As this was the 50th Super Bowl game, the league emphasized the "golden anniversary" with various gold-themed initiatives during the season, as well as suspending the tradition of naming each Super Bowl game with Roman numerals under which the game would have been known as " Super Bowl L " for this Super Bowl, so the logo could prominently feature the number 50 in more familiar Arabic numerals.
This was also the last Super Bowl logo to include the stadium in the background. The Broncos finished the regular season with a 12—4 record, bolstered by having the league's top defense.
This record would later be broken the next season, in , when the Patriots advanced to their ninth Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl LI. In one of the most defensive matchups in Super Bowl history, the Broncos took an early lead that they never lost. CBS ' broadcast of the game was the fifth most-watched program in American television history with an average of In early , NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated that the league planned to make the 50th Super Bowl "spectacular" and that it would be "an important game for us as a league".
The Miami bid depended on whether the stadium underwent renovations. However, on May 3, , the Florida legislature refused to approve the funding plan to pay for the renovations, dealing a significant blow to Miami's chances. The game also featured the league's top scoring offense Panthers against the league's top defense Broncos.
The Panthers became the 10th team since to have lost just one game during the regular season , and the sixth team ever to have a 15—1 record. Coincidentally, John Fox was the head coach of each team in their previous Super Bowl appearance. Despite waiving long-time running back DeAngelo Williams and losing top wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a torn ACL in the preseason, the Carolina Panthers had their best regular season in franchise history, becoming the seventh team to win at least 15 regular season games since the league expanded to a game schedule in Carolina started the season 14—0, not only setting franchise records for the best start and the longest single-season winning streak, but also posting the best start to a season by an NFC team in NFL history, breaking the 13—0 record previously shared with the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers.
