Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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Carolina won four of the first five games in 1995-97 as the team won the division in 1996. New Orleans then took eight of the next 10 contests as Carolina went six straight years without a winning season and the Saints had a division title.
The Panthers then won 11 of 15 matchups between the 2002 and 2009 seasons as Carolina had three playoff appearances and two trips to the NFC Championship in that time. The pendulum swung back to New Orleans with four straight wins under Drew Brees, followed by the Panthers success in the Cam Newton era. Between 2012-16, Carolina went 7-3 against New Orleans, winning three games in the Superdome, including the 2015 division clincher.
Recently, the series has swung back to New Orleans as they have won two consecutive NFC South titles and gone 4-1 against Carolina with the only loss in Week 17 last year when Brees didn't play.
Division rivalry games can be funky. Oftentimes the better team doesn't win as both teams know each other so well. For instance, in Carolina's six division title seasons, the Panthers have gone 7-5 against the Falcons, however, they were 10-2 against New Orleans in those same season.
There's something about New Orleans and Carolina that really serves as a litmus test for where each team is and where they are going.
And there have been some pretty dramatic and riveting game moments in the rivalry as well.