2003 Carolina Panthers season The 2003 Carolina Panthers season was the ninth season for the team in the National Football League . They improved on their 7 - 9 record from 2002 , and made it to the playoffs for the second 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 on the first play of the second overtime , 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 ' s three interceptions that kept the Eagles at bay . Postseason results . NFC Wild Card playoff . The Cowboys ' turnaround season under coach Bill Parcells came to a crashing halt . The Panthers outgained the Cowboys in total yards 380 - 204 and held the ball for 34 : 23 . Dallas Quarterback Quincy Carter threw for only 154 yards and an interception , while being sacked 3 times . Meanwhile , Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme threw for 273 yards and a touchdown to Steve Smith , who had five receptions for 135 yards and added 22 return yards on special teams . Stephen Davis ran for 104 yards and another touchdown , while Muhsin Muhammad caught four passes for 103 yards . John Kasay kicked five field goals for Carolina . On the Panther third play of the game , Delhomme completed a 70 - yard pass to Smith on the Cowboys 1 - yard line , setting up Kasay ' s first field goal . Later in the first quarter , Toby Gowin ' s 31 - yard punt gave the Panthers the ball at the Cowboys 41 - yard line , and they scored another field goal to take a 6 - 0 lead . On the Cowboys ensuing drive , Carter completed a 28 - yard pass to Joey Galloway and Troy Hambrick ran for 16 yards , giving Dallas a first down at the Panthers 20 - yard line . But two plays later , fullback Richie Anderson fumbled the ball and Carolina safety Mike Minter recovered it . Later in the second quarter , Gowin once again gave the Panthers great field position with a 17 - yard punt to the Carolina 49 - yard line , and this time they managed to get the ball into the end zone with a 23 - yard touchdown run by Davis , giving them a 13 - 0 lead . Carter managed to respond on the Cowboys ensuing drive , completing an 18 - yard pass to Galloway , a 21 - yard pass to Terry Glenn , and a 12 - yard pass to Anderson . Billy Cundiff finished the drive with a 37 - yard field goal to cut the score to 13 - 3 with 1 : 03 left in the second quarter . But after the ensuing kickoff , Delhomme ' s 57 - yard completion to Muhammad set up Kasay ' s third field goal on the last play of the half . The Panthers continued to dominate the game in the second half . Smith returned a Gowin punt 7 yards to the Panthers 37 - yard line . Then after a 24 - yard reception by Muhammad , he caught a 7 - yard pass and capped the drive with a 32 - yard touchdown catch . Later on , he returned a punt to his own 40 - yard line , setting up a 38 - yard drive that ended with Kasay ' s fourth field goal , increasing the Panthers lead to 26 - 3 . Dallas receiver Michael Bates returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to the Panthers 47 - yard line , sparking a desperate rally . Carter then completed six consecutive passes and finished the drive with a 9 - yard touchdown run , cutting the score to 26 - 10 . Dallas ' defense managed to force a punt on Carolina ' s next drive , but two plays later , Panthers lineman Julius Peppers intercepted a screen pass from Carter and returned it 34 yards to the Cowboys 11 - yard . Four plays later , Kasay kicked his 5th field goal with 3 : 04 left in the game to close out the scoring . NFC Divisional playoff . In their first trip to St . Louis since their disastrous final season in the NFC West , the Panthers stunned the favored Rams in double - overtime , the fifth longest game in NFL history , in a thrilling finish to a game that featured big swings in momentum . St . Louis built up a 6 - 0 lead early in the second quarter , but wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad ' s touchdown on a fumble recovery gave Carolina a 7 - 6 advantage . Kickers John Kasay and Jeff Wilkins spent the rest of the second and the third quarter trading field goals . But in the fourth quarter , Brad Hoover ' s 7 - yard rushing touchdown gave the Panthers a 23 - 12 lead . However , St . Louis rallied back . After Kasay missed a 54 - yard field goal attempt with 6 : 26 left in regulation , the Rams drove 57 yards in 15 plays and scored with Marshall Faulk ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . Marc Bulger ' s subsequent 2 - point conversion pass to Dane Looker cut the score to 23 - 20 with 2 : 39 to go . Then Wilkins recovered his own onside kick , setting up a 43 - yard drive that ended with his 33 - yard field goal . The field goal would cause some controversy , as the Rams held the ball inside the Carolina 20 yard line with less than a minute remaining , and one Time Out . But Rams Coach Mike Martz elected to play for the tie , allowing the clock to run down and kicked the tying field goal , rather than let his quick - scoring offense try for the winning Touchdown . Wilkins ' 5th field goal of the game as time expired in the 4th Quarter tied the score at 23 and sent it into Overtime . Both teams missed field goals in the first overtime period . The Panthers would march down to