Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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1996 Divisional Playoffs vs Dallas
In the first playoff game in team history, the Panthers stuck to a formula that had worked all season, using an opportunistic offense, a Sam Mills-led defense, solid special teams and an uplifting record-sized crowd to defeat the defending Super Bowl Champion Dallas Cowboys, 26-17. The defense supplied a team effort with interceptions by Chad Cota, Pat Terrell and Mills, while successfully executing three goal-line stands from inside their own five-yard line. Mills recorded an iconic interception with just over one minute remaining in the game and returned it to the Cowboys' one-yard line, sealing the victory.
2003 Divisional Playoffs at St. Louis
The Panthers defeated the host St. Louis Rams 29-23 in double overtime at the Edward Jones Dome to earn their second trip to the NFC Championship Game. In the second overtime, facing third-and-14 from their own 31-yard line on the first play of the second overtime, quarterback Jake Delhomme hit wide receiver Steve Smith on a slant pattern for 69 yards and the game-winning score, a play now famously known as X-Clown. The Panthers outgained the Rams 485 yards to 380, including 216 to 64 in rushing yardage. They held the Rams to just six possessions and 12 points through the first three quarters. Delhomme completed 16-of-26 passes for 290 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
2003 Wild Card Playoffs vs. Dallas
Behind a dominating defense, Carolina defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 29-10, at Ericsson Stadium to reach the second-round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1996 season. The Panthers held the Cowboys to 204 yards of total offense while not committing any penalties or turnovers. Quarterback Jake Delhomme completed 18-of-29 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, running back Stephen Davis rushed 26 times for 104 yards, and wide receiver Steve Smith caught five passes for 135 yards and a touchdown.
2003 NFC Championship at Philadelphia
In just their ninth season of existence, the Panthers claimed a bid to Super Bowl XXXVIII by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 14-3 at Lincoln Financial Field in the NFC Championship game. Carolina took advantage of four interceptions, three by rookie cornerback Ricky Manning, to hold the Philadelphia offense to only one field goal. The game featured one of Carolina's all-time franchise highlights as the Panthers final score came on a one-yard run by running back DeShaun Foster who broke four tackles on the way to the end zone. The run gave Carolina a 14-3 lead, and Philadelphia's final threat ended midway through the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Koy Detmer was intercepted by linebacker Dan Morgan at the Carolina 11-yard line to thwart the Eagles final significant scoring opportunity.
Super Bowl XXXVIII vs New England
In the first Super Bowl in franchise history, the Carolina Panthers scored 19 fourth-quarter points to tie New England with one minute remaining, but kicker Adam Vinatieri converted a 41-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 32-29 victory for their second Super Bowl victory in three seasons. Running back DeShaun Foster scored a highlight reel 33-yard touchdown run, the then fourth-longest run in Super Bowl history. With less than three minutes remaining in the game, quarterback Jake Delhomme drove his team 80 yards on just seven plays, hitting Ricky Proehl across the middle for a 12-yard touchdown that tied the game with 1:13 remaining. However, Brady mounted one last scoring drive to set up New England for the game-winning kick.
2005 Divisional Playoffs at Chicago
Carolina totaled 434 yards against the NFL's second-ranked defense in a 29-21 victory over the Chicago Bears in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. The contest marked the Panthers fourth consecutive postseason road victory to equal the NFL record for the most consecutive road postseason victories. The Panthers became the fourth team since 1990 to win an NFC Divisional Playoff game on the road. Carolina scored 29 points against a Bears defense that allowed a League-low 12.9 points per game during the regular season and a total of 61 points at home during the regular season. Wide receiver Steve Smith amassed 218 yards receiving, the most in team history and, at the time, the fourth-highest total in a playoff game in NFL history, and two touchdowns on 12 receptions, which tied for the second-most catches in NFL postseason history. With the victory, head coach John Fox became just the fifth head coach in NFL history to record at least four postseason road wins.
2015 Thanksgiving Game at Dallas
In 2015, nearly 20 years after Carolina's inaugural season, the Panthers were selected to play on Thanksgiving Day for the first time, with a Week 12 road matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. That game marked the return of quarterback Tony Romo – 6-2 as a starter in Thanksgiving games. The Panthers responded by picking off Romo three times in the first half. Linebacker Luke Kuechly scored his first career touchdown on a 32-yard interception return. On the next snap, Kuechly became the first NFL player since 1997 to pick off passes on consecutive plays, as he helped the Panthers improve their record to 11-0.
2015 NFC Championship vs Arizona
Carolina won the NFC Championship and advanced to the second Super Bowl in franchise history with a 49-15 victory over Arizona. The win was the Panthers 13th consecutive at home, including the playoffs. Quarterback Cam Newton threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more to become just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to produce multiple rushing and passing touchdowns in the same postseason game. Defensively, linebacker Luke Kuechly and safeties Kurt Coleman and Tre Boston came up with two takeaways apiece. The Panthers dominated the early portions of the game to take a 24-7 lead into halftime.