Panthers–Saints rivalry
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
| |
| First meeting | October 22, 1995 Panthers 20, Saints 3 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | December 10, 2023 Saints 28, Panthers 6 |
| Next meeting | 2024 |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 59 |
| All-time series | Saints, 31–28 |
| Postseason results | Saints, 1–0
|
| Largest victory | Panthers, 45–13 (2000) Saints, 42–10 (2019) |
| Longest win streak | Panthers, 4 (2002–04; 2005–07) Saints, 5 (2000–02) |
| Current win streak | Saints, 2 (2023–present) |
| Championship success | |
Super Bowl championships (1)
Division championships (12) | |
The Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL) share a rivalry with each other. The Panthers began play in 1995, joining the Saints as members of the NFC West. The Panthers won their first matchup 20–3. As part of the NFL's 2002 division realignment, the Panthers and Saints were both placed in the newly-formed NFC South. As divisional rivals, the two teams play each other twice each season. Overall, the rivalry is fairly even, with the Saints slightly leading the series 31–28.[1]
Background[edit]
The Saints began play in 1967.[2] The Panthers, meanwhile, were officially accepted as an NFL franchise in 1993. They began play in 1995, joining the Saints in the NFC West Division.[3] Both located in the Southeastern United States, the Panthers and Saints had a natural geographic rivalry set-up.[3] Ultimately, the Panthers and Saints would develop an evenly and hotly-contested rivalry. The latter would also become the most commonly-faced opponent for the former.[4] For their entire rivalry, the two have been divisional rivals, mostly as members of the NFC South alongside the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
1995–2001: NFC West rivals[edit]
On October 22, 1995, the Panthers won the first game between the two teams, 20–3.[3][5] From 2000 to 2002, the Saints went on a five-game winning streak over the Panthers, their longest of the rivalry.[6]
Sam Mills was a figure of the early Panthers–Saints rivalry. A member of the Saints' "Dome Patrol" until 1994, Mills left New Orleans to join the Panthers for their inaugural 1995 season.[7] Mills took exception to the Saints only expressing interest in re-signing him after the Panthers made him an offer during free agency.[3][7] Mills would later become a member of both the Saints' Hall of Fame and Panthers' Hall of Honor.
2002–2010: Joining the NFC South and arrival of Drew Brees[edit]
After facing off as NFC West rivals from 1995 to 2001,[8] the Saints and Panthers were moved to the newly-formed NFC South in 2002.
In 2003, the Panthers defeated the Saints 23–20 in an overtime game en route to their first Super Bowl appearance.[9][10]
In 2006, quarterback Drew Brees joined the Saints. Sean Payton also joined New Orleans as the team's head coach. The Brees–Payton pairing brought the franchise success, which it notably lacked prior to their arrival.[11] Brees' record against the Panthers was documented to be historically close in both 2012 and 2015.[12][13] However, Brees would win his final 8 matches against Carolina and finish his career with an 18–11 record against them.[note 1] In his first twelve seasons as the Saints' starter, Brees only missed two games, both road losses at Carolina.[16][17]
2011–2017: Cam Newton in Carolina and playoff matchup[edit]
After a poor performance during their 2010 season, the Carolina Panthers selected quarterback Cam Newton first overall during the 2011 NFL Draft. Linebacker Luke Kuechly was drafted by the Panthers in 2012, becoming a noted figure in the rivalry.[15] Newton was allegedly one of the quarterbacks named in the Saints' Bountygate scandal.[18]
During the final week of the 2011 season, the Saints defeated the Panthers. In the game, Brees extended his single-season record for most passing yards, finishing the season with 5,476 and also set the single-season record for most passing completions.[19] In the game, Newton also became the first rookie quarterback to pass for over 4,000 yards in a season.[19]
Often engaging in physical and hotly-contested matches, the Saints and Panthers have had scuffles and brawls during matches against each other.[20] The 2014 season saw chippy games between the two squads; during the second matchup, the teams engaged in numerous fights and "an infamous all-out brawl after a Cam Newton touchdown run, resulting in multiple player ejections."[16]
Both teams were successful during their 2017 campaigns, each winning 11 games.[21] The Saints won both regular season matches and won the NFC South division, but the Panthers qualified for the postseason as a wild card. This set up a third game between the two teams during the NFC Wild Card round. New Orleans won at home in what would be a close game, 31–26.[22][23]
2018–2021: Final seasons of Brees and Newton[edit]
The Panthers and Newton would part ways following the 2019 season. Brees would retire from the NFL following the 2020 season.[15] Brees passed for 7,949 yards and 55 touchdowns in his career against the Panthers, both figures higher than any other player.[15] In what would be his final regular season game, Brees threw for three touchdowns and led the Saints to a 33–7 victory over the Panthers.[24] In doing so, the Saints completed a season sweep of the entire NFC South division, becoming the first team to do so.[25]
Newton briefly returned to the Panthers in 2021, but was on the bench against the Saints.[26] The 2021 season would also be the last for Payton, as he retired from coaching following the season.[27]
Season-by-season results[edit]
| Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints Season-by-Season Results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1990s (Panthers, 6–4)
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2000s (Panthers, 11–9)
