Who's the Panthers' biggest NFC South rival?

[Sir Purr]

Really, this rivalry stuff seems more like fodder for media and fans. It’s fun to get excited about, but players seem to have a different perspective. They are, after all, expected to be professionals.


“That’s one of the top five things that I learned when I got into this league is there’s a lot more respect, a lot more for caring for player on player. You can talk trash to somebody and after the game say, ‘Good game.’ Well, when I used to talk trash in college: ‘You still want to throw these hands, we can after the game,’” said Boston, a UNC product.


“So everyone in our division is a rival, but it’s not like, ‘Ah, I hate the players, too.’ In college, you hate the players, too. You go to Duke; I don’t like you. Like (former Blue Devil cornerback) Ross Cockrell, it took me a long time to like him.”


Boston appeared to be joking because, despite his ties to Duke, Cockrell is one of the Panthers’ most respected players. But Boston then used another teammate to make another good point when he looked a few lockers down and saw cornerback Javien Elliott.


“Javien played for the Bucs. Am I supposed to hate Javien when he comes to us? I can’t. It’s the NFL,” Boston said. “Is Javien supposed to hate those guys (on the Bucs)? He just got done playing a few years with them.”


So then who's the Panthers' biggest rival? There's no obvious answer, because at best, it's a constantly moving target. All six games are essential no matter what helmet the other team is wearing. Think about this: The Panthers went 14-4 in the NFC South when they swept through the division with an unprecedented three-peat from 2013-2015. Since then, they’ve gone 7-13. Improving on that record against all three teams is the easiest path back to the postseason.


“With the exception of having been involved in the Bears/Packers one, wherever else I’ve been, it’s whoever else is in our division,” Rivera said about rivalries. “When I was in Philadelphia with the Eagles with Andy (Reid), it was all those (NFC East) teams. In San Diego, when I was with Norv (Turner), it was all those (AFC West) teams. That’s kind of been the approach that we’ve taken here.


“If you take any of those games lesser than any other, you’re in trouble. Whether it’s Tampa, Atlanta or New Orleans — they’re our biggest rival.”