2003 Carolina Panthers

The 2003 Carolina Panthers season was the 8th season for the team in the National Football League. They tried to improve upon their 7-9 record in 2002, and make it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The season would be a huge success. The Panthers would go a surprising 11-5, to earn the #3 seed in the NFC Playoffs. They would defeat the Dallas Cowboys 29-10 in the Wild Card playoffs. The next week, in St. Louis, the game would go to double overtime and, very late in the overtime period, Steve Smith caught a pass by Jake Delhomme and took it 69 yards into the endzone to put an end to the game.

In the Conference Championship game, the Panthers traveled to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to play the Eagles, who were in their 3rd straight conference championship game, but had yet to win one. The Panthers would continue the story with a 14-3 victory, which was dominated by Ricky Manning Jr.'s three interceptions that kept the Eagles at bay.