By The Numbers: Panthers Defeat Cardinals 49–15
The NFL Playoffs ended on Sunday with the Denver Broncos beating the New England Patriots in the AFC Championships, and the Carolina Panthers cementing their trip to the Super Bowl with a sound victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championships.
As part of our weekly look into one newsworthy story shared on Zero Slant, and in anticipation of Super Bowl 50, we’ll take a deep dive into the NFC Championship game and let it tell us the story of the game, using its automatically created timeline.
6:10pm ET — Slow Peak To Game Start
Because the AFC Championship game between the Broncos and Patriots was close, broadcasters weren’t sure if it would go into overtime. By looking at the above chart, we can see there is a steady hold in the number of posts from the Bank of America Stadium from 6:10 to 6:30pm as they wait for kickoff. Based on the noticeable uptick in posts at around 6:45pm, we can deduce the game began (kickoff was officially at 6:47pm).
8:30pm — Half[selfie]time
The first major peak happens at 8:30pm, right about when halftime begins. You’re correct in wondering why there are so many photos being posted when there’s a break in the game, and I’ve got an answer for you — selfies. Attendees take the lull in action to add themselves to the social fabric of the game by sharing photos of themselves alongside those of the game.
9:15pm — Cam Newton Runs For A Touchdown and “Super Bowl” Begins Trending
I think this is a pretty self-explanatory reason for a spike in posts. Superman strikes again.
An interesting data point also occurred at this time — as soon as Newton scores the go-ahead rushing touchdown and brings their lead to 34–7, “NFC Championships” stops being a trending topic and “Super Bowl” immediately takes over as the top trending topic.
10:00pm — Panthers Win
The largest spike in the story is, predictably, when the Panthers win at around 10:00pm. A steady uptick in posts begins at 9:45pm, as fans begins to realize the win is about to become official and their team is Super Bowl-bound.
Throughout the entire story, it’s important to point out a trend that every social media manager hopes is true, but isn’t always sure will work — the official hashtag of the Carolina Panthers, #KeepPounding, is the strongest sustaining trending topic during the duration of the story.
Storytelling With Social Media
Let’s be honest — compared to the AFC Championship game, the NFC Championship game was a bit boring; Cam and his team drew away from the competition almost immediately and cruised to an easy win. The lack of rollercoaster spikes Zero Slant’s timeline is super effective at telling this story, only letting us know when something truly important happened — halftime, Cam Newton’s rushing touchdown, and the end of the game to officially crown them as potential heirs to the next Superbowl.
Check back in next week as we analyze our wins (and fails) in telling another fun story, as told by Zero Slant.
As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions or comments at [email protected]