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2010s (Saints, 13–8)
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2020s (Saints, 5–3)
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Summary of Results
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Notes[edit]
- ^ This win–loss record includes his 1–0 record against the Panthers during his tenure with the San Diego Chargers and his 17–11 record against the Panthers during his tenure with the Saints.[14][15]
References[edit]
- ^ "All Matchups, Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Baskin, Ben (June 20, 2017). "Brawls, Booze and True Believers: The Saints' Wild First Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Taranto, Steven (June 24, 2019). "The First Team: The Story of the 1995 Carolina Panthers". 247Sports. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Kistner, Kade (July 9, 2020). "Saints fans have good reason to hate the Panthers". SB Nation. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers - October 22nd, 1995". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Saints vs. Panthers Week 18 Game Preview | 2022 NFL". neworleanssaints.com. January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Gantt, Darin (July 21, 2022). "In 1995, Sam Mills wrote a new chapter here". panthers.com. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers series history". neworleanssaints.com. December 20, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Kasay boots 31-yard game-winner". ESPN. October 28, 2003. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Benne, Jon (February 7, 2016). "A look back at the Panthers' first Super Bowl appearance". SB Nation. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Taranto, Steven (January 20, 2019). "Panthers rejoice as Saints lose NFC Championship Game". 247Sports. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
Once upon a time, Saints fans had a legitimate claim to being hearty, long-suffering fans who stuck by their team - That is, until they hit on a magical pairing in Drew Brees and Sean Payton that led them to a Super Bowl triumph and years of success afterwards.
- ^ Edwards, Charles (September 13, 2012). "Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints: Breaking Down a Bitter Rivalry". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Lopez, Andrew (July 18, 2019) [September 24, 2015]. "#TBT: Drew Brees vs. the Panthers through the years". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Drew Brees had a record of 18-11 in the regular-season and playoffs against the Panthers in his career". StatMuse. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Fowler, Scott (March 14, 2021). "An appreciation of Drew Brees, the retired Saints QB who Panthers fans loved to hate". Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Rose, Bob (September 23, 2017). "Saints at Panthers Series History: Nothing Could Be Finer than a Win in Carolina". SB Nation. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Taranto, Steven (December 27, 2018). "Panthers are undefeated vs. Saints when Drew Brees rests". 247Sports. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Mitchell, Houston (March 21, 2012). "Cam Newton shares his thoughts on the Saints' bounty [video]". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Grappone, Jimmy (January 1, 2012). "Caronlina Panthers Suffer Loss to Drew Brees and New Orleans Saints". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bob (December 3, 2017). "Saints vs Panthers Series History: A Literal Fight to the Finish Line". SB Nation. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Martel, Brett (January 7, 2018). "Saints-Panthers Rivalry Becomes a Trilogy in the Playoffs". Associated Press. Retrieved January 8, 2023 – via NBC Bay Area.
- ^ McAtee, Riley (January 7, 2018). "Vintage Drew Brees Beat the Panthers, but the Saints' Run Game Was Noticeably Absent". The Ringer. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Ageless Drew Brees leads Saints past Panthers in wildcard playoff". Associated Press. January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2023 – via The Guardian.
- ^ "Saints rout Panthers 33-7 to earn No. 2 seed in NFC playoffs". Associated Press. January 3, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2023 – via ESPN.
- ^ Boylan, Brendan (January 5, 2021). "By the Numbers: Saints vs. Panthers in Week 17". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Jordan, Saints' defense secure 18-10 win over Panthers". Associated Press. January 2, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023 – via ESPN.
- ^ Rose, Bob (January 25, 2022). "Sean Payton is Retiring". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ Ella, JR (January 4, 2021). "Beignets and Café au Lait: One Last Dance for Drew Brees". SB Nation. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
Further reading[edit]
- Dabe, Christopher (July 19, 2019) [January 13, 2016]. "Panthers a bigger rival for Saints than Falcons? What you said". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Fenech, Stephen (July 11, 2013). "A Panthers Fan's Guide to Hating the New Orleans Saints". Bleacher Report. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Johnson, Luke (October 24, 2020). "Three things to watch as Saints and Panthers rivalry hits its refresh button". The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- "Panthers, Saints desperate as they renew divisional rivalry". WCNC. October 16, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Reed, Steve (September 16, 2021). "Panthers hope for better results against post-Brees Saints". AP News. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- Smith, Bradley (November 20, 2018). "FanPulse: Panthers fans name the Saints as their biggest rival". SB Nation. Retrieved January 8, 2023.