Last summer, Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob made a similar gesture for all full-time employees, taking them on a ride in a chartered jet to Cleveland to see Game 3 of the NBA Finals—a game they lost 96–91, though they still wound up winning the series in six games.
But the 17–1 Panthers are 4.5-point favorites to win this one.
Naturally, there are storylines on both sides. A win by Carolina would be the franchise’s first ever Super Bowl title and they would be the first one-loss team since the ‘85 Chicago Bears to win the big one.
On the other side, there’s Peyton Manning. The only NFL player to win more than three MVPs (he has five) has just one Super Bowl title and plenty of heartache to show for his previous 14 trips to the NFL playoffs. This time may be his last and a Super Bowl win seems like the fitting ending for one the best to ever play the game. He'll likely have to lean on Denver’s top-ranked defense to hold Cam Newton and company in check though.
