Panthers Moment No. 16: ‘Double Trouble’ goes off in primetime

Double Trouble Makes Its First Appearance On the List

Welcome back to the Panthers’ Top 25 Memorable Moments, our countdown of the 25-best moments to celebrate the team’s 25th season.

If you missed our entry from yesterday, in which we breakdown two important moments from the team’s post-season runs in the mid-2000s, you can check it out right here.

Lets hit the ground running with the 16th best moment: Double Trouble Runs Over Tampa Bay in Primetime.

Double Trouble combines for over 300 rushing yards in a primetime victory over rival Tampa Bay

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, nicknamed “Double Trouble” after their two-headed rushing attack that took the league by storm in 2008, combined for over 300 yards rushing yards in a primetime 38-23 victory over Tampa Bay on Dec. 8, 2008.

The night was utter domination from both players, with Williams rushing for a season-high 186 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries while Stewart added 115 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. This kind of performance is unprecedented for backs splitting time in the same offense and it was an absolute spectacle to watch.

Going into the game, Carolina and Tampa Bay were tied for the division lead with a 9-3 record. The win gave the Panthers sole ownership at the top of the NFC South and was part of the team’s push to finish the regular season off by winning three of their last four games.

Big Picture Significance

This game also put Carolina in prime postseason position as it went on to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a 12-4 record — tied for second-best in franchise history. Additionally, this put the rival Buccaneers on a freefall, as the promising 9-3 start to the year, finished the season with a four-game losing streak that ended the season 9-7, causing the team to miss the playoffs and even resulted in the firing of head coach Jon Gruden.

This was also a season to remember for the two backs as a whole. Williams was a second-team All-Pro after rushing for a career-high 1,515 yards and leading the league with 18 touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards-per-carry. As a rookie, Stewart was a good complement, rushing for 836 yards and 10 touchdowns with a 4.5 yards-per-carry average. These two were the pulses of the offense that finished third in the league with 2,437 rushing yards while leading the NFL with 30 touchdowns on the ground.

It was a true breakout season for Williams, who went on to put up back-to-back All-Pro seasons after playing second fiddle to Deshaun Foster his first two years in the league. Now, considering that this season ended in a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs and that Williams has since formed a highly toxic relationship with both the team and its fan base, it kind of puts a damper on moments like these. However, this team wouldn’t have been the same without such a productive rushing attack, and these two made the 2008 season a memorable one for the Carolina Panthers.