1996 Carolina Panthers season
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - 1996 Carolina Panthers season
OR:
1996 Carolina Panthers season on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The 1996 Carolina Panthers season was the franchise's second season in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
, the second under
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Dom Capers, and the first at Ericsson Stadium. They improved upon their 7–9 record in
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, and made 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 won their last seven games of the seasonNFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, , p.92 to finish the season with a 12–4 record. The result was that the Panthers won the
NFC West The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinal ...
, and had a first round bye in the 1996 NFL Playoffs. The Panthers would then beat the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
26–17 before falling 30–13 to the eventual
Super Bowl champion The Super Bowl is the annual American football game that determines the champion of the National Football League (NFL). The game culminates a season that begins in the previous calendar year, and is the conclusion of the NFL playoffs. The winn ...
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
in the NFC Championship. The Panthers did not return to the playoffs until
2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
, when they would make their first Super Bowl but lost 29-32 to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
.


Offseason

Unrestricted free agents signed: * QB Steve Beuerlein Jacksonville * LB Duane Bickett
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
* CB
Eric Davis The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
* LB
Kevin Greene Kevin Darwin Greene (July 31, 1962December 21, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers of the Nation ...
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
* T
Greg Skrepenak Gregory Andrew Skrepenak (born January 31, 1970) is an American former county commissioner in Pennsylvania and retired professional football player. He was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles/Oakland R ...
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
* TE
Wesley Walls Charles Wesley Walls (born March 26, 1966) is a former American football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Early career Walls played high school football in Pontotoc, Mississippi. He spent his first three ye ...
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
Unrestricted free agents lost: * RB Derrick Moore
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
* DE Shawn Price (Restricted Free Agent) Buffalo * QB Frank Reich
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
* CB Rod Smith
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...


NFL Draft


Personnel


Staff


Roster


Schedule


Regular season


Standings


Regular season results


Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
started for the Panthers and threw two touchdowns while
John Kasay John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969) is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Se ...
booted five field goals as the Falcons were crushed 29–6.


Week 2: at New Orleans Saints

Acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars, quarterback Steve Beuerlein did not throw a single pass, instead rushing three times for a net loss of ten yards;
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
handled the quarterbacking duties, throwing for 171 yards and one pick while
Jim Everett James Samuel Everett III (born January 3, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Los Angeles Rams. He played college football for the Purdue Boilermak ...
threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns. This game, though, was a battle of field goals; following an 84-yard
Winslow Oliver Winslow Paul Oliver (born March 3, 1973) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Carolina Panthers and the Atlanta Falcons. Career Oliver is a 1991 graduate of Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Te ...
punt return touchdown
John Kasay John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969) is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Se ...
provided the rest of Carolina's offense with five field goals, two of them 51-yarders, for a 22–20 Panthers win.


Week 4: vs. San Francisco 49ers

The first sign that perennial
NFC West The National Football Conference - Western Division or NFC West is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Arizona Cardinal ...
champion
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
was in for a serious season-long fight with Carolina came as both 2–0 teams clashed at Ericsson Stadium. Steve Beuerlein started and threw for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and one pick; a second pick was called back on a Niners holding call. The Panthers controlled the game from the opening kick as Steve Young was sacked four times and picked off in the fourth quarter by Brett Maxie; Willie Green and
Merton Hanks Merton Edward Hanks (born March 12, 1968) is a former American football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons during the 1990s. He is currently a Senior Associate Commissioner for the Pac-12. College care ...
also spent the day jawing at each other following Green catches, ultimately finishing up in a 23–7 Carolina win.


Week 5: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Former Jaguars quarterback Steve Beuerlein was knocked out of the game after being sacked five times.
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
managed a touchdown throw but the Jaguars sealed the 24–14 win by recovering a late onside kick.


Week 6: at Minnesota Vikings

Two
Warren Moon Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former football quarterback who played professionally for 23 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonto ...
touchdown throws were enough for the
Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
as they edged the Panthers 14–12. Anthony Johnson ran in a four-yard touchdown and the Panthers blocked a Vikings punt out of the endzone for a safety, but could manage no closer than the 14–12 final.


Week 7: vs. St. Louis Rams

The Panthers erupted to over 30 points for the first time in their short history as they hammered the 1–4
Rams In engineering, RAMS (reliability, availability, maintainability and safety)Anthony Johnson rushed for 126 yards and
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
threw for 196 yards and three touchdowns, while Michael Bates added a 93-yard kickoff-return score. Tony Banks was pounded all day, fumbling to
Kevin Greene Kevin Darwin Greene (July 31, 1962December 21, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers of the Nation ...
for a 66-yard touchdown and then getting crushed by Panthers defenders as he unloaded a pass picked off by
Chad Cota Chad Cota (born August 13, 1971) is a former professional American football strong safety in the NFL. He attended Ashland High School followed by the University of Oregon. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Draft and went ...
. The Panthers rocked to a 45–17 win.


