Why the Panthers’ 2003 Super Bowl team deserves more credit
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers managed to make the Super Bowl in 2003 before falling to defeat against the New England Patriots, but do they deserve more credit for this achievement?
Although the Carolina Panthers have yet to get their hands on an elusive Super Bowl. They have had some notable near misses since the turn of the millennium.
One such occurrence came in 2003 when the Carolina Panthers managed to make the showcase after securing an 11-5 regular-season record. Their efforts proved to be for nothing and eventually saw their title at the prize undone by the New England Patriots.
FanSided staff writer John Buhler wrote an article regarding the worst NFL teams that have ever contested for the Super Bowl. The Carolina Panthers’ 2003 roster was No. 4 on the list, which seems to be a slight on their overall achievement to clinch the NFC Championship despite their obvious limitations.
Outlining the reasons behind his decision, Buhler wrote the following.
"Though they narrowly lost Super Bowl XXXVIII by a field goal to the New England Patriots, the 2003 Carolina Panthers crack the top five here for a few reasons. The NFC South was down thanks to Michael Vick breaking his leg in the preseason for the Atlanta Falcons. Also, the St. Louis Rams were on the downtick, while the Philadelphia Eagles were not quite there under Andy Reid. While we do need to give Carolina credit for beating the Rams in St. Louis and the Eagles in Philadelphia in succession to get to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, this team only scored 30 points once all season. Though a strong defensive-minded team, they would meet their match in Houston in the New England Patriots. It was early in Tom Brady‘s career, but his poise helped his team outperform Jake Delhomme‘s. When Carolina kicker John Kasay knocked a late fourth-quarter kickoff out of bounds, it was good night Panthers. Adam Vinatieri drained another clutch kick to win Bill Belichick his second Super Bowl in New England. The 2003 Panthers were worse than the 2001 Rams or 2004 Eagles."
Getting to a Superb Bowl was a collective effort from the Panthers in 2003. They had some game-changing players, as all good teams do. However, each member of the squad was incredibly well-drilled and this proved to be the catalyst behind their success.