The Patriots and Panthers have met just six times, but there have been quite a few notable games, none moreso than Super Bowl 38, which remains to this day one of the most exciting Super Bowls of all time. When they renew the rivalry again at Gillette tomorrow there won’t be quite as much on the line but somehow their games always seem to be interesting.
In their first matchup in 1995, the Panthers’ first season in the league, the Patriots lost in overtime, en route to a disappointing 6-10 season. John Kasay‘s overtime field goal dropped the Pats to 2-6 as Kerry Collins threw for 306 yards and Derrick Moore (? lol) rushed for 119 yards.
Their second matchup didn’t come until the 2001 season and because of 9/11 was played on January 6th, usually when the playoffs had started. We’re used to the final game of the regular season being meaningless but this one gave the Pats the chance to win the second seed in the AFC. The Patriots pounded the one-win Panthers 38-6 and set the stage for the Tuck Rule game two weeks later in the final game at the old Foxborough Stadium.
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Two years later the Panthers had turned their franchise around behind a great defense led by Mike Rucker and Julius Peppers, and the arm of Jake Delhomme, a tough receiving corps led by future Hall of Famer Steve Smith who had 1110 yards receiving, and running back Stephen Davis who had 1448 rushing yards. The 11-5 Panthers knocked off Dallas in the Wild Card round then the Rams in St. Louis and the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Super Bowl 38 in Houston got off to a scoreless first quarter, which was somewhat expected for two teams with such fantastic defenses. Late in the second quarter the teams started trading scores. Brady to Branch with 3:05 left in the half gave the Pats a 7-0 lead but the Panthers would answer on Steve Smith’s 39-yard touchdown catch just two minutes later.
The Pats would answer with a David Givens touchdown with only 18 second left in the half, but a short kickoff by Adam Vinatieri and a quick 21-yard rush by Davis set up a 50-yard Kasay field goal that 14-10 Patriots at the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, the offensive fireworks again ignited in the fourth quarter, with the Panthers putting up three touchdowns to the Patriots’ two. That left the game tied as Kasay kicked off out of bounds giving Tom Brady the ball at the Patriots’ 40-yard line with 1:08 left. It was vintage Brady as he reeled off:
- 13 yards to Troy Brown
- 20 yards to Troy Brown (called for OPI)
- 13 yards to Troy Brown
- Four yards to Daniel Graham
- 17 yards to Deion Branch
Not one incompletion on the drive, as Adam Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal to give the Patriots their second Super Bowl in three seasons.
No Patriots-Panthers game since then has had that drama for obvious reasons. There was a hard-fought, physical battle in Carolina coming Week 2 in 2005 that saw the Patriots lose 27-17. That game was a harbinger of the kind of season 2005 would be. There was just something missing that year. The Pats’ second half possessions started with a field goal then went -5 yards (fumble), -5 yards (punt), 2 yards (punt), 4 yards (punt) and finally 49 yards with another fumble.
In 2009, the Patriots were coming off two-straight losses as they welcomed the Panthers in Week 14. This needed to be a big get-on-track game but the 2009 Pats still struggled to put away the 5-8 Panthers. The Pats led just 14-10 early in the fourth before two field goals put away a 20-10 victory. It was far from a feel-good victory and another sign that the 2009 team lacked the magic just like the 2005 team did.
In 2013, the Patriots were coming off their bye week to face the talented 7-3 Panthers on Monday Night Football. The Patriots took a 20-17 lead with just over six minutes left in the game, but Cam Newton led a 13-play, 83-yard touchdown drive to take the lead, leaving just 1:09 left in the game. Once again Brady took one of his less talented offenses down the field, including a fourth-and-10 conversion to Gronk for 23 yards.
Brady’s final pass to the end zone from the Panthers 18 was intercepted despite blatant pass interference by Luke Kuechly on Gronk in the end zone. That sealed a 24-20 Panthers win. Kuechly would admit this week that he got away with one there. Still, it was the second-best game of the rivalry and one that came down to the final play just like Super Bowl 38 did.