Carolina Panthers: All Time Rivalries

5. Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams

Oct 20, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers center

(67) prepares to hike the ball in the fourth quarter. The Carolina Panthers defeated the St. Louis Rams 30-15 at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Series Record: 11-8

Key Panthers Win: 2003-4 Divisional Playoffs

The Rams were the big dogs of the final seasons that Carolina was in the NFC West. For the most part the Panthers played pretty even. They swept the Rams in 1996 and 1998. In 1999, however, the Greatest Show on Turf was in place behind Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt. That year the Rams swept the Panthers on their way to becoming Super Bowl Champs and the NFL’s unstoppable team for a couple of years.

It was that former connection that made the Panthers’ win in January 2004 mean so much. The Panthers managed to take down the remainder of the Greatest Show and then beat them with a bomb to Steve Smith in the overtime period. It marked the first that some Panthers fans actually believed more was possible.