The New England Patriots will welcome the Carolina Panthers to Gillette Stadium on Sunday. It will be a matchup between two teams that are fairly unfamiliar with one another considering that a) the Panthers play in the NFC, and b) they have only been around since 1995.
With that said, let’s take a look at the two teams’ series history.
Overall history
The Patriots and Panthers first met during Carolina’s inaugural season of 1995, a game the then-expansion franchise won 20-17 in overtime. Since then, seven other meetings
have followed with the series split at four wins apiece, including playoffs.
The eight games can be broken down as follows:
- Wins in Foxborough: Patriots 1, Panthers 2
- Wins in Charlotte: Patriots 2, Panthers 2
- Wins on neutral turf: Patriots 1, Panthers 0
In total, New England has scored 198 points in the series compared to Carolina’s 155. The most lopsided game was a 38-6 Patriots blowout win in the 2001 regular season finale; the contest was originally scheduled for Week 2 that year but pushed back due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Most recent game
Not counting last year’s preseason opener, a game the Patriots won 17-3, the two clubs last shared the field in Week 9 of the 2021 season. Visiting Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, New England celebrated a 24-6 victory that included three interceptions off Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold — one by linebacker Jamie Collins and two by cornerback J.C. Jackson, who returned one of them 88 yards for a touchdown.
Offensively, the Patriots had a hard time getting into a rhythm. Mac Jones completed 12 of 18 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown to Hunter Henry, but he also threw an interception to ex-Patriot Stephon Gilmore and lost a fumble. The team did look good on the ground, gaining 154 non-kneel-down yards for an average of 4.3 yards per carry as well as one Damien Harris touchdown.
The most recent game at Gillette Stadium, meanwhile, was a 33-30 Panthers victory in Week 4 of the 2017 season.
Most memorable moment
There can be only one: Super Bowl XXXVIII, one of the best games in NFL history. A heavyweight fight between the two best teams in the league. the Patriots were able to celebrate a 32-29 victory in what was a back-and-forth affair.
Scoreless for the first 27 minutes of the game, there was a points explosion in the late first half that allowed the Patriots to take a 14-10 lead into the locker room — both TDs were scored via Tom Brady touchdown passes (one to Deion Branch, one to David Givens). After no points were scored again in the third period, the fourth quarter was one for the ages.
New England went ahead 21-10 on an Antowain Smith touchdown run, but two Panthers touchdowns allowed the NFC champions to go up 22-21 with less than seven minutes on the clock. The Patriots answered with a Brady touchdown to Mike Vrabel — yes, the team’s current head coach — plus a Kevin Faulk two-pointer. Carolina tied the game at 29 just seven plays later but made a crucial mistake on the ensuing kickoff.
That kick sailing out of bounds gave the Patriots the ball at the 40-yard line, and it took Brady less than a minute to drive into Adam Vinatieri’s field goal range. After missing two relative chip shots earlier in the game, Vinatieri came through in the clutch to split the uprights from 41 yards out.
Tom Brady, who went 32-of-48 for 354 yards with three touchdowns and an interception was named the game’s most valuable player. It was his second Super Bowl MVP award in the last three years, and the Patriots’ second championship as well.
New England added four more titles since, while the Panthers are still waiting for their first Lombardi Trophy.
