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Panthers’ Moments No. 14 & 13: Another Double Entry

By Joseph Ochoa

CLEVELAND - DECEMBER 1: Julius Peppers #90 of the Carolina Panthers sacks quarterback Tim Couch #2 of the Cleveland Browns on December 1, 2002 at Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Carolina won the game 13-6. (Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND - DECEMBER 1: Julius Peppers #90 of the Carolina Panthers sacks quarterback Tim Couch #2 of the Cleveland Browns on December 1, 2002 at Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Carolina won the game 13-6. (Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images) /
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Second Double Entry in Our Countdown

Welcome back to our countdown of the top-25 moments in Panthers’ history, a list to celebrate the teams 25 years as a member of the National Football League.

If you missed our last entry on the countdown, in which we breakdown the opening of Bank of America Stadium, you can check it out here.

In this post we are giving you another double entry in our list, so let’s get right down to business and reveal the 14th and 13th best moments.

No. 14: Panthers Win Their First Game

The first season for the Panthers got off to a rough start, as the team lost it’s first five games of the inaugural season. One bright spot, however, as they only lost by double-digits in two of those games. Going into the team’s sixth game against the New York Jets, the team needed a win to get things rolling.

The Jets were also struggling, coming into the game as a 1-5 team, giving the Panthers all the confidence that this would be their first win of the season.

The Panthers fell behind early 12-3 through a quarter and a half of play, but things got rolling with John Kasay field goal and a pick-six by Sam Mills to take a 13-12 to halftime. The Panthers never gave up the lead as they outscored the Jets 13-3 to beat the Jets 26-15.

The win propelled the Panthers to a four-game winning streak and eventually a 7-9 record, which was, at the time, the best finish by an expansion franchise in NFL History.

No. 13: Carolina drafts Julius Peppers

The 2001 season was a season to forget in Carolina. Following winning their first game, the Panthers lost 15-straight games and resulted in the firing of George Seifert.

The one silver lining was the Panthers drafted incredibly well during the draft and they would continue that trend in 2002 when they had the second overall pick, which they used to draft UNC defensive end, Julius Peppers.

Peppers was a force playing for the Tar Heels, with some calling him the best defensive prospect to come from UNC since Lawrence Taylor played in Chapel Hill. His impact on the field was immediate as the team went 7-9 that season and eventually made it to the Super Bowl the following season.

Peppers retired this offseason and left the team as a Panthers legend and the team’s leader in career sacks with 97. The next closest on that list Charles Johnson with 67.5 sacks.

That’s it for this post, keep it posted for more entries in our series.

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