2001 Carolina Panthers season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Carolina Panthers 2001 1–15 5th NFC West George Seifert Richard Williamson John Marshall Jerry Richardson Ericsson Stadium Did not qualify TE Wesley WallsWR Steve SmithP Todd Sauerbrun Panthers seasons thumb|270px|The New England Patriots at Carolina in Week 17 on January 6, 2002 The 2001 Carolina Panthers season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 3rd and final under head coach George Seifert. They tried to improve upon their 7–9 record in 2000, and make it to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history; however, the Panthers instead suffered one of the worst seasons in NFL history, en route to going 1–15. The Panthers defeated the Minnesota Vikings in their opening game of the season, and then became the first team in the Super Bowl era to lose fifteen consecutive games afterwards. The Panthers were the only team since the expansion to 16 games in 1978 to win their 1st game and then lose every one afterwards until the 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars duplicated this feat.Barney Justin January 4, 2021 Jaguars end worst season ever with 15th straight loss https://www.news4jax.com/sports/2021/01/04/jaguars-end-worst-season-ever-with-15th-straight-loss/ August 30, 2022 WJXT en The Panthers consequently beat the record for most consecutive losses during a single NFL season that had been shared by the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1980 New Orleans Saints, 1981 Baltimore Colts and 1990 New England Patriots. This record has since been broken by two winless teams: the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns. The 2001 Panthers also became the seventh team to finish 1–15. Despite having the worst record in the league, the Panthers did not have the number-one overall draft pick in the 2002 NFL draft because it had been allocated to the incoming expansion Houston Texans (per NFL rules, an expansion team would automatically received the first pick in their first draft, unless they decide to trade it away); nonetheless, they used the second overall pick to draft defensive end Julius Peppers, the first Panthers draftee to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This feat would be repeated in 2023, when the Panthers traded their number-one overall draft pick to the Chicago Bears. In 2015, the Panthers went 15–1, becoming the first team in NFL history to have both 15 losses and 15 wins in a season; the 2023 team also went on to have a 15 loss season, finishing 2–15. To date, this remains the Panthers' worst season in franchise history. Offseason Additions Subtractions T Todd Steussie (Vikings) QB Steve Beuerlein (Broncos) C Jeff Mitchell (Ravens) LB Lee Woodall (Broncos) G Kevin Donnalley (Dolphins) G Matt Campbell (Redskins) RB Richard Huntley (Steelers) DE Reggie White (retirement) DT Brentson Buckner (49ers) CB Eric Davis (Broncos) P Todd Sauerbrun (Chiefs) S Eugene Robinson (retirement) DT Larry Chester (Colts) C Frank Garcia (Rams) LB Chris Slade (Patriots) RB Michael Bates (Redskins) NFL draft 2001 NFL draft 2001 Carolina Panthers 1 11 Dan Morgan Linebacker Miami (FL) yes yes 2 44 Kris Jenkins Defensive tackle Maryland yes yes 3 74 Steve Smith Wide receiver Utah yes yes 4 106 Chris Weinke Quarterback Florida State yes 5 143 Jarrod Cooper Defensive back Kansas State yes 6 175 Dee Brown Running back Syracuse yes 7 211 Louis Williams Center Louisiana State yes 7 227 Mike Roberg Tight end Idaho no https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/car/2001_draft.htm 2001 Carolina Panthers Draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com February 15, 2014 Undrafted free agents + 2001 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeNick GoingsRunning backPittsburghNathan HodelLong snapperIllinois Personnel Staff 2001 Carolina Panthers Owner/founder – Jerry Richardson President – Mark Richardson Director of football operations – Marty Hurney Director of player personnel – Jack Bushofsky Head coach – George Seifert Assistant head coach/offensive coordinator – Richard Williamson Quarterbacks – Turk Schonert Running backs – Chick Harris Wide receivers – Mike McCoy Tight ends – Don Breaux Offensive line – Paul Boudreau Offensive assistant – Greg Roman Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator – John