2005 Carolina Panthers season
Encyclopedia
Regular season
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| 1 | September 11, 2005 | New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
L 20–23 | 0–1 | Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium Bank of America Stadium is a 73,778-seat football stadium located on of land in uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. It is the home facility of the Carolina Panthers NFL franchise. It also hosts the annual Belk Bowl which features teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East... |
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| 2 | September 18, 2005 | New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
W 27–17 | 1–1 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| 3 | September 25, 2005 | at Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 24–27 | 1–2 | Dolphins Stadium | |
| 4 | October 3, 2005 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 32–29 | 2–2 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| 5 | October 9, 2005 | at Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24–20 | 3–2 | Sun Devil Stadium Sun Devil Stadium Sun Devil Stadium is an outdoor football stadium, located on the campus of Arizona State University, in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The stadium's current seating capacity is 71,706 and the playing surface is natural grass... |
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| 6 | October 16, 2005 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 21–20 | 4–2 | Ford Field Ford Field Ford Field is an indoor American football stadium located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, that is the current home field of the NFL's Detroit Lions. It is owned by the Detroit/Wayne County Stadium Authority. It regularly seats 65,000, though it is expandable up to 70,000 for football and 80,000 for... |
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| 7 | Bye Bye (sports) A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing... |
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| 8 | October 30, 2005 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 38–13 | 5–2 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| 9 | November 6, 2005 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
W 34–14 | 6–2 | Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium Raymond James Stadium, also known as the "Ray Jay", is a multi-purpose football stadium located in Tampa, Florida. It is home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the NCAA's South Florida Bulls football team. The stadium seats 65,857 , and it is expandable to 75,000 for special events... |
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| 10 | November 13, 2005 | New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 30–3 | 7–2 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| 11 | November 20, 2005 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 3–13 | 7–3 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
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| 12 | November 27, 2005 | at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 13–9 | 8–3 | Ralph Wilson Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium is a football stadium, located in the town of Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. It is the home for the Buffalo Bills, of the NFL... |
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| 13 | December 4, 2005 | Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24–6 | 9–3 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| 14 | December 11, 2005 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West... |
L 10–20 | 9–4 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| 15 | December 18, 2005 | at New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
W 27–10 | 10–4 | Tiger Stadium Tiger Stadium (LSU) Tiger Stadium is an outdoor stadium located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is best known as the home stadium of the Louisiana State University football team.Tiger Stadium opened with a capacity of 12,000 in 1924... |
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| 16 | December 24, 2005 | Dallas Cowboys Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... |
L 20–24 | 10–5 | Bank of America Stadium | |
| 17 | January 1, 2006 | at Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 44–11 | 11–5 | Georgia Dome Georgia Dome The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the... |
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| NOTE: Division games are in bold text. | ||||||
Postseason
| Week | Date | Opponent | Results | Game site | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final score | Team record | |||||
| Wild Card | January 8 | at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 23–0 | 12–5 | Giants Stadium Giants Stadium Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to... |
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| Divisional | January 15 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 29–21 | 13–5 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
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| Conference | January 22 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
L 14–34 | 13–6 | Qwest Field | |
Wild Card playoffs
The Panthers forced five turnovers, limited the Giants to only 109 yards of total offense, and became the first club to shut out a home playoff team since the Los Angeles RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
in the 1980 NFC Championship Game
NFL playoffs, 1979-80
The NFL playoffs following the 1979 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XIV.Note: As per the rules of the NFL playoffs prior to the 1990 season , the Dallas Cowboys did not play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.-AFC: Houston Oilers 13,...
. Although the Giants entered the game with Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er Tiki Barber
Tiki Barber
Atiim Kiambu Hakeem-Ah "Tiki" Barber is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia....
starting at running back, the Panthers running game, featuring DeShaun Foster
DeShaun Foster
DeShaun Xavier Foster is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.-Early years:...
and Nick Goings
Nick Goings
Nick Aaron Goings is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
, outgained the Giants 223 yards to 41 on the ground. Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith caught 10 passes for 84 yards and scored two touchdowns, a 22-yard reception and a 12-yard run, while kicker John Kasay
John Kasay
John David Kasay is an American football kicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
added three field goals and Foster rushed for 151 yards. Meanwhile, quarterback Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
threw three interceptions in his first playoff start.