the Rams 22 yard line on their first drive in Overtime , and Carolina kicker John Kasay in fact made a 40 - yard field goal that would have won the game . But the Panthers were flagged for Delay of Game , and Kasay ' s attempt from 45 yards was wide right . On the Rams ensuing possession , Wilkins would attempt a 53 - yard field goal , but it fell short . The Rams held the ball late in the first overtime , and were driving into Carolina territory , however an initial completion from Bulger to Torry Holt was intercepted by Carolina cornerback Ricky Manning , Jr when he wrenched the ball away from Holt . On the first play of the second overtime period , Jake Delhomme threw a 69 - yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith to win the game . It marked the first double - overtime game and longest NFL game since 1987 . Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme completed 16 of 26 passes for 290 yards and a touchdown , with 1 interception . Smith caught 6 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown . Bulger threw for 332 yards , but was intercepted three times . Rams receiver Isaac Bruce caught 7 passes for 116 yards NFC Championship . Carolina ' s defense shut down the Eagles offense , only allowing a field goal and holding Donovan McNabb to just 10 of 22 completions for 100 yards . Rookie cornerback Ricky Manning , Jr . intercepted McNabb 3 times , while the Panthers defense recorded a total of five sacks . McNabb also sustained a lower - rib injury early in the game but stayed in until the second half . Although Carolina ' s offense only scored 14 points , it was more than enough for the team to earn their first trip to the Super Bowl with a 14 - 3 win . For the Eagles , it was the third straight NFC Championship Game loss . After a scoreless first quarter , the Panthers mounted the only long scoring drive of the game , advancing the ball 79 yards and scoring with Jake Delhomme ' s 24 - yard touchdown pass to Muhsin Muhammad . The Eagles responded by driving 44 yards and scoring with a 41 - yard field goal from David Akers . Philadelphia then forced a punt and drove to their own 44 - yard line , but McNabb was intercepted by Manning and the score remained 7 - 3 at halftime . The Eagles took the second half kickoff and drove to the Panthers 18 - yard line before Manning ended the drive with his second interception . Then after a punt , Manning recorded his third interception and returned it 13 yards to the Eagles 37 - yard line . Four plays later , DeShaun Foster ' s 1 - yard touchdown run increased Carolina ' s lead to 14 - 3 . In the fourth quarter , the Eagles had one last chance to come back , driving 74 yards in 11 plays to the Panthers 11 - yard line . But linebacker Dan Morgan picked off a pass from backup quarterback Koy Detmer in the end zone with 5 : 16 left in regulation . The next time Philadelphia got the ball back , they turned the ball over on downs and Carolina ran out the clock to win the game . Super Bowl XXXVIII . Most of the first half was a defensive struggle , with neither team able to score until late in the second quarter , despite several early scoring opportunities for New England . After Carolina was forced to punt on their opening drive , Patriots receiver Troy Brown gave his team great field position with a 28 - yard return to the Panthers 47 - yard line . The Patriots subsequently marched to the 9 - yard line , but Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Adam Vinatieri missed a 31 - yard field goal attempt . The Patriots forced Carolina to punt after 3 plays and again got the ball with great field position , receiving Todd Sauerbrun ' s 40 - yard punt at the Panthers 49 - yard line . New England then drove to the 31 - yard line , but on third down , linebacker Will Witherspoon tackled Brown for a 10 - yard loss on an end - around play , pushing the Patriots out of field goal range . Later on , New England drove 57 yards to the Panthers 18 - yard line with 6 minutes left in the second period , but once again they failed to score as Carolina kept them out of the end zone and Vinatieri ' s 36 - yard field goal attempt was blocked by Panthers defender Shane Burton . Meanwhile , the Carolina offense was stymied by the New England defense , with quarterback Jake Delhomme completing just one out of his first nine passes , sacked three times , and fumbling once . That fumble occurred 3 plays after Vinatieri ' s second missed field goal ; Delhomme lost the ball while being sacked by linebacker Mike Vrabel , and Patriots defensive tackle Richard Seymour recovered the ball at the Panthers 20 - yard line . Two plays later , New England faced a third down and 7 , but quarterback Tom Brady scrambled 12 yards to the 5 - yard line for a first down . Then wide receiver Deion Branch caught a 5 - yard touchdown pass from Brady on the next play . Branch ' s touchdown came after 26 : 55 had elapsed in the game , setting the record for the longest amount of time a Super Bowl remained scoreless . The play also suddenly set off a scoring explosion from both teams for the remainder of the first half . The Panthers stormed down the field on their ensuing possession , driving 95 yards in 8 