Marshall Defensive line – Jacob Burney Linebackers – Sam Mills Defensive Backs (Secondary) – Carlos Mainord Defensive assistant – Alvin Reynolds Special teams – Scott O'Brien Assistant special teams coordinator/assistant strength and conditioning – Darrin Simmons Strength and conditioning – Jerry Simmons Assistant Coaches http://www.panthers.com/team/history/assistant-coaches.html Panthers.com https://web.archive.org/web/20130115220107/http://www.panthers.com/team/history/assistant-coaches.html January 15, 2013 January 3, 2014 Roster 2001 Carolina Panthers 53 9 4  5 Jim Harbaugh  9 Matt Lytle 16 Chris Weinke y 36 Nick Goings y 44 Chris Hetherington FB 45 Brad Hoover FB 34 Richard Huntley 82 Isaac Byrd KR/PR 88 Karl Hankton 81 Donald Hayes 83 Patrick Jeffers 87 Muhsin Muhammad 89 Steve Smith Sr. y KR/PR 15 Jim Turner wide receiver 80 Luther Broughton 84 Casey Crawford American football 86 Kris Mangum 78 Jeno James G 76 Leander Jordan G 60 Jeff Mitchell C 63 Jamar Nesbit C/G 75 Todd Steussie T 70 Chris Terry American football T 73 Melvin Tuten T 62 T. J. Washington offensive tackle T 66 Louis Williams American football y C 99 Brentson Buckner DT 94 Sean Gilbert DE/DT 77 Kris Jenkins y DT 91 Cedric Killings DT 71 Al Lucas American football DT 93 Mike Rucker DE 96 Jay Williams American football DE 92 Gillis Wilson DE 59 Darren Hambrick OLB 54 Nate Hemsley OLB 52 Kory Minor OLB 55 Dan Morgan y OLB 50 Chris Slade American football OLB 57 Lester Towns MLB 95 Dean Wells American football MLB/OLB 46 Rashard Anderson CB 40 Jarrod Cooper FS y 33 Doug Evans American football CB 27 Deon Grant FS 28 Deveron Harper CB 37 Jimmy Hitchcock cornerback CB 23 Reggie Howard CB 30 Mike Minter SS 39 Damien Richardson American football SS  4 John Kasay K 56 Jason Kyle LS 10 Todd Sauerbrun P 21 Tim Biakabutuka RB IR 22 Dee Brown American football y RB IR 64 Larry Chester DT IR  2 Dameyune Craig QB IR 65 Kevin Donnalley G IR 98 John Milem DE IR 53 Hannibal Navies LB IR 97 Jason Peter DE IR 85 Wesley Walls TE IR 12 Anthony Bright WR 74 Derrick Fletcher G 41 Paris Johnson S 24 Morgan Kane running back RB 53 9 Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 at Minnesota Vikings W 24–13 1–0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recap 2NE-CAR The Panthers were originally scheduled to host the New England Patriots during Week 2 of the original NFL schedule (September 16) at Ericcson Stadium. However, due to the September 11 attacks, the game was rescheduled to Week 17. September 23 at Atlanta Falcons L 16–24 1–1 Georgia Dome Recap 3 September 30 Green Bay Packers L 7–28 1–2 Ericsson Stadium Recap 4 October 7 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–24 1–3 3Com Park Recap 5 October 14 New Orleans Saints L 25–27 1–4 Ericsson Stadium Recap 6 October 21 at Washington Redskins L 14–17 (OT) 1–5 FedExField Recap 7 October 28 New York Jets L 12–13 1–6 Ericsson Stadium Recap 8 November 4 at Miami Dolphins L 6–23 1–7 Pro Player Stadium Recap 9 November 11 at St. Louis Rams L 14–48 1–8 Dome at America's Center Recap 10 November 18 San Francisco 49ers L 22–25 (OT) 1–9 Ericsson Stadium Recap 11 November 25 Atlanta Falcons L 7–10 1–10 Ericsson Stadium Recap 12 December 2 at New Orleans Saints L 23–27 1–11 Louisiana Superdome Recap 13 December 9 at Buffalo Bills L 24–25 1–12 Ralph Wilson Stadium Recap 14 Bye 15 December 23 St. Louis Rams L 32–38 1–13 Ericsson Stadium Recap 16 December 30 Arizona Cardinals L 7–30 1–14 Ericsson Stadium Recap 17NE-CAR January 6 New England Patriots L 6–38 1–15 Ericsson Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 1: Carolina Panthers at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary September 9 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT Panthers 7 3 7 7 Vikings 0 0 13 0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota 64,108 None (played indoors) Wayne McKreight Fox Ray Bentley, Jeff Lageman, and Mike Goldberg Recap First quarter CAR – Steve Smith Sr. 93-yard kickoff return (John Kasay kick), 14:43. Panthers 7–0. Second quarter CAR – John Kasay 23-yard field goal, 11:43. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:34. Third quarter MIN – Daunte Culpepper 7-yard run (Gary Anderson kick), 9:09. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 3:09. MIN – Cris Carter 12-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (kick blocked), 6:05. Vikings 13–10. Drive: 5 plays, 49 yards, 2:03. CAR – Muhsin Muhammad 16-yard pass from Chris Weinke (John Kasay kick), 2:53. Panthers 17–13. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:12. Fourth quarter CAR – Chris Weinke 1-yard run (John Kasay kick), 9:52. Panthers 24–13. Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 3:45. Top passers CAR – Chris Weinke – 13/22, 223 yards, TD, INT MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 22/38, 236 yards, TD, 3 INT Top rushers CAR – Nick Goings – 25 rushes, 86 yards MIN – Daunte Culpepper – 12 rushes, 57 yards, TD Top receivers CAR – Wesley Walls – 3 receptions, 74 yards MIN – Byron Chamberlain – 7 receptions, 83 yards This would be Carolina's only victory of the 2001 season. The Panthers would not win again until week 1 of the 2002 season. Week 2: at Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary September 23 1:00 p.m. EDT Panthers 3 7 3 3 Falcons 7 3 7 7 Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia 47,804 None (played indoors) Bob McElwee Fox Ray Bentley, Jeff Lageman, Matt Morrison Recap First quarter ATL – Tony Martin 12-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Jay Feely kick), 7:20. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 7:08. CAR – John Kasay 30-yard field goal, 2:41. Falcons 7–3. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 3:44. Second quarter CAR – Chris Weinke 5-yard run (John Kasay kick), 8:34. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 14 plays, 76 yards, 7:32. ATL – Jay Feely 25-yard field goal, 1:38. Tied 10–10. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards, 5:43. Third quarter ATL – Jamal Anderson 94-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Jay Feely kick), 11:06. Falcons 17–10. Drive: 1 play, 94 yards, 0:13. CAR – John Kasay 26-yard field goal, 2:30. Falcons 17–13. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 2:20. Fourth quarter ATL – Michael Vick 2-yard run (Jay Feely kick), 12:36. Falcons 24–13. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:54. CAR – John Kasay 31-yard field goal, 5:37. Falcons 24–16. Drive: 13 plays, 67 yards, 5:36. Top passers CAR – Chris Weinke – 27/41, 276 yards ATL – Chris Chandler – 11/14, 244 yards, 2 TD, INT Top rushers CAR – Nick Goings – 15 rushes, 57 yards ATL – Jamal Anderson – 25 rushes, 98 yards Top receivers CAR – Muhsin Muhammad – 10 receptions, 132 yards ATL – Jamal Anderson – 1 reception, 94 yards, TD Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 3: Green Bay Packers at Carolina Panthers – Game summary September 30 1:00 p.m. EDT Packers 0 6 15 7 Panthers 0 7 0 0 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 73,120 64 F C Tony Corrente Fox Sam Rosen, Bill Maas, Paul Butler Recap First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter CAR – Wesley Walls 3-yard pass from Chris Weinke (John Kasay kick), 13:44. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 3:51. GB – Ryan Longwell 42-yard field goal, 8:26. Panthers 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 3:50. GB – Ryan Longwell 46-yard field goal, 0:58. Panthers 7–6. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 5:11. Third quarter GB – Bill Schroeder 12-yard pass from Brett Favre (Antonio Freeman pass from Brett Favre), 12:20. Packers 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:18. GB – Bubba Franks 6-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 8:30. Packers 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 2:36. Fourth quarter GB – Corey Bradford 5-yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell kick), 12:23. Packers 28–7. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:46. Top passers GB – Brett Favre – 25/39, 308 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT CAR – Chris Weinke – 18/30, 160 yards, TD, INT Top rushers GB – Ahman Green – 19 rushes, 53 yards CAR – Richard Huntley – 5 rushes, 19 yards Top receivers GB – Ahman Green – 6 receptions, 75 yards CAR – Donald Hayes – 4 receptions, 52 yards Week 4: at San Francisco 49ers Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 4: Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary October 7 8:30 p.m. EDT/5:30 p.m. PDT Panthers 0 7 7 0 49ers 0 10 14 0 3Com Park, San Francisco, California 66,944 52 F C Terry McAulay ESPN Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, and