2003 NFC Championship: Panthers vs. Buccaneers

Lore & Background

The two teams met for the first time in 1995 when the Panthers were an expansion team. However, the rivalry did not develop until 2002, when the Panthers and Buccaneers were placed in the newly formed NFC South division, resulting in two meetings annually. The matchup immediately became popular, and by many accounts intensified into a heated rivalry starting in 2003, as the Panthers and Buccaneers were contenders for the NFC South title for much of the early-to-mid 2000s.

The annual games have been described as 'physical' and numerous players have suffered season-ending injuries. Among the most serious were Chris Simms, who suffered a ruptured spleen in 2006, and Kavika Pittman, who suffered a career-ending knee injury. Return specialist Clifton Smith suffered concussions in both meetings in 2009, the first from a high hit by Dante Wesley, who was subsequently ejected and suspended for one game. The Panthers lead the overall series, 26–25. The two teams have not met in the playoffs.

Reader's Guide

The Carolina Panthers joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1995. For the first seven years of their existence, they were part of the NFC West division, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were part of the NFC Central during that time. The two teams happened to play as intra-conference opponents in the Panthers' inaugural season. The Buccaneers won 20-13 after a quarterback sneak by Casey Weldon in the fourth quarter.

This game took place at Clemson University, the Panthers temporary home during their first season. The teams met again the following season (1996), with Carolina prevailing 24–0. It would remain the only shutout in the series' history until 2024, on the way to Carolina's first appearance in the NFC Championship Game. It was also the first meeting at the newly constructed Ericsson Stadium.

The two teams would never meet at Tampa Stadium before it was demolished. In 2002, the Panthers and Buccaneers were placed into the newly formed NFC South division. They became division rivals, and would begin an annual two-game, home/away series each season. In 2002, Tampa Bay swept the regular season series en route to their Super Bowl victory.

The second meeting, at Tampa, was a highly anticipated defensive struggle - Tampa Bay entered the game ranked #1 in total defense, while Carolina ranked #3. However, Tampa Bay won a largely one-sided contest. The Buccaneers racked up 314 yards of offense, forced four turnovers, and sacked Peete four times. The Buccaneers won by a score of 23–10, improving to 8–2 on the season, a franchise record after ten games.

In 2003, the Buccaneers hosted Carolina in Week 2. A defensive-oriented game saw young Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme held to only 9-for-23, 96 yards and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Brad Johnson threw for 339 yards. Special teams breakdowns cost the Buccaneers dearly.

After two earlier botched field goal attempts, the Buccaneers trailed 9–3 late in the fourth quarter. On the last play of regulation, Brad Johnson connected to Keenan McCardell for a dramatic game-tying touchdown pass in the back of the endzone time expired. The extra point would have given Tampa Bay the win. Martin Gramatica's extra point attempt, however, was blocked.

The game went to overtime tied 9–9. Both teams traded possessions, and with just over 6 minutes left in the overtime period, Tampa Bay punted to Carolina.