2005 Carolina Panthers season

2005 Carolina Panthers season
Owner	Jerry Richardson
General manager	Marty Hurney
Head coach	John Fox
Home field	Bank of America Stadium
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	2nd NFC South
Playoff finish	Won Wild Card Playoffs (Giants) 23–0 Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears) 29–21 Lost Conference Championship (Seahawks) 34–14

The 2005 Carolina Panthers season was the 11th season for the team in the National Football League. They improved on their 7–9 record from 2004, going 11–5, and made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2003. They eventually fell to the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks 34–14 in the NFC Championship Game.

Offseason

NFL Draft

Main article: 2005 NFL Draft

Personnel

Staff

2005 Carolina Panthers staff

Front office Owner/Founder – Jerry Richardson President – Mark Richardson General Manager – Marty Hurney Director of College Scouting – Tony Softli Director of Pro Scouting – Mark Koncz Head coaches Head Coach – John Fox Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Dan Henning Quarterbacks/Offensive Assistant – Mike McCoy Running Backs – Jim Skipper Wide Receivers – Richard Williamson Tight Ends – Dave Magazu Offensive Line – Mike Maser

Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Mike Trgovac Defensive Line – Sal Sunseri Linebackers – Ken Flajole Secondary – Rod Perry Secondary/Defensive Assistant – Mike Gillhamer Special teams coaches Special Teams – Danny Crossman Special Teams Assistant – Paul Ferraro Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Jerry Simmons Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Paul Ferraro

Roster

2005 Carolina Panthers roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 17 Jake Delhomme 15 Stefan LeFors 16 Chris Weinke Running backs (RB) 49 Casey Cramer FB 37 Nick Goings 45 Brad Hoover FB 22 Jamal Robertson 32 Rod Smart Wide receivers (WR) 18 Drew Carter 83 Keary Colbert 88 Karl Hankton  5 Efrem Hill 81 Ricky Proehl 89 Steve Smith Tight ends (TE) 84 Michael Gaines 86 Kris Mangum 82 Mike Seidman

Offensive linemen (OL) 78 Todd Fordham T 69 Jordan Gross T 63 Geoff Hangartner C 61 Dave Kadela T 71 Evan Mathis G 60 Jeff Mitchell C 76 Tutan Reyes G 68 Mike Wahle G 70 Travelle Wharton T Defensive linemen (DL) 99 Brentson Buckner DT 67 Jordan Carstens DT 98 Atiyyah Ellison DT 92 Jovan Haye DE 94 Kindal Moorehead DT 90 Julius Peppers DE 97 Kemp Rasmussen DE 93 Mike Rucker DE 96 Al Wallace DE

Linebackers (LB) 54 Vinny Ciurciu OLB 52 Chris Draft MLB 55 Dan Morgan MLB 53 Brandon Short OLB 57 Sean Tufts OLB 54 Will Witherspoon OLB Defensive backs (DB) 43 Thomas Davis S 20 Chris Gamble CB 21 Ken Lucas CB 24 Ricky Manning CB 27 Marlon McCree S 30 Mike Minter S 31 Billy Parker S 21 Dante Wesley CB 38 Garnell Wilds CB Special teams  7 Jason Baker P  4 John Kasay K 56 Jason Kyle LS

