Led by coach Dom Capers the Carolina Panthers take the field with a roster full of solid veterans. In their first game the Panthers play valiant football before losing in overtime to the Falcons 23-20 in Atlanta.

After losing their next game in Buffalo to the Bills, the Panthers play their first home game in Clemson, South Carolina better known as "Death Valley" with rookie QB Kerry Collins getting the start after Frank Reich struggled in his 2 starts. The Panthers would lose again 31-10 to the St.

Louis Rams. The Panthers would go on to lose their first 5 games before beating the New York Jets 26-15 behind a 36-yard interception return by Sam Mills.

The win would be the first of 4 straight as the Panthers even beat the defending Super Bowl Champion 49ers in San Francisco 13-7. The Panthers would continue to play solid football splitting their next 6 games, before losing their season finale 20-17 to the Redskins in Washington.

Had the Panthers won they would have completed their inaugural season with a . 500 record.

However at 7-9 they still were able to post the best record ever for an expansion team.