1995: Panthers Lose Debut to Falcons in Overtime

The Carolina Panthers, one of two NFL expansion teams for the 1995 season along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, took the field for their first regular season game on September 3. Coached by Dom Capers, most recently the defensive coordinator of the Steelers, the Panthers were coming into their first season facing the usual obstacles of a new team, utilizing either unproven or over-the-hill talent, but GM Bill Polian had been aggressive in free agency. The Panthers were to feature a conservative offense, tough defense, and solid special teams. QB Frank Reich (pictured above), the long-time backup in Buffalo, was starting while first draft choice Kerry Collins was groomed to take over the job, and there were veteran receivers in WRs Mark Carrier and Willie Green plus TE Pete Metzelaars. LB Sam Mills, formerly of the USFL and Saints, provided leadership as well as ability at inside linebacker, and there were other established hands in LB Lamar Lathon and CB Tim McKyer.

The Atlanta Falcons, Carolina’s first opponent, were coming off a 7-9 record in 1994, their third straight losing season and first under Head Coach June Jones. Operating a run-and-shoot offense, QB Jeff George threw for 3734 yards and 23 touchdowns and, while free agent WR Andre Rison departed in the offseason, there was a good group of small but fast of receivers for George’s passes. The defense was of greater concern, having given up a lot of points and fallen short in close contests in ‘94.

There were 58,808 fans in attendance at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons had the game’s first possession and went three-and-out. Carolina then went 65 yards in eight plays. Frank Reich had completions of 20 yards to Willie Green and 10 to Mark Carrier. Another pass to Carrier picked up 18 yards in a third-and-13 situation to reach the Atlanta 19. Following two carries by RB Randy Baldwin, Reich threw to Pete Metzelaars for eight yards and a touchdown. John Kasay added the extra point.

It didn’t take long for the Panthers to add to their lead. WR Roell Preston fumbled the ensuing kickoff and RB Vince Workman recovered for the visitors at the Atlanta 22. This time Carolina was only able to pick up a yard in three plays, but Kasay kicked a 39-yard field goal to make the score 10-0.

The Falcons came back with a seven-play, 47-yard series that was highlighted by Jeff George connecting with RB/WR Eric Metcalf (pictured at left) on a third down play for a 36-yard gain to the Carolina 16. Morten Andersen, a newcomer to the club after thirteen years in New Orleans, booted a 27-yard field goal to make it a seven-point margin.

Reich came out throwing on the next Carolina series, hitting Green for 11 yards and then Carrier for 46 yards to the Atlanta 23. The Panthers were unable to move any further but came away with another Kasay field goal, this time from 41 yards.

The teams traded punts as the game moved into the second quarter. Taking possession at their own two yard line following a Carolina punt, the Falcons came through with a big play when George threw to WR Bert Emanuel for 46 yards. George completed six more passes as Atlanta moved 98 yards in 11 plays, the last for a 12-yard TD to WR J.J. Birden. Andersen’s extra point narrowed Carolina’s lead to 13-10.

Following a short series by the Panthers, the Falcons drove to another score. George completed three passes but, after reaching the Carolina 33 at the two-minute warning, two more throws fell incomplete and Andersen kicked a 51-yard field goal. The score remained 13-13 at the half.

The Panthers were forced to punt following the first series of the third quarter and the home team went 58 yards in seven plays to take the lead. George threw to WR Terance Mathis for 23 yards and, in a third-and-eight situation, connected with Mathis again for 19 yards to the Carolina 14. Three plays later, he tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to Emanuel and, with Andersen’s PAT, the Falcons were in front by 20-13.

The defenses took control as neither team was able to sustain a drive until, with less than four minutes remaining in the period, Metcalf took off for a 19-yard gain to spur a series in which the Falcons reached midfield. However, FS Brett Maxie intercepted a pass to end the threat and the score remained tied heading into the final period.

The teams continued to exchange punts until RB Craig Heyward of the Falcons fumbled and Maxie recovered for Carolina at the Atlanta 22. However, two penalties and two sacks moved the Panthers back to the 44 and they were forced to punt.

Carolina got the ball again on a punt with 1:15 remaining in regulation. Starting at his own 20, Reich passed to RB Bob Christian for 23 yards and, after two incompletions, to Green for 13 yards. Reich threw long to Green once again, and the result was a 44-yard touchdown. A gamble for a two-point conversion was nullified by a false start and, backed up five yards, the Panthers kicked to tie the score at 20-20 instead.

Getting the ball back with 20 seconds on the clock, the Falcons tried to win the game in regulation as George completed two passes, but a 58-yard field goal try by Andersen fell short and the contest went into overtime.

