2008 Carolina Panthers season The 2008 Carolina Panthers season was the franchise ' s 14th season . They entered the season and improved on their 7 – 9 record from 2007 , winning the NFC South . Their 12 – 4 finish tied their best in franchise history , which occurred in the 1996 season . Regular season results . Week 1 : at San Diego Chargers . The Carolina Panthers and San Diego Chargers were locked in a defensive battle in the first quarter . John Kasay made three field goals ( 44 , 33 , 30 ) while Philip Rivers connected with Chris Chambers on a 44 - yard pass to score . At halftime the score was 9 - 7 , in favor of the Panthers . Nate Kaeding hit a 27 - yard field goal to put the Chargers up 10 - 9 , before Chris Gamble recovered a fumble by TE Antonio Gates , giving the Panthers a lead of 16 - 10 . Another John Kasay field goal would make it a two - score game , before Philip Rivers would hit Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson for 24 and 5 - yard touchdown passes , respectively . With 0 : 02 on the game clock , Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme hit tight end Dante Rosario on a 14 yard pass to give the Panthers the win and a 1 - 0 start . Week 2 : vs . Chicago Bears . The Bears and Panthers squared off and it was defensive . The lone score of the first quarter came when Brandon Lloyd recovered a blocked punt and took it nine yards to score . Each team was able to score a field goal as Robbie Gould and John Kasay hit field goals from 26 and 37 yards , respectively . Jason McKie scored a touchdown for the Bears to open the half and John Kasay nailed a 45 - yard field goal . Jonathan Stewart was able get to into the endzone for his first career touchdown . In the fourth quarter , another Jonathan Stewart run gave the Carolina Panthers the lead and eventually , the victory . With the win , the Panthers improved to 2 - 0 . WR Muhsin Muhammad ( 5 receptions for 59 yards ) became the 29th player in NFL history to amass 10 , 000 career reception yards . Week 3 : at Minnesota Vikings . Coming off their home win over the Bears , the Panthers flew to the Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome for a Week 3 duel with the Minnesota Vikings . This game would also be WR Steve Smith ' s first game of the year , coming off his 2 - game suspension . In the first quarter , Carolina got the early lead with kicker John Kasay getting a 43 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Panthers increased their lead with rookie RB Jonathan Stewart getting a 2 - yard TD run . The Vikings responded with kicker Ryan Longwell ' s 28 - yard field goal and CB Antoine Winfield returning a fumble 19 yards for a touchdown . In the third quarter , Minnesota took the lead with QB Gus Frerotte completing a 34 - yard TD pass to TE Visanthe Shiancoe . In the fourth quarter , the Vikings sealed the win with Longwell nailing a 32 - yard field goal . With the loss , Carolina fell to 2 - 1 . Week 4 : vs . Atlanta Falcons . Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Vikings , the Panthers went home for a Week 4 NFC South duel with the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , Carolina pounced first with rookie RB Jonathan Stewart getting an 8 - yard TD run . The Falcons responded with kicker Jason Elam getting a 33 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Atlanta crept closer as Elam kicked a 33 - yard field goal . Carolina would reply with QB Jake Delhomme completing a 56 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith . The Falcons closed out the half with Elam getting a 44 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Panthers answered with kicker John Kasay nailing a 44 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Carolina closed the game out with Delhomme completing a 36 - yard TD pass to WR Muhsin Muhammad . With the win , the Panthers improved to 3 - 1 . During the game , Muhsin Muhammad ( 8 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown ) became the Panthers All - Time WR Leader in Receptions ( 600 ) and TD Receptions ( 45 ) . Week 5 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . Coming off their divisional win over the Falcons , the Panthers stayed at home for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Kansas City Chiefs . In the first quarer , Carolina pounced first as RB DeAngelo Williams got a 10 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Panthers continued its attack as Williams caught a 25 - yard TD pass from QB Jake Delhomme and even got a 32 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , Carolina increased its lead with kicker John Kasay getting a 32 - yard