Following a domestic violence incident in early 2014 involving Carolina Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy, the Panthers decided to part ways with their most dominant pass rusher. The following year, Hardy would end up signing with the Dallas Cowboys. By the end of the season, the Cowboys would be 4-12 and the Panthers would be heading to the Super Bowl.
It’s a mind-bending turn of events that led a 12-4 Cowboys team from 2014 to utter irrelevance the next. It also led a 7-8-1 Panthers’ squad to a Championship path in that same span.