The Panthers had the initial possession in the OT period and Reich completed two passes, but fumbled when stripped by DE Lester Archambeau, who recovered the ball at the Carolina 31. Six plays later, at 2:42 into the extra period, Andersen booted a 35-yard field goal and Atlanta came away the winner by a final score of 23-20.

The Falcons led in total yards (391 to 312) and first downs (20 to 17). Carolina was hurt by gaining only 51 yards on 20 running plays and giving up nine sacks. The Panthers also committed seven penalties, to four flags thrown on Atlanta. By contrast, the Falcons gave up three sacks and were more balanced on offense, rushing for 117 yards while gaining 274 net passing yards.

Jeff George completed 27 of 45 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns while giving up one interception. Eric Metcalf had 9 catches for 95 yards and ran for 56 yards on just 7 carries. Terance Mathis contributed 8 receptions for 83 yards and Bert Emanuel added 6 for 90 yards and a TD. Craig Heyward paced the ground game with 61 yards on 19 carries.

For the Panthers, Frank Reich was successful on 23 of 44 throws for 329 yards and two TDs while giving up no interceptions. Willie Green (pictured below) pulled in 7 of those passes for 121 yards and a score and Mark Carrier had 5 receptions for 96 yards. Randy Baldwin led what there was of a running attack with 43 yards on 17 attempts.

“There is no moral victory,” said a disappointed Frank Reich. “It’s win or lose. We want to win early and win often. Anything less in unacceptable. This was tough. We had our chance.”

The Panthers went on to lose their first five games before reeling off four consecutive wins on the way to a respectable 7-9 record, placing fourth in the NFC West. They also defeated the Falcons in the rematch at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Atlanta lost the next week but then won three in a row and finished at 9-7, placing second in the division and qualifying for a Wild Card spot. The Falcons were defeated by Green Bay in the first postseason round.

By the point the season turned around for the Panthers, Frank Reich had given way to Kerry Collins as the starting quarterback. He ended up throwing just 39 more passes, completing 44 percent in all, and the two TD passes against the Falcons were his only scoring tosses. Mark Carrier and Willie Green remained effective receivers, with Carrier catching 66 passes for 1002 yards (15.2 avg.) and three touchdowns and Green hauling in 47 for 882 yards (18.8 avg.) and six TDs.

Eric Metcalf continued to be highly productive for the Falcons with 104 pass receptions for 1189 yards (11.4 avg.) and eight touchdowns to go along with his 133 yards on 28 rushing attempts (4.8 avg.). Adding in kick returns, Metcalf gained a total of 1983 all-purpose yards, which ranked fifth in the NFL. Terance Mathis and Bert Emanuel also had over a thousand receiving yards with 1039 apiece, on 78 and 74 catches, respectively. 

1996: Jaguars Edge Falcons to Clinch Playoff Berth

The second-year Jacksonville Jaguars came into their 1996 season finale on December 22 needing a win to gain a playoff spot. Head Coach Tom Coughlin’s team had been at 4-7 after eleven games and seemed to be going nowhere, but the Jaguars had reeled off four straight wins to climb to 8-7. 26-year-old QB Mark Brunell  (pictured at right) started off unevenly but was playing well during the late-season surge. Most significantly, RB Natrone Means was running the ball effectively and taking pressure off the young quarterback. WR Keenan McCardell was joined by Jimmy Smith, who took over for veteran WR Andre Rison with outstanding results. Two rookies, DE Tony Brackens and LB Kevin Hardy, were upgrades to the defense and 11th-year veteran DE Clyde Simmons added his savvy play to the mix. They had to beat Atlanta to make the postseason in just their second year.

The Falcons, meanwhile, were 3-12 after having been in the playoffs in ’95. Atlanta’s season was marred by controversy, most notably a sideline confrontation between Head Coach June Jones and QB Jeff George that caused the talented but immature quarterback to be suspended and replaced by veteran backup Bobby Hebert. RB Jamal Anderson and WR Bert Emanuel had emerged as good players on offense, but the offensive line was ordinary and the defensive backfield atrocious.

The game was at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium with 71,449 fans in attendance. The Falcons had the game’s first possession and punted. Jacksonville put together a 77-yard drive in 10 plays. Mark Brunell completed all three of his passes including one to Keenan McCardell for 17 yards in a second-and-11 situation. Natrone Means (pictured below) pounded away for 17 yards on four straight carries and Brunell finished the series off by scrambling for 11 yards for a touchdown. Mike Hollis added the extra point.

