Monday night’s game has massive NFC playoff implications for the San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers. The obvious recent connection between the two organizations is the trade for Christian McCaffrey,
who will face his former team for the first time. If not for an unfortunate hamstring injury, we could also be talking about an Eddy Piniero revenge game. Either way, the 49ers and Panthers have met 23 times, with the Panthers holding a 13-10 advantage. Will the 49ers draw closer on Monday, or will the Panthers extend their lead in the all-time series?
Here are some highlights from the 49ers/Panthers history:
January 12, 2014 – 49ers 23, Panthers 10 (NFC Divisional Round)
This is the only postseason matchup between the two franchises. Following four straight losses to Carolina, Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers needed to go through Carolina to clinch a matchup with Seattle in the NFC Championship Game.
The 49ers were downright dominant in Carolina. Creating two turnovers and allowing ten points in the second quarter, with zeroes the rest of the way. Kaepernick ran for and threw a touchdown to Vernon Davis right before halftime. The touchdown run was punctuated by Kaepernick mocking Cam Newton’s “Superman” celebration. Anquan Boldin added 136 yards on eight receptions, and Donte Whitner and Patrick Willis hauled in interceptions.
September 10, 2017 – Panthers 23, 49ers 3
Kyle Shanahan’s first season as head coach was a tough one, to say the least. The season began with a loud thud at home against the Panthers and Cam Newton. The Panthers whipped the 49ers to the tune of a 23-3 score. Newton threw for 171 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Funny enough, the interception was the highlight of the day for the 49ers as Jaquiski Tartt brought in a one-handed interception on a deep attempt from Newton.
The 49ers committed ten turnovers for 74 yards, with two turnovers and 217 total yards over four quarters. Things would get better for the 49ers, but this was a tough one to watch.
October 27, 2019 – 49ers 51, Panthers 13
Oh, Gerald McCoy. You silly man. The Panthers wanted “all the smoke,” and they got throttled by the upstart 49ers. The 49ers entered the contest at 6-0, with few pundits wondering if the team was pretending. A 50-burger against the Panthers and starting quarterback Kyle Allen silenced those people. Jimmy Garoppolo threw two touchdowns, one to Emmanuel Sanders and one to Tevin Coleman, who finished with four touchdowns on the day.
Christian McCaffrey rushed for over 100 yards and scored a touchdown, but had to watch his team get crushed by his future team. The 49ers caught three interceptions, with none more memorable than Nick Bosa’s at the line of scrimmage. Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Moseley secured the other two.
October 9, 2022 – 49ers 37, Panthers 15
Tevin Coleman has a vendetta against the Carolina Panthers. The veteran running back returned and scored two more touchdowns. Jeff Wilson, Jr, rushed for 120 yards on 17 carries with a touchdown. Jimmy Garoppolo was back as the starter following the season-ending injury to Trey Lance and threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
Unfortunately, McCaffrey would have to watch another blowout while scoring a touchdown. Moseley returned an interception for a touchdown, and in a nice final touch, Brock Purdy entered the game to kneel the game out.
