28-3 reasons why the Panthers can be glad the Super Bowl is over

I might become a little stitious after last night’s Super Bowl.

The 2023 NFL season is finally over. The Kansas City Chief’s thrilling overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers, fans of the Carolina Panthers can finally pretend that this last year’s abysmal, 2-15 effort is behind them. They were also able to escape the season with one last palate cleanser:

This punt bounced off of the ankle of Darrell Luter Jr, the 49ers player who wears the number 28 jersey, and through the hands of Ray-Ray McCloud III, who wears the number three jersey, before being recovered by the Chiefs. This 28-3 collapse, as it were, led directly to the Chiefs first touchdown—a 16-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Marques Valdez-Scantling on the next play. That gave the Chiefs their first lead and opened up a game that had been a low-scoring, defensive affair to that point.

Much is going to be made about Shanahan’s strategic error in overtime, his three blown leads in Super Bowls, the 49ers bad fumble luck last night, and Mahomes’ newly minted dynasty.

But we all know the truth here.

The NFC South is hilariously cursed, and it’s spreading.

I would like to extend my apologies to any Atlanta Falcons fans who come across this. We get it. But at least you can rest safely in the knowledge that you wouldn’t be that much better off if you had kept Kyle Shanahan over Dan Quinn back in 2017.

The NFC South may be the losingest division in the National Football League, but it’s our losingest division and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to enjoy the near supernatural taint of our collective failures persisting on one of the greatest offensive coaches in the modern game.