plays , and tying the game on a 39 - yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to wide receiver Steve Smith with just 1 : 07 left in the half . The Patriots immediately countered with a 6 - play , 78 - yard scoring drive of their own . Starting from their own 22 - yard line , Brady completed a 12 - yard pass to wide receiver David Givens . Then after throwing an incompletion , Brady completed a long pass to Branch , who caught it at the Panthers 24 - yard line in stride before being tackled at the 14 - yard line for a 52 - yard gain . Three plays later , Givens caught a 5 - yard touchdown from Brady to give New England a 14 - 7 lead with only 18 seconds left in the half . The Patriots decided to squib kick the ensuing kickoff to prevent a long return , but their plan backfired as Carolina tight end Kris Mangum picked up the ball at his own 35 - yard line and returned it 12 yards to the 47 . Panthers running back Stephen Davis then ran for 21 yards on the next play to set up kicker John Kasay ' s 50 - yard field goal as time expired in the half , cutting Carolina ' s deficit to 14 - 10 . The third quarter was scoreless as each team exchanged punts twice . But with 3 : 57 left in the period , the Patriots put together a 71 - yard , 8 - play scoring drive , featuring tight end Daniel Graham ' s 33 - yard reception to advance to the Carolina 9 - yard line . Running back Antowain Smith then capped off the drive with a 2 - yard touchdown run on the second play on the final period to increase their lead , 21 - 10 . This was the start of another scoring explosion , one that became one of the biggest explosions in Super Bowl history , with both teams scoring a combined 37 points in the last 15 minutes , the most ever in a single quarter of a Super Bowl . Delhomme started out Carolina ' s ensuing drive with a 13 - yard completion to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad . After committing a false start penalty on the next play , Delhomme completed a pair of passes to Smith for gains of 18 and 22 yards . Running back DeShaun Foster then scored on a 33 - yard touchdown run , cutting the Panthers ' deficit to 21 - 16 after Delhomme ' s 2 - point conversion pass fell incomplete . The Patriots responded on their ensuing possession by driving all the way to Carolina ' s 9 - yard line , but the drive ended when Panthers defensive back Reggie Howard intercepted a third down pass from Brady in the end zone . Then on 3rd down from his own 15 - yard line , Delhomme threw for the longest play from scrimmage in Super Bowl history , an 85 - yard touchdown completion to Muhammad . Carolina ' s 2 - point conversion attempt failed again , but they took their first lead of the game , 22 - 21 , with 6 : 53 remaining . However , New England retook the lead on their next drive , advancing 68 yards with the aid of a pair of completions from Brady to Givens for gains of 18 and 25 yards . Once again the Patriots were faced with third down and goal , but this time they scored with Brady ' s 1 - yard pass to Vrabel , who had lined up in an eligible tight end position . Then on a two - point conversion attempt , running back Kevin Faulk took a direct snap and ran into the end zone to make the score 29 - 22 . Despite amassing over 1 , 000 combined yards , Kevin Faulk ' s two - point conversion constituted the only points he scored all season . The Panthers countered on their next possession . Foster started the drive with a 9 - yard run and a 7 - yard reception . After that , Delhomme completed a 19 - yard pass to Muhammad , followed by a 31 - yard completion to receiver Ricky Proehl . Ironically , Proehl , who caught the fourth quarter game tying touchdown pass against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI 2 years earlier for the St . Louis Rams , finished the drive with a 12 - yard touchdown reception . Kasay ' s ensuing extra point tied the game , 29 - 29 , with 1 : 08 to play in regulation and it appeared that the game would be the first Super Bowl ever to go into overtime . However , Kasay kicked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds , giving New England the ball on their own 40 - yard line . Brady calmly led the Patriots offense down the field with a 13 - yard pass to Brown on second down . An offensive pass interference penalty on Brown pushed New England back to their own 43 - yard line , but another 13 - yard reception to Brown and a 4 - yard pass to Graham brought up a critical 3rd down and 3 from the Carolina 40 - yard line . The Panthers defense could not prevent the Patriots from gaining the first down , as Brady completed a clutch 17 - yard pass to Branch . On the next play , Vinatieri kicked a 41 - yard field goal to give New England the lead , 32 - 29 , with four seconds left in the game . Carolina failed on their last chance , as Rod Smart went nowhere on the resulting kickoff , and the Patriots had won their second Super Bowl in three years . This was the fourth Super Bowl to be decided on a field goal in the final seconds . Super Bowl V was won on a last second kick by Jim O ' Brien , Super Bowl XXV as Scott Norwood missed his field goal chance , and Super Bowl XXXVI as Adam Vinatieri made his .