2018 NFC Wild Card: Panthers vs. Buccaneers

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.

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 with the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. They performed even better in their second season, finishing with a winning 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 winning finish in 1997 and slipped 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 a winning record in 1999.

The team finished with a losing record in 2000 and fell to 1–15 in 2001, leading the Panthers to fire Seifert. One highlight from the 2001 season was the drafting of future franchise wide receiver Steve Smith. 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.

New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox was hired to replace Seifert and led the team to a winning finish in 2002. Prior to the 2003 season, the team signed quarterback Jake Delhomme. The Panthers improved to a winning record 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.