Rookies in italics , 7 practice squad

Schedule

Regular season

Week	Date	Opponent	Results		Game site	Attendance
			Final score	Team record
1	September 11, 2005	New Orleans Saints	L 20–23	0–1	Bank of America Stadium	72,920
2	September 18, 2005	New England Patriots	W 27–17	1–1	Bank of America Stadium	73,528
3	September 25, 2005	at Miami Dolphins	L 24–27	1–2	Dolphins Stadium	72,288
4	October 3, 2005	Green Bay Packers	W 32–29	2–2	Bank of America Stadium	73,657
5	October 9, 2005	at Arizona Cardinals	W 24–20	3–2	Sun Devil Stadium	38,809
6	October 16, 2005	at Detroit Lions	W 21–20	4–2	Ford Field	61,083
7	Bye
8	October 30, 2005	Minnesota Vikings	W 38–13	5–2	Bank of America Stadium	73,502
9	November 6, 2005	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 34–14	6–2	Raymond James Stadium	65,014
10	November 13, 2005	New York Jets	W 30–3	7–2	Bank of America Stadium	73,529
11	November 20, 2005	at Chicago Bears	L 3–13	7–3	Soldier Field	62,156
12	November 27, 2005	at Buffalo Bills	W 13–9	8–3	Ralph Wilson Stadium	71,440
13	December 4, 2005	Atlanta Falcons	W 24–6	9–3	Bank of America Stadium	73,661
14	December 11, 2005	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 10–20	9–4	Bank of America Stadium	73,467
15	December 18, 2005	at New Orleans Saints	W 27–10	10–4	Tiger Stadium	32,551
16	December 24, 2005	Dallas Cowboys	L 20–24	10–5	Bank of America Stadium	73,436
17	January 1, 2006	at Atlanta Falcons	W 44–11	11–5	Georgia Dome	70,796
NOTE: Division games are in bold text.

Postseason

Week	Date	Opponent	Results		Game site	Attendance
			Final score	Team record
Wild Card	January 8	at New York Giants (4)	W 23–0	1–0	Giants Stadium	79,378
Divisional	January 15	at Chicago Bears (2)	W 29–21	2–0	Soldier Field	62,209
Conference	January 22	at Seattle Seahawks (1)	L 14–34	2–1	Qwest Field	67,837

Standings

NFC South
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
(3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers	11	5	0	.688	5–1	9–3	300	274	W2
(5) Carolina Panthers	11	5	0	.688	4–2	8–4	391	259	W1
Atlanta Falcons	8	8	0	.500	2–4	5–7	351	341	L3
New Orleans Saints	3	13	0	.188	1–5	1–11	235	398	L5

Regular season results

Week 1

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	7	7	3	6	23
Panthers	7	0	7	6	20

Week 2

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Patriots	7	0	10	0	17
Panthers	7	10	3	7	27

Postseason results

Main article: 2005–06 NFL playoffs

Wild Card playoffs

Carolina Panthers 23, New York Giants 0

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	10	7	6	23
Giants	0	0	0	0	0

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: 44 °F (7 °C), sunny
• Game attendance: 79,378
• Referee: Bill Leavy
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Pam Oliver and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)

Game information

1st Quarter No scoring. 2nd Quarter CAR – Steve Smith 22-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay kick), 9:41. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 77 yards, 7:46. CAR – Kasay 31-yard field goal, :30. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 2 yards, :58. 3rd Quarter CAR – Steve Smith 12-yard run (John Kasay kick), 6:57. Panthers 17–0. Drive: 1 play, 12 yards, :06. 4th Quarter CAR – Kasay 45-yard field goal, 13:33. Panthers 20–0. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 6:07. CAR – Kasay 18-yard field goal, 2:40. Panthers 23–0. Drive: 14 plays, 55 yards, 8:55.

The Panthers forced five turnovers, limited the Giants to only 109 yards of total offense, and became the first club to shut out a home playoff team since the Los Angeles Rams shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1979 NFC Championship Game. Although the Giants entered the game with Pro Bowler Tiki Barber starting at running back, the Panthers running game, featuring DeShaun Foster and Nick Goings, outgained the Giants 223 yards to 41 on the ground. Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith caught 10 passes for 84 yards and scored two touchdowns, a 22-yard reception and a 12-yard run, while kicker John Kasay added three field goals and Foster rushed for 151 yards. Meanwhile, quarterback Eli Manning threw three interceptions in his first playoff start.