After the first five possessions of the game ended with punts, Carolina drove 77 yards in 12 plays and scored with Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
's 22-yard touchdown pass to Smith. On Carolina's next possession, they were forced to punt, but New York safety Gibril Wilson
Gibril Wilson
Gibril Donald Wilson is an American football safety for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Tennessee.Wilson earned a Super Bowl ring with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII...
muffed the kick and Panthers defensive back Dante Wesley
Dante Wesley
Dante Julius Wesley is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft...
recovered the ball at the Giants 15-yard line, setting up a 31-yard Kasay field goal to increase the lead to 10-0.
Carolina dominated the second half, intercepting Eli Manning three times. Midway through the third quarter, Ken Lucas intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 14 yards to the Giants 12-yard line, setting up Delhomme's 12-yard touchdown pass to Smith on the next play. On New York's next drive, a 17-yard pass interference penalty on Lucas nullified his second interception and gave the Giants a first down at the Panthers 43-yard line. But two plays later, Manning's pass was intercepted by Marlon McCree
Marlon McCree
Marlon Tarron McCree is an American football safety who is currently a free agent, as well as a mentor and coach. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the Seventh round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
at the 18. On the Panthers ensuing drive, Foster rushed three times for 44 yards, and Delhomme completed a 25-yard pass to Keary Colbert
Keary Colbert
Patrick Keary Jerel Colbert is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, moving the ball to the Giants 27-yard line where Kasay's 45-yard field goal made the score 20-0. Then five plays after the kickoff, McCree recorded his second interception on the Panthers 44-yard line. Carolina subsequently closed out the scoring with a 14-play, 55 yard drive that ended with Kasay's third field goal with 2:40 left in the game.
Divisional playoffs
The Panthers recorded 434 yards of total offense, and avenged a 13-3 regular season defeat by the Bears, to advance to their third NFC Championship Game in their eleven-year existence. Carolina receiver Steve Smith caught 12 passes for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns, the first coming 55 seconds into the contest, and rushed for 26 yards. Panthers kicker John KasayJohn Kasay
John David Kasay is an American football kicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
contributed three second-quarter field goals, while quarterback Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
threw for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. Although the Panthers lost key running back DeShaun Foster
DeShaun Foster
DeShaun Xavier Foster is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCLA.-Early years:...
to a broken ankle in the third quarter, the team managed to hold off the Bears.
The Panthers got the ball first and scored quickly. Jamal Robertson
Jamal Robertson
Jamal Robertson is an Canadian football running back and kick returner in the Canadian Football League who plays for the BC Lions. He was originally signed by the Calgary Stampeders as an undrafted free agent in 2001. He played college football at Ohio Northern. Jamal was one of the greatest...
returned the opening kickoff 34 yards to the 40-yard line, and one play later, Delhomme threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Later on, Smith's 46-yard reception set up a 20-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, increasing their lead to 10-0. On their next drive, Carolina had a chance to increase their lead even more after Delhomme completed passes to Drew Carter
Drew Carter
Christopher Drew Carter is a retired American football wide receiver of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
for gains of 14 and 29 yards, moving the ball to the Bears 23-yard line. But linebacker Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher
Brian Keith Urlacher is an American football player for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League . He attended the University of New Mexico, where he was one of the school's most decorated athletes. In addition to setting multiple university records, Urlacher earned consideration for the...
ended the drive by intercepting a pass from Delhomme at the 10. However, the Panthers forced another punt and scored with a second field goal from Kasay. Bears quarterback Rex Grossman
Rex Grossman
Rex Daniel Grossman, III is an American football quarterback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League . Grossman played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he has played professionally for the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Washington Redskins of...
completed 5 passes for 62 yards on a 67-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson cutting the score to 13-7. But Carolina stormed right back, driving 51 yards and scoring with Kasay's third field goal on the last play of the first half.
