2006 Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers had an exciting season in 2005, as shown by their 11 and 5 record, not to mention the number of tickets they sold at Bank of America Stadium, averaging well over 73,000 tickets per game. Their win/loss record tied that of division rival Tampa Bay, in the NFC South. The Panthers made the NFL Playoffs and were responsible for eliminating the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears before succumbing to the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football Conference Championship.

This season's predicted outcome has already been nicknamed 'the Battle of the Jakes' by those who expect to see the Panthers led by Jake Delhomme in Miami next February 4th defeating Jake Plummer and the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLI. A couple of caveats—that prediction comes from the Pro Football Yearbook, which happens to be based in Charlotte (as are the Panthers), and Carolina was picked by Sports Illustrated to win Super Bowl XL. So it seems that your best bet is to get tickets and go see for yourself what this team is going to do!

Some Carolina Panthers history: When the National Football League expanded to the southeastern coast, it did not take the Carolina Panthers long to prove that the NFL had made the right decision. In 1995, the team won seven games—the most ever by an NFL expansion team. During the season the Panthers defeated the San Francisco 49ers to become the first expansion team ever to beat a defending league champion.

In 1996 the Panthers stunned the NFL by winning 12 games and capturing the NFC Western Division title. Quarterback Kerry Collins and running back Anthony Johnson anchored the offense. Carolina put together the second-best defense in the NFC, featuring three Pro Bowl linebackers: Kevin Greene, Lamar Lathon, and Sam Mills. Michael Bates was the league's top kickoff returner, averaging 30.2 yards per return. Placekicker John Kasay led the league in scoring, converting on a league-record 37 field goals. Capers was named coach of the year. After capturing the division title, Carolina defeated the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs before losing the NFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the Green Bay Packers.

The 2003 season was as exciting as one can get, with the Panthers dispensing with the Dallas Cowboys, the St. Louis Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles to grab the conference crown. It took a New England field goal with nine seconds to play to cost the Panthers a Super Bowl XXXVIII championship in Houston: final score 32-29.