Panthers’ playoff history: Ranking the team’s 17 appearances, from best to worst
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Carolina Panthers play the 18th game in their playoff history at 4:30 pm Saturday.
- Observer columnist Scott Fowler has covered previous 17 and ranks them, best to worst.
- Carolina’s Lone previous postseason matchup with Rams franchise checks in at No. 1.
For all their flaws in a checkered 31-season history, the Carolina Panthers are pretty darn good when they reach the playoffs.
They’ve only had seven winning seasons in those 31 years. They’re 46 games under .500. But in the playoffs? The Panthers have often kept pounding, winning nine of 17 postseason games. Even if they lose to the Los Angeles Rams in Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. wild-card game in Charlotte, they will be 9-9 in their franchise history, which is a very respectable record against this level of competition.
I’ve been fortunate enough to cover all 17 of those playoff games in person for The Charlotte Observer, hence a large portion of my gray hair.
Here’s my totally subjective ranking of those 17 games, in order of best to worst.
I’m basing this ranking mostly on feel — who was favored, where the game was played, what Panthers fans thought afterward and what it felt like in the stadium on that day.
The year listed after each game refers to the season in question, not the exact date of the game. See if you agree or not.
1) Panthers 29, St. Louis 23 (2003)
My pick for No. 1 is this double-overtime thriller that the Panthers won on the most famous play in their history — Jake Delhomme’s 69-yard walk-off strike to Steve Smith for a shocking touchdown on third-and-14, on the first play of double overtime. The Rams (then playing in St. Louis) had won 14 straight games at home. Favored by seven points, they trudged off the field in disbelief in a silent stadium.
I talked to Delhomme this week and asked him why this game still resonates for so many people.
“Especially because it was double overtime,” Delhomme said, noting there have only been a handful of double-overtime games in postseason NFL history. “It was awesome, man.”
2) Panthers 49, Arizona 15 (2015)
The last time the Panthers played a home game in Bank of America Stadium they manufactured this rout, which was so enjoyable for fans and players in large part because the outcome was never in doubt in the second half. Everyone could relax. In retrospect, the 2015 Panthers hit their peak in this game — the only NFC Championship contest to be played in Charlotte. They won by 34 over an Arizona team that went 13-3 in the regular season, and the stadium shook at several points.
3) Panthers 26, Dallas 17 (1996)
The first playoff win in Panthers history certainly deserves consideration for No. 1, given it was a victory over “America’s Team” by a second-year franchise. Dallas had won three of the previous four Super Bowls and boasted a quartet of future hall of famers — Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders. But what was possibly the best defense in Panthers history knocked both Irvin and Sanders out of the game. The Panthers got four field goals from John Kasay and two TD passes from Kerry Collins.
4) Panthers 14, Philadelphia 3 (2003)
Not the most dramatic game, but this NFC Championship contest included one of the best defensive performances the Panthers ever produced. The Panthers had five sacks, grabbed four interceptions and allowed only three points to a strong Eagles team playing in Philly. A number of Panther players told their families not to come, due to Philadelphia fans’ ugly reputation.
Future Carolina GM Dan Morgan was the middle linebacker that day and Deshaun Foster had a legendary 1-yard TD run on which he broke five tackles.
5) Panthers 31, Seattle 24 (2015)
What started as a blowout turned into a nail-biter. Carolina led Seattle 31-0 at halftime, only to see Russell Wilson lead the Seahawks to 24 straight points and nearly more. Luke Kuechly had a pick-6 interception to help the Panthers grab their early lead. Thomas Davis had to leap high to recover an onside kick in the final minutes to clinch the game.
6) Panthers 29, Dallas 10 (2003)
The “Keep Pounding” game. Sam Mills, the linebacker turned Panther assistant, gave his “Keep Pounding” speech to the assembled team the day before this one. Stephen Davis, Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith all went over 100 yards of offense, and Kasay had five field goals.
Mimicking what happened seven years earlier after the Dallas playoff win in Charlotte, the players ran back outside and took a lap around the stadium, slapping hands with delirious home fans.
7) Panthers 29, Chicago 21 (2005)
I think of this as the “Steve Smith game.” No. 89 put a capper on the best season of his career by eviscerating the Bears (and then-Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera) all day, with 12 catches for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
When Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was asked after the game what happened, he growled: “Steve Smith. That’s what happened to us.”
