1) sits on the field during the first half of the Super Bowl. (AP)
Carolina Panthers' Cam Newton (1) sits on the field during the first half of the Super Bowl. (AP)

Carolina's wideouts weren't much better against Denver's secondary, either. At times, Newton looked out of sync, throwing too high or with too much power. But the Panthers receivers also missed chances to convert in multiple vital moments. Ted Ginn seemed to seek the sideline at times rather than pushing for tough yardage. Jerricho Cotchery had costly drops. Once Corey Brown was knocked out of the game with a third-quarter concussion, it became almost impossible for Carolina to move the football. Ultimately, the criticisms about the mediocrity of the wideouts appeared legitimate. A dominant, playmaking No. 1 like Kelvin Benjamin may have made a difference when Ginn, Cotchery and rookie Devin Funchess couldn't.

"The hard part is, you've got an opportunity to make plays, you have to make them," Rivera said of the wideouts. "Whether it was Jerricho or any of those other players out there. You get a chance to make a play, you make it. You help keep the momentum going, you convert first downs – stuff like that. Those things hurt. … You can't give it to them all the time [with turnovers], and sometimes you've got to make plays."

Beyond some of the roster churn, there will be some focus on continuing to develop the talent Carolina already has, too. Not only young players like Funchess and Norman, but even Newton, who took the Super Bowl loss especially hard. After the loss, Newton passive-aggressively answered a spare few questions and cut his media session short. It was the kind of petulant scene that drew criticism in the past, and raised questions about how Newton handles adversity. It's clear (and arguably good) that Newton takes losing so hard. While some will take shots at him for it, his emotional response to failure hasn't inhibited his growth to this point. And he might even suggest it has helped push him further.

The past has shown a Super Bowl defeat can swing teams in either direction. And at one point Sunday, Manning was heard lauding the Broncos for developing indispensable traits after their loss two years ago. He talked about toughness, resilience and unselfishness being key. That's not to say Carolina lacks those qualities. But the Panthers now find themselves in a position to figure what exactly is missing … and pressed with the question of how to resolve it.

"It's going to sting for a while, and that's what I told [the players]," Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said. "It's going to sting and we've got to learn our lessons and try and get back here next year. That said, you've got to start from square one again next year. We've got a lot of young players and it's part of the process of learning."

"We checked off a couple boxes, but we weren't able to get this last one checked off," Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly added. "…The ups and the downs, the injuries – guys battling back. A lot can be appreciated from this season. But at the end of the day you want to go out there and win the Super Bowl."

So the Panthers take the loss and have to begin again. Much like the Broncos before them, it's a team that was built for a longer haul. And as Rivera was quick to say Sunday night, there's more than one fight in this franchise. This one ended in defeat, but Carolina spent Sunday night feeling the sting and squaring itself to come out swinging again.

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