Carolina Panthers · Franchise era 2 of 4
Cardiac Cats: the Carolina Panthers story
Franchise era
2002—2010
Cardiac Cats
Carolina Panthers
The story in one sentence
John Fox's physical team won three road playoff games in 2003 and pushed New England to the final seconds of Super Bowl XXXVIII.
01
Defense, Steve Smith and a Super Bowl run
02
Steve Smith, Julius Peppers and Jake Delhomme gave the era its recognizable core.
03
Its ending created the conditions for cam and luke.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2002
What came before
Carolina won its division and reached the 1996 NFC Championship Game in only its second season before the original core receded.
2004-01-10
Divisional Round: Carolina Panthers vs St. Louis Rams
2004-01-18
Conference Championship: Carolina Panthers vs Philadelphia Eagles
2004-02-01
Super Bowl: Carolina Panthers vs New England Patriots
After 2010
What came next
Newton and Kuechly became the faces of a powerful, fast roster that won three straight division titles and reached Super Bowl 50.
The core