| Team: | Carolina Panthers |
| Year: | 2014 |
| Coach: | Ron Rivera |
| General Manager: | Dave Gettleman |
| Owner: | Jerry Richardson |
| Stadium: | Bank of America Stadium |
| Record: | 7–8–1 |
| Division Place: | 1st NFC South |
| Pro Bowlers: | TE Greg Olsen LB Luke Kuechly |
| Ap All-Pros: | LB Luke Kuechly (1st team) |
| Playoffs: | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Cardinals) 27–16 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Seahawks) 17–31 |
| Shortnavlink: | Panthers seasons |
The 2014 season was the Carolina Panthers' 20th in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Ron Rivera.
The Panthers captured their second straight NFC South division title and qualified for the postseason for the first time in back-to-back years despite failing to improve on a 12–4 record and finishing with a losing record of 7–8–1. Additionally, they became the first team in NFC South history to have back-to-back division titles and also became the second team to win a division title with a sub-.500 record after the 2010 Seattle Seahawks, and would be followed by the 2020 Washington Football Team, a team that Rivera also coached, and the 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round.
The Panthers' four-game winning streak to close out the regular season, combined with a 14–0 start the following season, would achieve a tie with the 2003–2004 New England Patriots for the third longest regular season winning streak in NFL history, at 18.
This was the first season since 2000 that Steve Smith Sr. was not on the opening-day roster, as he signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
See main article: 2014 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Florida State | |||
| 2 | 60 | Missouri | ||
| 3 | 92 | LSU | ||
| 4 | 128 | North Carolina | ||
| 5 | 148 | San Jose State | ||
| 6 | 204 | Stanford | ||
| 7 | None |
The Panthers' preseason opponents were announced on April 9, 2014.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 8 | Buffalo Bills | L 18–20 | 0–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | August 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 28–16 | 1–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | August 22 | at New England Patriots | L 7–30 | 1–2 | Gillette Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | August 28 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 10–0 | 2–2 | Heinz Field | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 20–14 | 1–0 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 14 | Detroit Lions | W 24–7 | 2–0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 19–37 | 2–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | September 28 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 10–38 | 2–2 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 5 | Chicago Bears | W 31–24 | 3–2 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 12 | at Cincinnati Bengals | T 37–37 | 3–2–1 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | October 19 | at Green Bay Packers | L 17–38 | 3–3–1 | Lambeau Field | Recap | |
| 8 | October 26 | Seattle Seahawks | L 9–13 | 3–4–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | New Orleans Saints | L 10–28 | 3–5–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
| 10 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 21–45 | 3–6–1 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
| 11 | November 16 | Atlanta Falcons | L 17–19 | 3–7–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | Bye | ||||||
| 13 | November 30 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 13–31 | 3–8–1 | TCF Bank Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 7 | at New Orleans Saints | W 41–10 | 4–8–1 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 15 | December 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 19–17 | 5–8–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 21 | Cleveland Browns | W 17–13 | 6–8–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 28 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 34–3 | 7–8–1 | Georgia Dome | Recap | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
See also: 2014–15 NFL playoffs.
| Playoff round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | Arizona Cardinals (5) | W 27–16 | 1–0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | ||
| Divisional | at Seattle Seahawks (1) | L 17–31 | 1–1 | CenturyLink Field | Recap |
Derek Anderson made his first start as Panthers QB, substituting for Cam Newton who was nursing a rib injury he'd suffered during the preseason. The change in QB didn't appear to faze the team, as the Panthers won their first season opener in six years, 20–14. They started the season 1–0 and improved to 1–0 without Newton starting.
Newton returned to the starting lineup with some added padding around his ribs. The game's highlight was a defensive interception against Lions star WR Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. With the win, the Panthers improved to 2–0 and 16–5 when Newton doesn't commit a turnover.
This was the first Sunday Night Football home game for the Panthers since 2009. With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 2–1. Newton left the game due to injury but he fumbled the ball. This dropped the team to 10–20 when he commits a turnover.
This game marked the first time WR Steve Smith Sr. played against his former team after being cut in the offseason. He was clearly fired up, recording over 100 yards receiving and two touchdown receptions. With the loss, the Panthers record was 2–2. The team dropped to 16-6 when Newton doesn't commit a turnover.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 3–2. They would also improve to 11–20 when Newton commits at least one turnover. Unknown at the time, this would be the team's last victory for over two months.
Both teams went back and forth scoring in a shootout. This would be the highest-scoring overtime tie in NFL history,[1] as well as the first tie in Panthers history as their record stood at 3–2–1. The team's record then stood at 11–20–1 when Newton commits a turnover.
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 3–3–1. The team also dropped to 11–21–1 when Newton turns the ball over.
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 3–4–1. The team also dropped to 11–22–1 when Newton commits at least one turnover.
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 3-5-1. The team would sit at 11-23-1 when Newton turns the ball over.
On Monday Night Football, Carolina barely put up a fight. The Eagles easily won the game, their defense sacking Cam Newton nine times. This dropped the Panthers record to 3–6–1. They also fell to 11–24–1 when Newton commits at least one turnover.
With their fifth straight loss, the Panthers headed into their bye week at 3–7–1. Also the team dropped to 11–25–1 when Newton commits a turnover. This would be Carolina's last home loss until week 3 of 2016 against Minnesota.
With the loss, the Panthers dropped to 3–8–1 and 11–26–1 when Newton commits at least one turnover.
With their 6-game losing streak snapped, the Panthers improved to 4–8–1. The team also improved to 17–6 when Newton doesn't commit a turnover.
QB Derek Anderson was pressed into service for the second time in 2014, as Newton had injured his back in a car accident earlier that week. Once again, Anderson led the Panthers to a close victory over Tampa Bay, completing a season sweep and improving the team's record to 5–8–1. Anderson improved his starting regular season record as a Panther to 2–0.
With the win, the Panthers improved to 6–8–1 and 12–26–1 when Newton turns the ball over at least once.
The Panthers finished their season in Atlanta against the Falcons with the NFC South title and the NFC's #4 seed on the line. They would blowout Atlanta and finish the season out 7–8–1. The team would also improve to 18–6 when Newton doesn't commit a turnover.
See also: 2014–15 NFL playoffs.
The win over the Cardinals improved the Panthers' overall record to 8–8–1, with the defense turning in a record performance, holding Arizona to 78 total yards. Their record stood at 13–26–1 when Cam turns the ball over.
The loss made the Panthers finish 8–9–1 overall and 13–27–1 when Newton turns the ball over.