After the first five possessions of the game ended with punts, Carolina drove 77 yards in 12 plays and scored with Jake Delhomme's 22-yard touchdown pass to Smith. On Carolina's next possession, they were forced to punt, but New York safety Gibril Wilson muffed the kick and Panthers defensive back Dante Wesley recovered the ball at the Giants 15-yard line, setting up a 31-yard Kasay field goal to increase the lead to 10–0.

Carolina dominated the second half, intercepting Eli Manning three times. Midway through the third quarter, Ken Lucas intercepted a pass from Manning and returned it 14 yards to the Giants 12-yard line, setting up Delhomme's 12-yard touchdown pass to Smith on the next play. On New York's next drive, a 17-yard pass interference penalty on Lucas nullified his second interception and gave the Giants a first down at the Panthers 43-yard line. But two plays later, Manning's pass was intercepted by Marlon McCree at the 18. On the Panthers ensuing drive, Foster rushed three times for 44 yards, and Delhomme completed a 25-yard pass to Keary Colbert, moving the ball to the Giants 27-yard line where Kasay's 45-yard field goal made the score 20–0. Then five plays after the kickoff, McCree recorded his second interception on the Panthers 44-yard line. Carolina subsequently closed out the scoring with a 14-play, 55-yard drive that ended with Kasay's third field goal with 2:40 left in the game.

Divisional playoffs

Carolina Panthers 29, Chicago Bears 21

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	7	9	7	6	29
Bears	0	7	7	7	21

at Soldier Field, Chicago

• Date: Sunday, January 15, 2006
• Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), partly cloudy, windy
• Game attendance: 62,209
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Pam Oliver and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)

Game information

1st Quarter CAR – Steve Smith 58 yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay kick), Panthers 7–0. Drive: Two plays, 60 yards, 55 seconds. 2nd Quarter CAR – John Kasay yard 20 field goal, Panthers 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 4:01. CAR – John Kasay yard 38 field goal, Panthers 13–0. Drive: Eight plays, 40 yards, 4:26. CHI – Adrian N. Peterson 1-yard run (Robbie Gould kick), Panthers 13–7. Drive: Nine plays, 67 yards, 4:29. CAR – John Kasay 37-yard field goal, Panthers 16–7. Drive: Eight plays, 51 yards, 1:57. 3rd Quarter CHI – Desmond Clark 1-yard pass from Rex Grossman (Robbie Gould kick), Panthers 16–14. Drive: Eight plays, 68 yards, 3:39. CAR – Steve Smith 39-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay kick), Panthers 23–14. Drive: Five plays, 56 yards, 3:24. 4th Quarter CHI – Jason McKie 3-yard run (Robbie Gould kick), Panthers 23–21. Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 4:44. CAR – Kris Mangum 1-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (kick failed), Panthers 29–21. Drive: Seven plays, 62 yards, 4:19.

The Panthers recorded 434 yards of total offense, and avenged a 13–3 regular season defeat by the Bears, to advance to their third NFC Championship Game in their eleven-year existence. Carolina receiver Steve Smith caught 12 passes for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns, the first coming 55 seconds into the contest, and rushed for 26 yards. Panthers kicker John Kasay contributed three second-quarter field goals, while quarterback Jake Delhomme threw for 319 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Panthers managed to hold off the Bears, however the team lost key running back DeShaun Foster to a broken ankle in the third quarter (which would severely cripple their running game in the NFC Championship match up to the Seahawks.)

The Panthers got the ball first and scored quickly. Jamal Robertson returned the opening kickoff 34 yards to the 40-yard line, and one play later, Delhomme threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to Smith. Later on, Smith's 46-yard reception set up a 20-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter, increasing their lead to 10–0. On their next drive, Carolina had a chance to increase their lead even more after Delhomme completed passes to Drew Carter for gains of 14 and 29 yards, moving the ball to the Bears 23-yard line. But linebacker Brian Urlacher ended the drive by intercepting a pass from Delhomme at the 10. However, the Panthers forced another punt and scored with a second field goal from Kasay. Bears quarterback Rex Grossman completed 5 passes for 62 yards on a 67-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson cutting the score to 13–7. But Carolina stormed right back, driving 51 yards and scoring with Kasay's third field goal on the last play of the first half.

