The 2003 Super Bowl run

Lore & Background

The Panthers finished the regular season with an 11–5 record, clinching the NFC South title and earning the No. 3 seed. Led by quarterback Jake Delhomme and a stout defense, they upset the St. Louis Rams in the divisional round on a double-overtime field goal, then shut down the Philadelphia Eagles 14–3 in the NFC Championship Game to advance to their first Super Bowl.

In Their Own Story

The bus rolls into the Reliant Stadium parking lot and the air already tastes like the Super Bowl—cold Houston night, the smell of hot dogs and diesel, the muffled thump of a bass line from a nearby speaker. A young fan in a faded Panthers jersey, the one his father wore to the 1996 season opener, presses his forehead against the glass. Inside, the field is a green rectangle under white lights, and the Panthers' black shoulder pads catch the glare like wet stone. He watches Kerry Collins line up, watches Steve Smith break a route that looks like a question mark drawn in the air, watches the scoreboard tick. At 29-14, the boy on the bus is already screaming, already reaching for a banner that doesn't exist yet. Then the lights blur. The score changes. The bus engine idles. And the silence in the back row is the loudest sound he has ever heard. He does not cry. He just stares at the field until the Patriots lift the Lombardi, until the confetti falls on the wrong side of the gridiron, until the bus pulls away and Charlotte is just a dot of blue light behind them.

Reader's Guide

The Panthers' offense, which led the NFL in scoring (500 points), was loaded with talent. Pro Bowl quarterback and regular season MVP Cam Newton threw for 3,837 yards and rushed for 636 yards, recording a career-high and league-leading 45 total touchdowns. The Panthers' defense gave up just 308 points, ranking sixth in the league, while also leading the NFL in interceptions with 24.

Did You Know?

• The Panthers became the first team in NFL history to win a playoff game in double overtime.
• Super Bowl XXXVIII was the first Super Bowl to feature two brothers playing against each other (Dan and David Koppen).
• The Panthers' defense held the Eagles to just 3 points in the NFC Championship Game.