Super Bowl 52 Appearance (2017 Season)

Lore & Background

The NFL awarded the Carolinas its 29th franchise in 1993, and the Panthers began play in 1995 under founder Jerry Richardson. They reached the NFC Championship Game in their second season. The Panthers 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. The 2015 team finished 15–1, and quarterback Cam Newton was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player. 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.

In Their Own Story

The lights at Mercedes-Benz Stadium hummed with a low, electric buzz that you felt in your sternum before you heard it. The crowd noise rolled in waves, a living thing, and when the Panthers' pregame walkout music hit, the whole building shuddered. You could see the silver helmets catching the stadium lights as they lined up, Kuechly's eyes already scanning the field like a general surveying a ridge before the assault. Newton bounced on his heels, jaw working, that half-smile he got when the game was still a question. The first drive was a statement—three plays, a touchdown, and the roar that shook the glass partition behind you. For a while, it felt like the whole world was holding its breath in Carolina blue. Then the second half came, and the breath never quite returned. You sat in that same seat afterward, scarf still around your neck, watching the Patriots celebrate in silver and red, and you understood: some nights you get the dream, and some nights the dream gets taken from you at the very last whistle. But God, what a night it was.

Reader's Guide

The Panthers first competed in the 1995 NFL season; they were one of two expansion teams to begin playing that year, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Panthers were put in the NFC West to increase the size of that division to five teams. Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was named the first head coach. The Panthers played their first regular season game in Week 1 of the 1995 season, falling to the Atlanta Falcons 23–20 in overtime. After a 0–5 start, they won their first game in franchise history, a 26–15 win over the New York Jets. The team finished its inaugural season 7–9, the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. They performed even better in their second season, finishing with a 12–4 record and winning the NFC West division, as well as securing a first-round bye. The Panthers 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. The team managed only a 7–9 finish in 1997 and slipped to 4–12 in 1998, leading to Capers' dismissal as head coach. The Panthers hired former San Francisco 49ers head coach George Seifert to replace Capers, and he led the team to an 8–8 record in 1999. The team finished 7–9 in 2000 and fell to 1–15 in 2001, leading the Panthers to fire Seifert. After the NFL's expansion to 32 teams in 2002, the Panthers were relocated from the NFC West to the newly created NFC South division. The Panthers had the second overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft, selecting future Hall of Fame defensive end Julius Peppers out of North Carolina. New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox was hired to replace Seifert and led the team to a 7–9 finish in 2002. Prior to the 2003 season, the team signed quarterback Jake Delhomme. The Panthers improved to 11–5 in the 2003 regular season, winning the NFC South. The Panthers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 29–10 in the Wild Card Round, the St. Louis Rams 29–23 in the Divisional Round, and the Philadelphia Eagles 14–3 in the NFC Championship. They advanced to Super Bowl XXXVIII before losing to the New England Patriots, 32–29. Following a 1–7 start in 2004, the Panthers rebounded to win six of their last seven games despite losing 14 players for the season due to injury, finishing the 2004 season at 7–9. The team improved t

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 Panthers reached the NFC Championship Game in their second season (1996).
• The 2015 Panthers finished 15–1, and quarterback Cam Newton was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player.
• In 2025, Carolina won the NFC South with an 8–9 record and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
• Jerry Richardson announced he would sell the franchise in December 2017 amid allegations of workplace misconduct; the sale to David Tepper closed in July 2018.