After the second half kickoff, a 24-yard run by Bears halfback Thomas Jones moved the ball to the Panthers 41-yard line. Then Grossman went to work, completing two passes to Bernard Berrian for 29 yards before finishing the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Desmond Clark. But after an exchange of punts, Delhomme threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Smith, and the Panthers retook their 9-point lead.

Early in the fourth quarter, Chicago's Jason McKie scored a 3-yard touchdown run to cut their deficit to 23–21. But Delhomme led the Panthers right back, completing five passes for 45 yards and scoring with a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kris Mangum. After an exchange of punts, the Bears drove into Carolina territory, but defensive back Ken Lucas put the game away by intercepting a pass from Grossman on the Panthers 22-yard line.

Conference championships

Seattle Seahawks 34, Carolina Panthers 14

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	7	0	7	14
Seahawks	10	10	7	7	34

at Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington

• Date: Sunday, January 22, 2006
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance: 67,837
• Referee: Ed Hochuli
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Pam Oliver and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)

Game information

1st Quarter SEA – Jerramy Stevens 17-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick), Seahawks 7–0. Drive: Five plays, 57 yards, 2:16. SEA – Josh Brown 24-yard field goal, Seahawks 10–0. Drive: Six plays, 14 yards, 2:41. 2nd Quarter SEA – Shaun Alexander 1-yard run (Josh Brown kick), Seahawks 17–0. Drive: Four plays, 17 yards, 57 seconds. CAR – Steve Smith 59-yard punt return (John Kasay kick), Seahawks 17–7. SEA – Josh Brown 39-yard field goal, Seahawks 20–7. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:59. 3rd Quarter SEA – Darrell Jackson 20-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Josh Brown kick), Seahawks 27–7. Drive: Eight plays, 65 yards, 3:51. 4th Quarter SEA – Shaun Alexander 1-yard run (Josh Brown kick), Seahawks 34–7. Drive: Eight plays, 53 yards, 4:48. CAR – Drew Carter 47-yard pass from Jake Delhomme (John Kasay kick), Seahawks 34–14. Drive: Four plays, 80 yards, 51 seconds.

The Seahawks forced four turnovers, and allowed only 36 rushing yards and 14 points, as they advanced to their first Super Bowl trip in the team's 30-year history. Meanwhile, running back Shaun Alexander, coming off his divisional round injury, rushed for a franchise playoff record 134 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Midway through the first quarter, the Seahawks drove 57 yards in five plays, featuring a 28-yard reception by Seneca Wallace, and scored with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck's 17-yard touchdown pass to Jerramy Stevens. Then three plays after the ensuing kickoff, linebacker Lofa Tatupu intercepted a pass from Jake Delhomme and returned it 22 yards to the Panthers 20-yard line, setting up a field goal from Josh Brown. The next time Carolina got the ball, Delhomme was intercepted again, this time by Marquand Manuel, who returned it 32 yards to the Panthers 17-yard line, setting up Alexander's 1-yard touchdown run that increased Seattle's lead to 17–0 on the first play of the second quarter. The Panthers eventually cut the score to 17–7 on Steve Smith's 59-yard punt return for a touchdown with 9:56 left in the first half.

The Seahawks scored another 17 unanswered points. On their first drive after the punt return touchdown, that moved the ball 57 yards and scored with a 39-yard field goal from Brown. Brown missed a field goal on the Seahawks next possession, but on the first drive of the second half, they score with Hasselbeck's 20-yard touchdown pass Darrell Jackson. Then in the fourth quarter, they put the game completely out of reach with a 53-yard drive that ended with Alexander's second touchdown. Carolina responded with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Delhomme to receiver Drew Carter, cutting the score to 34–14, but by then there was only 5 minutes left in the game.