field goal , along with Delhomme completing a 47 - yard TD pass to WR Muhsin Muhammad . In the fourth quarter , the Panthers sealed their shutout win with Kasay nailing a 43 - yard field goal . With the win , Carolina improved to 4 - 1 . Week 6 : at Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Coming off their shutout home win over the Chiefs , the Panthers flew to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 6 NFC South duel with Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In the first quarter , Carolina trailed early as Buccaneers LB Geno Hayes returned a blocked punt 22 yards for a touchdown , along with QB Jeff Garcia completing a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Alex Smith . In the second quarter , the Panthers got on the board with kicker John Kasay getting a 20 - yard field goal , yet Tampa Bay answered with kicker Matt Bryant getting a 37 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Buccaneers increased their lead as Bryant nailed a 49 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Tampa Bay sealed the win with RB Earnest Graham getting a 1 - yard TD run . With the loss , Carolina fell to 4 - 2 . Week 7 : vs . New Orleans Saints . Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Buccaneers , the Panthers went home for a Week 7 NFC South duel with the New Orleans Saints . In the first quarter , Carolina pounced first as kicker John Kasay got a 39 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Saints took the lead as FB Mike Karney got a 1 - yard TD run . The Panthers regained the lead as rookie RB Jonathan Stewart got an 18 - yard TD run , along with Kasay getting a 48 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Carolina continued its domination as QB Jake Delhomme completed a 39 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith , along with a 4 - yard TD pass to RB DeAngelo Williams . In the fourth quarter , the Panthers closed out the game as Kasay nailed a 28 - yard field goal . With the win , Carolina improved to 5 - 2 . Week 8 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . Coming off their win over the Saints , the Panthers stayed at home for a Week 8 duel with the Arizona Cardinals . In the first quarter , Carolina trailed early as Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers got a 21 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Arizona increased its lead as QB Kurt Warner completed a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Anquan Boldin . The Panthers got on the board with kicker John Kasay getting a 23 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Cardinals increased their lead as RB Tim Hightower got a 2 - yard TD run . Carolina started to rally as RB DeAngelo Williams got a 15 - yard TD run , while QB Jake Delhomme completed an 18 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith . Arizona responded with Warner completing a 2 - yard TD pass to Boldin ( with a failed PAT ) , yet the Panthers got the lead with Delhomme hooking up with Smith again on a 65 - yard TD pass . In the fourth quarter , Carolina completed its rally as Kasay nailed a 50 - yard field goal . With the win , the Panthers went into their bye week at 6 - 2 . Week 10 : at Oakland Raiders . Coming off their bye week , the Panthers flew to Oakland - Alameda County Coliseum for a Week 10 interconference duel with the Oakland Raiders . In the first quarter , Carolina pounced first as QB Jake Delhomme completed a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Muhsin Muhammad . In the second quarter , the Panthers increased their lead as RB DeAngelo Williams got a 69 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , the Raiders responded with kicker Sebastian Janikowski getting a 38 - yard and a 45 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Carolina closed the game out with kicker John Kasay nailing a 32 - yard field goal . With the win , the Panthers improved to 7 - 2 . Week 11 : vs . Detroit Lions . Coming off their road win over the Raiders , the Panthers went home for a Week 11 duel with the winless Detroit Lions . In the first quarter , Carolina trailed early as Lions QB Daunte Culpepper completed a 29 - yard TD pass to WR Calvin Johnson . In the second quarter , Detroit increased their lead as kicker Jason Hanson got a 40 - yard field goal . The Panthers got on the board as QB Jake Delhomme completed a 15 - yard TD pass to TE Jeff King . The Lions would answer with Hanson making a 56 - yard field goal , yet Carolina took the lead with RB DeAngelo Williams getting a 56 - yard TD run , while rookie RB Jonathan Stewart got a 22 - yard TD run . Detroit ended the half