1996 Carolina Panthers season

Infobox NFL_season
team = Carolina Panthers
helmet=
year = 1996
record = 12-4
division_place = 1st
division = NFC West
coach = Dom Capers
stadium = Ericsson Stadium
playoffs = Won Divisional Playoffs 26-17 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Lost Conference Championship 30-13 vs. Green Bay PackersThe 1996 Carolina Panthers season was the second season for the team in the National Football League. They tried to improve upon their 7-9 record in 1995, and make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The Panthers would be a huge surprise, as it would turn out, as the Panthers went 12-4, won the NFC West, and had a first round bye in the 1996-97 NFL Playoffs. The Panthers would then beat the Dallas Cowboys 26-17 before falling 30-13 to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers.

Offseason

1996 Unrestricted Free Agents Signed QB Steve Beuerlein Jacksonville LB Duane Bickett Seattle CB Eric Davis San Francisco LB Kevin Greene Pittsburgh T Greg Skrepenak Oakland TE Wesley Walls New Orleans

Unrestricted Free Agents Lost RB Derrick Moore Detroit DE Shawn Price (Restricted Free Agent) Buffalo QB Frank Reich New York Jets CB Rod Smith Minnesota

NFL Draft

Regular Season

eason Standings

Postseason

NFC Divisional Playoff

January 5, 1997

Carolina Panthers 26, Dallas Cowboys 17

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Cowboys
R1=3
R2=8
R3=3
R4=3
RT=17
Home=Panthers
H1=7
H2=10
H3=3
H4=6
HT=26

"at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina"

*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
*Game weather: convert|71|°F|°C, clear
*TV announcers (FOX): Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Referee: Johnny Grier
*Game attendance: 72,808

The second-year Panthers held Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman to 165 passing yards and forced three interceptions en route to their first playoff win in team history. On offense, running back Anthony Johnson was their top performer with 104 rushing yards and a 9-yard reception. Dallas scored first on kicker Chris Boniol's 22-yard field goal, but wide receiver Michael Irvin was knocked out of the game with a separated shoulder. Carolina quarterback Kerry Collins then threw two touchdown passes, a 1-yarder to tight end Wesley Walls and a 10-yarder to wide receiver Willie Green. The Cowboys countered with a 73-yard drive to score on Aikman's 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Daryl Johnston, but they failed on the extra point attempt and the Panthers lead was only cut to 14-9. A bad snap on a Carolina punt attempt went out of the end zone to give the Cowboys a safety. But Panthers safety Chad Cota intercepted a pass and returned it 49 yards to set up kicker John Kasay's 24-yard field goal with three seconds in the half, giving Carolina a 17-11 halftime lead. The second half was a battle of field goals with Kasey kicking 3 over Boniol's 2.

*Scoring
**DAL - field goal Boniol 22 DAL 3-0
**CAR - Walls 1 pass from Collins (Kasay kick) CAR 7-3
**CAR - Green 10 pass from Collins (Kasay kick) CAR 14-3
**DAL - Johnston 2 pass from Aikman (pass failed) CAR 14-9
**DAL - Safety, Carolina bad snap went out of end zone CAR 14-11
**CAR - field goal Kasay 24 CAR 17-11
**DAL - field goal Boniol 21 CAR 17-14
**CAR - field goal Kasay 40 CAR 20-14
**CAR - field goal Kasay 40 CAR 23-14
**DAL - field goal Boniol 21 CAR 23-17
**CAR - field goal Kasay 32 CAR 26-17

NFC Championship Game

January 12, 1997

NFC: Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 13

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Panthers
R1=7
R2=3
R3=3
R4=0
RT=13
Home=Packers
H1=0
H2=17
H3=10
H4=3
HT=30

"at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin"

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
*Game weather: convert|8|°F|°C, clear
*TV announcers (FOX): Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Referee: Bob McElwee
*Game attendance: 60,216

The Packers recorded 201 rushing yards and 476 total yards of offense. Green Bay running back Dorsey Levens recorded 117 yards receiving and 88 yards rushing, including a 29-yard touchdown catch. Quarterback Brett Favre managed to overcome two early turnovers that set up 10 Carolina points, completing 19 out of 29 passes for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns. Packers running back Edgar Bennett, who recorded 99 rushing yards, scored a touchdown from 4 yards out, and kicker Chris Jacke added 3 field goals.

Early in the first quarter, Panthers cornerback Sam Mills intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Packers 3-yard line, setting up Kerry Collins' 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback Howard Griffith. Green Bay struck back with Favre's 29-yard touchdown pass to Levens, but after forcing a punt, Carolina lineman Lamar Lathon recovered a fumble from Favre on the Packers 45-yard line. A few plays later, John Kasay's 22-yard field goal put the Panthers back in the lead, 10-7.

But after that, the Packers dominated the rest of the game. Favre responded by leading Green Bay 71 yards in 15 plays and scoring with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman. Then on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, safety Tyrone Williams intercepted a pass from Collins on the Packers 38-yard line. Favre's completions to Andre Rison and Freeman for gains of 23 and 25 yards moved the ball into field goal range, and Jacke's 31-yard field goal finished the drive, giving Green Bay a 17-10 halftime lead.

On the first drive of the second half, Green Bay moved the ball 73 yards in 11 plays and scored with another Jacke field goal. The Panthers managed to respond with an 11-play, 73-yard drive of their own and score with Kasay's second field goal, which cut their deficit to 7 points. But Green Bay stormed right back with a 74-yard touchdown drive, featuring a 66-yard reception by Levens. On the next play, Bennett's 4-yard touchdown run gave the Packers a 27-13 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Jacke's third field goal put the game out of reach.

*Scoring
**CAR - Griffith 3 pass from Collins (Kasay kick) CAR 7-0
**GB - Levens 29 pass from Favre (Jacke kick) Tie 7-7
**CAR - field goal Kasay 22 CAR 10-7
**GB - Freeman 6 pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GB 14-10
**GB - field goal Jacke 31 GB 17-10
**GB - field goal Jacke 32 GB 20-10
**CAR - field goal Kasay 23 GB 20-13
**GB - Bennett 4 run (Jacke kick) GB 27-13
**GB - field goal Jacke 28 GB 30-13

Awards and Records

NFC Coach of the Year-Dom Capers

Milestones

References

*http://www.panthers.com/