After the second half kickoff, a 24-yard run by Bears halfback Thomas Jones moved the ball to the Panthers 41-yard line. Then Grossman went to work, completing two passes to Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian
Bernard Berrian is a free agent American football wide receiver who last played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
for 29 yards before finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Desmond Clark
Desmond Clark
Desmond Darice Clark is an American football Tight End who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wake Forest...
. But after an exchange of punts, Delhomme threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Smith, and the Panthers retook their 9-point lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chicago's Jason McKie
Jason McKie
Jason A. McKie is an American football fullback who currently a free agent. He was signed as a undrafted free agent out of Temple University by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2002....
scored a 3-yard touchdown run to cut their deficit to 23-21. But Delhomme led the Panthers right back, completing five passes for 45 yards and scoring with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kris Mangum
Kris Mangum
Kris Thomas Mangum is a former American football player who played tight end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League throughout his entire NFL career. He attended the University of Mississippi. His father, John Mangum, Sr. and his brother, John Mangum, Jr...
. After an exchange of punts, the Bears drove into Carolina territory, but defensive back Ken Lucas put the game away by intercepting a pass from Grossman on the Panthers 22-yard line.
Conference championships
The Seahawks forced four turnovers, and allowed only 36 rushing yards and 14 points, as they advanced to their first Super Bowl trip in the team's 30-year history. Meanwhile, running back Shaun AlexanderShaun Alexander
Shaun Edward Alexander is a former American football running back who played for the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Seahawks 19th overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Alabama.- Early career :Alexander was born and...
, coming off his divisional round injury, rushed for a franchise playoff record 134 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Midway through the first quarter, the Seahawks drove 57 yards in five plays, featuring a 28-yard reception by Seneca Wallace
Seneca Wallace
Seneca Isayha Wallace is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, and scored with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck
Matt Hasselbeck
Matthew Michael Hasselbeck is a National Football League quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft, and traded to Seattle in 2001. After becoming the starter in 2003, Hasselbeck led Seattle to six playoff appearances and...
's 17-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Stevens
Jerramy Stevens
Jerramy Stevens is an American football tight end who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks 28th overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.-Early years:...
. Then three plays after the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Lofa Tatupu
Lofa Tatupu
-Seattle Seahawks:Tatupu quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league as a rookie in 2005, in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, while leading the NFC Champion Seahawks in tackles, with 104, en route to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history...
intercepted a pass from Jake Delhomme
Jake Delhomme
Jake Christopher Delhomme is an American football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Delhomme played college football at Louisiana-Lafayette before being signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
and returned it 22 yards to the Panthers 20-yard line, setting up a field goal from Josh Brown. The next time Carolina got the ball, Delhomme was intercepted again, this time by Marquand Manuel
Marquand Manuel
Marquand Alexander Manuel is a former American college and professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League for eight seasons during the 2000s...
, who returned it 32 yards to the Panthers 17-yard line, setting up Alexander's 1-yard touchdown run that increased Seattle's lead to 17-0 on the first play of the second quarter. The Panthers eventually cut the score to 17-7 on Steve Smith's 59-yard punt return for a touchdown with 9:56 left in the first half.
The Seahawks scored another 17 unanswered points. On their first drive after the punt return touchdown, that moved the ball 57 yards and scored with a 39-yard field goal from Brown. Brown missed a field goal on the Seahawks next possession, but on the first drive of the second half, they score with Hasslebeck's 20-yard touchdown pass Darrell Jackson
Darrell Jackson
Darrell Lamont Jackson is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for nine seasons...
. Then in the fourth quarter, they put the game completely out of reach with a 53-yard drive that ended with Alexander's second touchdown. Carolina responded with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to receiver Drew Carter
Drew Carter
Christopher Drew Carter is a retired American football wide receiver of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft...
, cutting the score to 34-14, but by then there was only 5 minutes left in the game.