with Hanson getting a 27 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Panthers increased their lead as kicker John Kasay nailed a 29 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Lions tried to rally as Culpepper got a 1 - yard TD run ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) , yet Carolina pulled away with Williams getting a 4 - yard TD run . With the win , the Panthers improved to 8 - 2 . Week 12 : at Atlanta Falcons . Coming off their record - setting win over the Lions , the Panthers flew to the Georgia Dome for a Week 12 NFC South rematch with the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , Carolina trailed early as Falcons kicker Jason Elam made a 23 - yard field goal , while WR Harry Douglas got a 7 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Panthers continued to trail as RB Michael Turner got a 1 - yard TD run . Carolina would close out the half as kicker John Kasay got a 23 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Panthers began to make the game interesting . RB DeAngelo Williams would get a 5 - yard TD run , followed by Kasay nailing a 21 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Atlanta replied with Turner getting a 4 - yard TD run . Carolina answered with QB Jake Delhomme getting a 12 - yard TD run ( followed up by Williams ' 2 - point conversion run ) , but the Falcons responded with Turner ' s 1 - yard TD run , along with Douglas returning a punt 61 yards for a touchdown . The Panthers tried to comeback as Delhomme completed a 16 - yard TD pass to WR Muhsin Muhammad . However , Atlanta pulled away as Turner got a 16 - yard TD run . With the loss , Carolina fell to 8 - 3 . Week 13 : at Green Bay Packers . Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Falcons , the Panthers flew to Lambeau Field for a Week 13 duel with the Green Bay Packers . In the first quarter , Carolina pounced first as RB DeAngelo Williams got a 1 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Packers responded with kicker Mason Crosby getting a 32 - yard field goal . The Panthers would answer with QB Jake Delhomme getting a 1 - yard TD run . Green Bay replied with QB Aaron Rodgers completing a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Donald Driver , yet Carolina ended the half with Williams getting another 1 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , the Packers tied the game as Crosby made a 44 - yard field goal , while Rodgers completed a 5 - yard TD pass to TE Donald Lee ( along with a successful 2 - point conversion pass to WR Greg Jennings ) . In the fourth quarter , Green Bay took the lead as Rodgers hooked up with Jennings on a 21 - yard TD pass , yet the Panthers answered with Williams getting his third 1 - yard TD run . The Packers would retake the lead as Crosby nailed a 19 - yard field goal , yet Carolina sealed the victory with Williams getting his fourth 1 - yard TD run ( setting the single - game franchise record for the most rushing touchdowns ) . With the win , the Panthers improved to 9 - 3 . Week 14 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Panthers would run wild , literally , as they would amass a team record 299 yards on the ground ( 186 of them from DeAngelo Williams , 115 from Jonathan Stewart ) . Both Stewart and Williams had two touchdowns apiece , as Tampa Bay failed to tackle the dynamic duo . Steve Smith also had a good day , adding 117 yards and a TD . Although Jake Delhomme was intercepted twice , Tampa was unable to fully capitalize , despite a career day for Antonio Bryant , who finished with 200 yards and two scores . With this victory , Carolina avenged its defeat by Tampa earlier in the season and gained sole possession of first place in the NFC South at 10 - 3 . Week 15 : vs . Denver Broncos . Coming off from their divisional win over the Buccaneers , the Panthers stayed at home for a Week 15 interconference duel with the Denver Broncos . In the first quarter , Carolina trailed early as Broncos QB Jay Cutler completed a 7 - yard TD pass to RB P . J . Pope . Carolina soon responded with QB Jake Delhomme completing a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith . Denver would retake the lead with kicker Matt Prater nailing a 43 - yard field goal , yet Carolina answered as kicker John Kasay ties the game with a 39 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Carolina took the lead with rookie RB Jonathan Stewart getting a 2 - yard TD run . Carolina closed out the half with Kasay nailing a 44 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Carolina increased its lead with RB DeAngelo Williams ' s 56 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the