8) Panthers 23, NY Giants 0 (2005)
Carolina thoroughly throttled the Giants in this one, turning New York quarterback Eli Manning over four times. It was the first time one of Manning’s teams had been shut out, in the pros or in college at Ole Miss. He would later win two Super Bowls, but the Panthers made him look like Jimmy Clausen in this one.
9) Panthers 27, Arizona 16 (2014)
Cam Newton’s first-ever playoff win wasn’t brimming with style points. But for a 7-8-1 Carolina team that won the NFC South despite a losing record and was being bombarded by national criticism for even being in the playoffs at all (does this sound familiar?), this was a sweet victory. Due to injuries, Arizona was forced to start career backup quarterback Ryan Lindley, who threw for just 82 yards.
10) New England 32, Panthers 29 (2003)
Undoubtedly the best the Panthers have played in a playoff loss. These were the Patriots in the early Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era, and they were good everywhere. Delhomme threw for 323 yards, led Carolina on TD drives on each of its final three possessions and had a higher QB rating than Brady. It still wasn’t enough, as Carolina lost on a last-second field goal.
11) New Orleans 31, Panthers 26 (2017)
The last time the Panthers made the playoffs, they had to go play NFC South divisional rival New Orleans for a third time that season. The Panthers trailed the entire game, by as many as 15, but rallied late when Christian McCaffrey caught a 56-yard TD pass in his only playoff game as a Panther before losing a close one.
12) Green Bay 30, Panthers 13 (1996)
Not a good result, but it’s also not in my bottom five simply because the Packers were extremely strong, were playing at home on a freezing day in Lambeau Field, were heavily favored and would go on to win the Super Bowl. This was Carolina’s first NFC Championship appearance — an achievement in itself in Year 2. The Panthers led briefly, 7-0, before Brett Favre, Reggie White and cold reality set in.
13) Seattle 31, Panthers 17 (2014)
The Panthers only trailed 14-10 at halftime in Seattle, playing with the core of the team that would make the Super Bowl a year later. Kam Chancellor’s 90-yard pick-6 return of a Cam Newton interception put the game out of reach.
14) Seattle 34, Panthers 14 (2005)
All of the Panthers’ running backs were injured and the game was in Seattle, so those things didn’t help. But this was more of a rout than it should have been. At one point Seattle led 34-7, with Carolina’s only TD coming on a Steve Smith punt return. Pretty much a nightmare from beginning to end.
15) San Francisco 23, Panthers 10 (2013)
Home playoff losses just hit differently. The Panthers were the NFC’s No. 2 seed, had a first-round bye and were playing at home. But the 49ers still shut them out in the second half. Meanwhile, a pre-controversy Colin Kaepernick ran for one touchdown and threw for another.
16) Arizona 33, Panthers 13 (2008)
“I played two playoff games on my birthday,” Jake Delhomme said during our conversation this week. “One is one of the greatest in Panther history. One is one of the biggest duds in Panther history.”
The first game was No. 1 on this list. This one was the dud. Delhomme had an astoundingly poor game — five interceptions and one lost fumble.
“That wasn’t the six-turnover game, was it?” I asked Delhomme, trying to recall the details on the fly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Delhomme cracked. “We’re having a bad connection.”
Random note: both No.1 and No.16 on this list occurred on Jan. 10, which is Delhomme’s birthday. This Saturday Panthers-Rams game will also be played on Jan. 10. So Delhomme will be calling the Panthers game on the team’s radio network, on his 51st birthday.
17) Denver 24, Panthers 10 (2015)
Because of the stakes involved, this was the worst playoff loss in Panthers history. Carolina was 17-1, had NFL MVP Cam Newton at quarterback and was coming off two playoff games where the team had averaged 40 points. But the Panthers could only score 10 points, as Denver’s fearsome pass rush wrecked Carolina’s best chance at a Super Bowl win.
Jerricho Cotchery’s controversial non-catch; Cam Newton not jumping on the fumble; Peyton Manning being unable to throw the ball downfield and yet still being effective — they all played a part. The Panthers were picked to win this one by nearly everyone; that they didn’t is a disappointment that still haunts the franchise.
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Panthers’ playoff history: Ranking the team’s 17 appearances, from best to worst."
