2017 NFC Championship Game Appearance

Lore & Background

The Panthers reached the NFC Championship Game in their second season. They have won seven division titles and two NFC championships, advancing to Super Bowl XXXVIII after the 2003 season and Super Bowl 50 after the 2015 season, losing both. In 2025, Carolina won the NFC South with an 8–9 record and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2017, losing 34–31 to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round.

Reader's Guide

The Panthers first competed in the 1995 NFL season. They played their first regular season game in Week 1 of the 1995 season, falling to the Atlanta Falcons 23–20 in overtime. The team finished its inaugural season with the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. In their second season, they finished with a record and won the NFC West division, securing a first-round bye. They beat the defending Super Bowl champions Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round 26–17 before losing the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers 30–13.

Did You Know?

• The Panthers played their inaugural 1995 season at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina while their Charlotte stadium was under construction.
• The NFL awarded the Carolinas its 29th franchise in 1993, and the Panthers began play in 1995 under founder Jerry Richardson.
• The 2015 team finished 15–1, and quarterback Cam Newton was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
• In December 2017, Richardson announced he would sell the franchise amid allegations of workplace misconduct; the sale to David Tepper closed in July 2018.