CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ A year ago, the San Francisco 49ers were where the Panthers are today. At home, watching the Super Bowl from their couches after a disappointing season.
Fast forward a year and the 49ers are getting set to play in Super Bowl LIV. After five straight seasons of playoff drought and a .500 or worse record, San Francisco clinched the NFC's number one overall seed and played two home playoff games to set up an opportunity for a sixth Super Bowl title.
The Panthers, still hoping to win their first championship, have missed the playoffs for a second straight year. They have yet to have back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. One of the team's best-ever players, linebacker Luke Kuechly, has retired and tight end Greg Olsen is leaving the team he has been a part of for nine seasons. Franchise quarterback Cam Newton's future with the organization is also still up in the air.
Despite all of that, the 49ers' success should be viewed as proof that a turnaround is possible. They completely rebuilt the team and made it to the championship game quickly, from 4-12 in 2018 to 13-3 in 2019, the team's first winning season since 2013. Could the Panthers replicate their model?
The 49ers began a new era in 2017, after Chip Kelly was fired after leading the team to a 2-14 record in his one year as head coach. New coach Kyle Shanahan was allowed to select his general manager, so Shanahan and John Lynch were hired as a tandem to take over a struggling team. It wasn't pretty to start with. In the first two seasons (2017 and 2018), San Francisco won a combined 10 games and fell to the bottom half of the NFC West. But it turned things around in 2019, starting the year on an eight-game winning streak.