fourth quarter , Carolina sealed the win with Kasay ' s 42 - yard field goal . With the win , Carolina improves to 11 - 3 . Week 16 : at New York Giants . Coming off their home win over the Broncos , the Panthers flew to Giants Stadium for a crucial Week 16 battle with the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants , where the winner would lock up the NFC ' s # 1 seed . Despite trailing early in the first quarter through Giants kicker John Carney ' s 32 - yard field goal , Carolina would respond with running back DeAngelo Williams ' 13 - yard touchdown run . New York would regain the lead in the second quarter with running back Brandon Jacobs getting a 2 - yard touchdown run , yet the Panthers answered right back with Williams getting a 5 - yard and a 1 - yard touchdown run . The Giants would close out the first half with Carney nailing a 35 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New York was gaining ground with quarterback Eli Manning completing a 4 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Boss . Carolina would reply in the fourth quarter with Williams getting a 30 - yard touchdown run . However , the Giants would tie the game with Jacobs getting a 1 - yard touchdown run ( followed by Manning ' s 2 - point conversion pass to wide receiver Domenik Hixon ) . The Panthers would get a late - game drive going and tried to end the game with kicker John Kasay , but his 50 - yard attempt sailed wide left . In overtime , New York would take their second possession and end the game with Jacobs ' 2 - yard touchdown run . Despite falling to 11 - 4 , Carolina would get a playoff berth , due in part to the Cowboys losing to the Ravens . Week 17 : at New Orleans Saints . With the division title on the line , the Panthers flew to the Louisiana Superdome for a Week 17 NFC South rematch with the New Orleans Saints . Carolina would get the early first quarter lead as kicker John Kasay got a 45 - yard and a 26 - yard field goal . The Saints would respond in the second quarter with kicker Garrett Hartley ' s 21 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Panthers would get a big lead as Kasay made a 34 - yard field goal , quarterback Jake Delhomme completed an 8 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad , and cornerback Dante Wesley returning a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown . New Orleans would end the half with quarterback Drew Brees completing a 26 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston . In the third quarter , Carolina would add on to their lead with rookie running back Jonathan Stewart ' s 2 - yard touchdown run . However , in the fourth quarter , the Saints rallied to take the lead as Brees completed a 7 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem , along with a 9 - yard and a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lance Moore . Fortunately , the Panthers got the last laugh as Kasay nailed the game - winning 42 - yard field goal . With the win , not only did Carolina close out the regular season at 12 - 4 , but they also won the NFC South division crown and the NFC ' s # 2 seed . Playoffs . NFC Divisional Round : vs . Arizona Cardinals . Entering the postseason as the NFC ' s # 2 seed , the Panthers began their playoff run at home in the NFC Divisional round against the # 4 Arizona Cardinals , in a rematch of their Week 8 contest . Carolina would get off to a fast first quarter start as rookie running back Jonathan Stewart got a 9 - yard touchdown run . However , the Cardinals responded with quarterback Kurt Warner completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to running back Tim Hightower , followed by running back Edgerrin James ' 4 - yard touchdown run . Arizona would take a huge lead in the second quarter as kicker Neil Rackers got a 49 - yard and a 30 - yard field goal , followed by Warner ' s 29 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald . In the third quarter , the Cardinals would add onto their grand lead as Rackers made a 33 - yard field goal . Arizona would end its dominating night in the fourth quarter as Rackers nailed a 20 - yard field goal . The Panthers would end the game ' s scoring with quarterback Jake Delhomme completing an 8 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Smith . With the disappointing loss , Carolina ' s season ended with an overall record of 12 - 5 . The Panthers ' offense was plagued by Delhomme ' s 6 turnovers ( 5 interceptions and a fumble ) , Smith being limited to 2 catches for 43 yards & a touchdown , and the running back duo of Williams and Stewart being held to 74 combined rushing yards .