Week 8: vs. New Orleans Saints

The Panthers rolled to a 19–7 win, but the story of the game turned out to be a postgame interview with
Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...
coach Jim Mora, who ripped the team by saying, "We couldn't do diddley poo offensively" in a tirade that became one of the most famous
soundbites A sound bite or soundbite is a short clip of speech or music extracted from a longer piece of audio, often used to promote or exemplify the full length piece. In the context of journalism, a sound bite is characterized by a short phrase or sentence ...
in sports history.


Week 9: at Philadelphia Eagles

The
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
Ty Detmer delivered 342 passing yards and a touchdown and also got into a brief scrum with
Lamar Lathon Lamar Lavante Lathon (born December 23, 1967) is a former professional American football player. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft and went on to play eight seasons in the NFL. He last played in 1998 w ...
of the Panthers after a sack. Irving Fryar led the Eagles offense with 143 receiving yards on seven catches as the Eagles won 20–9.


Week 10: at Atlanta Falcons

The winless
Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...
recorded their first win of the season as they sacked Panthers quarterbacks six times and Bobby Hebert tossed a 15-yard score to
J. J. Birden LaJourdain J. Birden Sr. (born June 16, 1965) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 8th round of the 1988 NFL Draft. A now retired wide receiver, Birden graduated from Lakeridge High ...
. Steve Beuerlein replaced
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
late in the game and found Mark Carrier from 12-yards out in the fourth quarter; it was not enough to prevent a 20–17 Falcons win.


Week 11: vs. New York Giants

The Panthers began an eight-game winning streak by erasing a 14–7 first-quarter gap. They intercepted New York Dave Brown three times and outscored the Giants 20–3 after the first quarter.


Week 12: at St. Louis Rams

Panthers quarterback Steve Beuerlein and Rams quarterback Tony Banks combined for just 290 passing yards. Beuerlein got the better of the duel with a seven-yard score to Anthony Johnson in a 20–10 Panthers win.


Week 13: at Houston Oilers

Beuerlein torched the 6–6 Oilers with three touchdown throws, to Willie Green and
Wesley Walls Charles Wesley Walls (born March 26, 1966) is a former American football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Early career Walls played high school football in Pontotoc, Mississippi. He spent his first three ye ...
in a 31–6 Panthers win.
Chris Chandler Christopher Chandler or Chris Chandler may refer to: * Christopher Chandler (businessman), New Zealand businessman * Christopher Chandler (politician), lawyer and politician * Christopher N. Chandler, former journalist and political activist * C ...
and sophomore Steve McNair each had an interception and the Oilers also fumbled twice.


Week 14: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
started and needed only 83 passing yards as the Panthers hammered the Bucs 24–0.
Trent Dilfer Trent Farris Dilfer (born March 13, 1972) is a former American football quarterback and analyst who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He is best known as the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens during their Su ...
threw two picks and
Shawn King Shawn King (born June 24, 1972) is a former National Football League defensive end who played for the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts. He is best remembered for his numerous suspensions due to violating the NFL's drug policy. NFL car ...
grabbed a Bucs fumble and scored.


Week 15: at

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

The Panthers effectively ended San Francisco's hopes of another division title in a matchup of two of the league's best defenses. The two defenses, however, got crushed by offense. The Panthers raced to a 10–0 lead in the first quarter but Steve Young found
Brent Jones Brent Michael Jones (born February 12, 1963) is an American former professional football player, business executive, businessman, coach, and sports analyst. As a player, he was a tight end for the San Francisco 49ers during his entire 11-year ca ...
for a 10–7 score; the second quarter was a points explosion as
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
connected with Willie Green and ex-Niner
Wesley Walls Charles Wesley Walls (born March 26, 1966) is a former American football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Early career Walls played high school football in Pontotoc, Mississippi. He spent his first three ye ...
while Young found rookie Terrell Owens from 46 yards out; at the half the Panthers led 27–17.
Jerry Rice Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...
's five-yard touchdown catch in the fourth was the closest the Niners came to the Panthers as Young was picked off twice and the Niners fumbled two more times; they also were hit with 14 penalties and 121 yards. Carolina thus finished a season sweep 30–24; Collins and Young combined for 620 passing yards.


Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Despite two interceptions
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
threw for 268 yards and two second half scores, erasing a 13–10 Ravens halftime lead in a 27–16 win. Anthony Johnson's 81 rushing yards accounted for all but one of the Panthers yards on the ground.


