defending Super

The Panthers also became the first expansion team to beat the defending Super Bowl champions by defeating the San Francisco 49ers 13-7.

After defeating the defending Super Bowl champions, the Dallas Cowboys, they advanced to the NFC Championship, but fell 30-13 to the Packers, who went on to win the Super Bowl.

In just his second start, Newton threw for 432 yards against the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

The Eagles would go on to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants in the Divisional round, only to lose to the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship Game.

In the first week of the 2010 NFL regular season, the Vikings played the defending Super Bowl champions, the New Orleans Saints.

The first game of the season was against the defending Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts.

On January 11, 2009 the team defeated the defending Super Bowl Champions and the 2008 NFC East champion New York Giants 23 – 11 en route to their 5th NFC Championship Game in 8 years and 5th in the 10 years the Eagles have been coached by Andy Reid.

The Chargers defeated the defending Super Bowl III champion New York Jets 34 – 27 before a record San Diego Stadium crowd of 54, 042 on September 29, 1969.

The Packers, the defending Super Bowl I champions, posted a 9-4-1 record during the 1967 NFL season before defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17, in the 1967 NFL Championship Game ( also popularly known as the Ice Bowl ).

Later, Miami shut out the defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore Colts, 21 – 0, in the AFC Championship Game, with safety Dick Anderson intercepting 3 passes from Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas and returning one of them for a 62-yard touchdown.

Dallas was also the defending Super Bowl XII champion, and finished the 1978 regular season with a 12-4 record, and posted playoff victories over the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams.

The defending Super Bowl champions were once again led by quarterback Roger Staubach.

The Steelers were the defending Super Bowl XIII champions, and finished the 1979 regular season with a 12-4 record, and posted playoff victories over the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Oilers.

The Redskins entered the game as the defending Super Bowl XVII champions, and finished the 1983 regular season with a league-best 14-2 record, and led the league in the fewest rushing yards allowed.

The defending Super Bowl XXVII Cowboys finished with a 12-4 regular season record despite key players missing games due to injuries.

But unlike Jacksonville, Carolina came into the contest as the NFC # 2 seed and had eliminated the defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys, 26 – 17.

The defending Super Bowl champion Broncos entered the game with an AFC-best 14-2 regular season record.

The Cardinals won their next home game, defeating the defending Super Bowl champion Washington Redskins 30-21.

The Ravens qualified again for the postseason in 2001 as defending Super Bowl Champions, and once more in 2003, winning their first division title.

In Super Bowl XXXII, the Broncos faced the defending Super Bowl champions Green Bay Packers.

Two-time defending Super Bowl champions who failed to three-peat include the Green Bay Packers ( 1968 ), Miami Dolphins ( 1974 ), Pittsburgh Steelers ( twice: 1976, 1980 ), San Francisco 49ers ( 1990 ), Dallas Cowboys ( 1994 ), Denver Broncos ( 1999 ), and New England Patriots ( 2005 ).

Combining this with their offense, they won their first 13 games, including a 40 – 21 rout of the two-time defending Super Bowl Champions, New England.

In the final exhibition game of 1992, and with first-year coach Dennis Green, Gannon led the Vikings to a 30-0 defeat of defending Super Bowl champions Washington Redskins in the Redskins ' home field, completing 14 of 21 passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns.

His last coaching appearance was with the College All-Stars against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers on July 24, 1976 at Chicago's Soldier Field.

To counter this, he rested eleven first choice players for the clash with defending Super League champions Bradford, effectively playing his reserves and accepting certain defeat in that game.