Suzy Kolber Recap Week 5: vs. New Orleans Saints Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 5: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary October 14 1:00 p.m. EDT Saints 10 7 3 7 Panthers 0 6 6 13 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 72,049 71 F C Ron Winter Fox Ray Bentley, John Jurkovic, Paul Butler Recap Week 6: at Washington Redskins Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 6: Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins – Game summary October 21 1:00 p.m. EDT Panthers 7 0 0 7 0 Redskins 0 0 0 14 3 FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland 74,480 71 F C Bill Carollo Fox Kenny Albert, Tim Green, Dave Feldman Recap Week 7: vs. New York Jets Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 7: New York Jets at Carolina Panthers – Game summary October 28 1:00 p.m. EST Jets 7 0 3 3 Panthers 6 3 3 0 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 72,642 51 F C Bill Leavy CBS Kevin Harlan, Craig James, Beasley Reece Recap First quarter CAR – Rashard Anderson 94-yard fumble return (kick failed), 8:27. Panthers 6–0. NYJ – Chris Hayes 7-yard blocked punt return (John Hall kick), 1:46. Jets 7–6. Second quarter CAR – John Kasay 45-yard field goal, 0:00. Panthers 9–7. Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:02. Third quarter CAR – John Kasay 45-yard field goal, 12:10. Panthers 12–7. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:36. NYJ – John Hall 43-yard field goal, 7:52. Panthers 12–10. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 4:18. Fourth quarter NYJ – John Hall 34-yard field goal, 4:53. Jets 13–12. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 2:00. Top passers NYJ – Vinny Testaverde – 21/34, 181 yards, 3 INT CAR – Chris Weinke – 12/34, 76 yards, INT Top rushers NYJ – Curtis Martin – 27 rushes, 159 yards CAR – Richard Huntley – 14 rushes, 52 yards Top receivers NYJ – Laveranues Coles – 7 receptions, 91 yards CAR – Donald Hayes – 3 receptions, 23 yards Both offenses struggled throughout the game as the Jets gained 358 yards of total offense, but turned the ball over four times; conversely, the Panthers only had one turnover, but only gained 162 yards of total offense. Carolina scored first, with Rashard Anderson recovering a fumble and returning it 94 yards for a touchdown, but John Kasay missed the extra point. New York would respond late in the second quarter, with Chris Hayes returning a blocked punt 7 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers would score six unanswered points with a pair of 45-yard field goals from Kasay to go up 12–7 early in the third. However, Kasay's missed extra point would prove to be costly as the Jets would respond with two field goals of their own to win 13–12. Week 8: at Miami Dolphins Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Carolina Panthers at Miami Dolphins – Game summary November 4 1:00 p.m. EST Panthers 3 3 0 0 Dolphins 3 10 0 10 Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida 72,597 75 F C Ron Blum Fox Sam Rosen, Bill Maas, Joe Zagacki Recap Week 9: at St. Louis Rams Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 9: Carolina Panthers at St. Louis Rams – Game summary November 11 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST Panthers 0 7 7 0 Rams 21 10 14 3 Dome at America's Center, St. Louis, Missouri 66,069 None (played indoors) Johnny Grier Fox Joe Buck, Brian Baldinger Recap Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 10: San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers – Game summary November 18 1:00 p.m. EST 49ers 0 7 7 8 3 Panthers 7 3 3 9 0 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 72,665 60 F C Gerry Austin Fox Sam Rosen, Tim Green, Paul Butler Recap Week 11: vs. Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 11: Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers – Game summary November 25 1:00 p.m. EST Falcons 3 7 0 0 Panthers 0 0 0 7 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 72,234 73 F C Tony Corrente Fox Ray Bentley, Jeff Lageman, D.J. Johnson Recap With their 10th straight loss, in yet another low scoring affair, the Panthers were eliminated from playoff contention at 1-10. Week 12: at New Orleans Saints Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 12: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary December 2 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST Panthers 7 0 3 13 Saints 0 10 3 14 Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana 70,020 None (played indoors) Bill Leavy Fox Scott Graham, Sean Jones, Joe Trahan Recap Week 13: at Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 13: Carolina Panthers at Buffalo Bills – Game summary December 9 1:00 p.m. EST Panthers 3 21 0 0 Bills 3 10 6 6 Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York 44,549 40 F C Bill Carollo Fox Curt Menefee, Ray Bentley, Bob Trimble Recap The Panthers, despite being up 24-13 at halftime, would be shut out in the second half losing 25-24 to the Bills. This marked their 12th consecutive loss and they finished the season 1-7 on the road. Week 15: vs. St. Louis Rams Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 15: St. Louis Rams at Carolina Panthers – Game summary December 23 1:00 p.m. EST Rams 7 14 10 7 Panthers 7 6 10 9 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 72,438 51 F C Gerry Austin Fox Curt Menefee, Brian Baldinger Recap With the close loss, the Panthers fell to 1-13 while finishing 0-8 against the NFC West. Week 16: vs. Arizona Cardinals Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 16: Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers – Game summary December 30 1:00 p.m. EST Cardinals 7 20 3 0 Panthers 0 7 0 0 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 72,025 42 F C Mike Carey Fox Ray Bentley, Jeff Lageman, Paul Butler Recap Week 17: vs. New England Patriots Carolina Panthers 2001 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 17: New England Patriots at Carolina Panthers – Game summary January 6, 2002 1:00 p.m. EST Patriots 10 0 14 14 Panthers 0 3 3 0 Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina 71,907 36 F C Tom White CBS Kevin Harlan, Craig James, Beasley Reece Recap First quarter NE – Adam Vinatieri 19-yard field goal, 10:04. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 4:13. NE – Ty Law 46-yard interception return (Adam Vinatieri kick), 7:58. Patriots 10–0. Second quarter CAR – John Kasay 29-yard field goal, 6:25. Patriots 10–3. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:19. Third quarter NE – Troy Brown 68-yard punt return (Adam Vinatieri kick), 8:30. Patriots 17–3. CAR – John Kasay 40-yard field goal, 4:46. Patriots 17–6. Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 2:09. NE – Antowain Smith 32-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 1:29. Patriots 24–6. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 2:37. Fourth quarter NE – Jermaine Wiggins 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick), 10:38. Patriots 31–6. Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 0:09. NE – Otis Smith 76-yard interception return (Adam Vinatieri kick), 5:45. Patriots 38–6. Top passers NE – Tom Brady – 17/29, 198 yards, TD, 2 INT CAR – Chris Weinke – 15/36, 144 yards, 3 INT Top rushers NE – Antowain Smith – 21 rushes, 81 yards, TD CAR – Richard Huntley – 21 rushes, 168 yards Top receivers NE – David Patten – 4 receptions, 54 yards CAR – Brad Hoover – 4 receptions, 44 yards With the loss, the Panthers lost their 15th game in a row and finished the season at 1–15. The Panthers finished with the worst record in the NFL, but only received the second overall pick in the 2002 NFL draft due to the first overall pick being awarded to the Houston Texans, an expansion team. This would be the last game the Panthers played as a member of the NFC West as they were moved to the newly formed NFC South starting next season. Carolina was joined by New Orleans, Atlanta (both also coming from the NFC West), and Tampa Bay (from the NFC Central, which was renamed to the NFC North). Carolina was also swept by the AFC East, and as of 2026, this the only season the Panthers failed to win a home game. Head coach George Seifert would be fired the following day, finishing his tenure at Carolina with a record of 16–32 and zero playoff appearances.https://qctimes.com/news/seifert-fired-by-panthers-after---season/article_c5b5e0e6-ec20-5492-9b80-a85d3f1e61a1.html Seifert fired by Panthers after 1–15 season Associated Press January 7, 2002 Quad-City Times Davenport, Iowa August 30, 2022 Standings Notes References Category:Carolina Panthers seasons Carolina Panthers Carolina Category:2000s in Charlotte, North Carolina