Week 17: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Former Steelers coach Dom Capers and former Steelers linebacker
Kevin Greene Kevin Darwin Greene (July 31, 1962December 21, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker for the Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco 49ers of the Nation ...
greeted Bill Cowher and his
AFC Central The American Football Conference – Northern Division or AFC North is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division was adopted after the restructuring of the 2002 NFL s ...
champions for the regular-season finale. After a
Wesley Walls Charles Wesley Walls (born March 26, 1966) is a former American football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Early career Walls played high school football in Pontotoc, Mississippi. He spent his first three ye ...
touchdown catch
Mike Tomczak Michael John Tomczak (born October 23, 1962) is a former American football player. Tomczak played quarterback for several NFL teams from 1985 through 1999, including the Chicago Bears, the Green Bay Packers, the Cleveland Browns, and the Pittsbu ...
was hit in the endzone; he threw the ball before going down but it was ruled intentional grounding, for a Panthers safety. Kordell Stewart ran in an 80-yard touchdown, but in the fourth down 18–14 the
Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
choked on a procedure penalty and then a
Chad Cota Chad Cota (born August 13, 1971) is a former professional American football strong safety in the NFL. He attended Ashland High School followed by the University of Oregon. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Draft and went ...
interception in the endzone. The moment of the year, though, came in the second quarter on a Panthers punt; the ball fell into the endzone and the mascot
Sir Purr Sir Purr is the mascot of the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He is an anthropomorphic, anthropomorphized Black panther, panther wearing a Panthers football jersey, No.00. On his page at the Panthers' web site, he describes h ...
jumped on the ball even though it was still live; Cowher was laughing hard at the miscue and Sir Purr was listed as having one punt return for zero yards. As of recently, this marks the only time in franchise history the Panthers defeated the Steelers.


Postseason results


Postseason


NFC Divisional Playoff

The second-year Panthers held Cowboys quarterback
Troy Aikman Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from Oklahoma, he played college football at UCLA, ...
to 165 passing yards and forced three interceptions en route to their first playoff win in team history. Cowboys receiver
Michael Irvin Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is an American sports commentator and former professional football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...
was knocked out of the game on its second play on a hard hit by
Lamar Lathon Lamar Lavante Lathon (born December 23, 1967) is a former professional American football player. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft and went on to play eight seasons in the NFL. He last played in 1998 w ...
; the hit broke Irvin's collarbone. 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 Christopher Donald Boniol (born December 9, 1971) is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears. He won Super Bowl XXX with the Cowbo ...
's 22-yard field goal, but wide receiver
Michael Irvin Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is an American sports commentator and former professional football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...
was knocked out of the game with a separated shoulder. Carolina quarterback
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
then threw two touchdown passes, a 1-yarder to tight end
Wesley Walls Charles Wesley Walls (born March 26, 1966) is a former American football tight end who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Early career Walls played high school football in Pontotoc, Mississippi. He spent his first three ye ...
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 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 Chad Cota (born August 13, 1971) is a former professional American football strong safety in the NFL. He attended Ashland High School followed by the University of Oregon. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 1995 NFL Draft and went ...
intercepted a pass and returned it 49 yards to set up kicker
John Kasay John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969) is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Se ...
'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. In the final minutes of the fourth penalties on
Tyrone Poole Tyrone Poole (born February 3, 1972) is a former American professional football player who played 13 seasons as a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers 22nd overall of the 1995 NFL Draft. He pl ...
kept a Cowboys drive alive, until Aikman was intercepted by Pat Terrell; the subsequent Kasay field goal ended all hopes for the Cowboys in the 26–17 Carolina win.


NFC Championship

The Packers recorded 201 rushing yards and 476 total yards of offense. Green Bay running back
Dorsey Levens Herbert Dorsey Levens (born May 21, 1970) is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft. He helped the Packers win th ...
recorded 117 yards receiving and 88 yards rushing, including a 29-yard touchdown catch. Quarterback
Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 20 ...
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 Christopher Lee Jacke (born March 12, 1966) is a former professional American football placekicker best known for playing for the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League. Before his NFL career, Jacke played collegiately at the Universi ...
added 3 field goals. Early in the first quarter, Panthers linebacker
Sam Mills Samuel Davis Mills Jr. (June 3, 1959 – April 18, 2005) was an American football linebacker who played twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He also played for three seasons for ...
intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Packers 3-yard line, setting up
Kerry Collins Kerry Michael Collins (born December 30, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Collins was a member of six NFL teams, most notably the Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, ...
' 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback
Howard Griffith Howard Griffith (born November 17, 1968) is a former American football fullback who spent 11 seasons in the NFL (1991–2001). While at the University of Illinois, Griffith set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a game with eight. It occurred o ...
. Green Bay struck back with Favre's 29-yard touchdown pass to Levens, but after forcing a punt, Carolina lineman
Lamar Lathon Lamar Lavante Lathon (born December 23, 1967) is a former professional American football player. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1990 NFL Draft and went on to play eight seasons in the NFL. He last played in 1998 w ...
recovered a fumble from Favre on the Packers 45-yard line. A few plays later,
John Kasay John David Kasay (born October 27, 1969) is a former American football kicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Se ...
'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.


Awards and records

* Dom Capers, NFC Coach of the Year * Dom Capers, Associated Press, NFL Coach of the Year


References

{{1996 NFL season by team Carolina Panthers seasons NFC West championship seasons
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
Carolina Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...