The teams exchanged punts for the rest of the first quarter, but the Falcons were at the Jacksonville 41 at the end of the period and reached the 27 before QB Bobby Hebert was sacked by CB Aaron Beasley on a third-and-four play. Morten Andersen kicked a 46-yard field goal to narrow the score to 7-3.

The Jaguars responded with a 12-play, 70-yard drive of their own. Brunell connected with TE Pete Mitchell for 16 yards in a third-and-six situation and Means had a 17-yard run to the Atlanta 14. The series ended with Hollis booting a field goal from 23 yards to make it a 10-3 game.

Following a three-and-out series by the Falcons, Jacksonville put together another long scoring drive of 78 yards in 13 plays. Brunell completed three passes and had a 16-yard run and, with 46 seconds remaining in the half, Hollis added another field goal, this time from 26 yards. The Jaguars led by ten points at the intermission.

The home team started off the third quarter with yet another long possession. The biggest gain was a Brunell pass to Jimmy Smith for 29 yards as the Jaguars advanced 76 yards in 13 plays culminating in a third Hollis field goal, this time from 22 yards.

The Falcons had been quiet on offense, but now they responded with a 10-play, 72-yard series. Hebert (pictured at left) started off with a pass to RB Richard Huntley for 14 yards, RB Craig Heyward ran for 11 yards, and then Hebert scrambled for 15 yards around end. Continuing to chip away, Atlanta finally scored when Hebert connected with WR Eric Metcalf for a four-yard TD. Andersen added the extra point and the Jacksonville lead was narrowed to 16-10.

In a series that extended into the fourth quarter, the Jaguars went 51 yards in 10 plays. Hollis attempted a field goal from 42 yards that hit the left upright but caromed over the crossbar and was good. In a game of long possessions, the Falcons responded by using 12 plays to go 77 yards. Hebert had a pass to Bert Emanuel for 17 yards and converted a third-and-eight with another toss to Emanuel that was good for 12 yards. Heyward went up the middle for the last two yards and a TD. Andersen’s extra point made it a two-point contest with 5:39 remaining.

The Jaguars went three-and-out and had to punt. With Jamal Anderson running to good effect and Hebert connecting with WR Tyrone Brown on a screen pass for 23 yards, Atlanta reached the Jacksonville 13 with eight seconds left on the clock. But just as it seemed that Jacksonville’s season was about to end in disappointment, the usually reliable Morten Andersen missed a 30-yard field goal attempt. Andersen appeared to slip as he kicked the ball and it sailed wide to the left as the Jaguars came away with a 19-17 win.

Jacksonville led in total yards (357 to 309) while each club had 21 first downs. Rushing yards were nearly even as well, with the Falcons holding a 146 to 143 edge. However, the Jaguars were nearly undone by having to settle for field goals too often when inside the Atlanta ten yard line. There were no turnovers.

Mark Brunell completed 18 of 29 passes for 222 yards with no touchdowns, although he ran for one TD on one of his four carries for 28 yards. Natrone Means rushed for 110 yards on 27 attempts and Jimmy Smith caught 5 passes for 75 yards. Mike Hollis (pictured below) was successful on all four of his field goal attempts, which ultimately proved crucial to Jacksonville’s success.

For the Falcons, Bobby Hebert was successful on 17 of 25 throws for 172 yards and a TD. Craig Heyward ran for 69 yards on 16 carries that included a touchdown and Jamal Anderson contributed 55 yards on 11 attempts. Bert Emanuel and Tyrone Brown caught six passes apiece, for 67 and 60 yards, respectively.

“It almost renders me speechless,” said Coach Tom Coughlin, who had almost comically avoided making references to the postseason in his press conferences down the stretch. “We’re in the playoffs.”

Jacksonville’s surprising run gave them a 9-7 record, second in the AFC Central, and continued in the postseason all the way to the AFC Championship game, including wins over Buffalo in the Wild Card round and Denver at the Divisional level. With the other 1995 expansion team, the Carolina Panthers, reaching the NFC title game, it marked an unprecedented ascendancy by two second-year clubs. However, each fell a game short of the Super Bowl. The Jaguars lost to the Patriots by a decisive 20-6 score, but it marked the first of four straight postseason appearances for the young franchise.

Atlanta, ending up 3-13 and fourth in the NFC West, underwent a housecleaning during the offseason that ended the coaching tenure of June Jones after three years. He was replaced by Dan Reeves, formerly of the Broncos and Giants. The game also marked the end of the line for Bobby Hebert (pictured at left), whose career started in the USFL and led to the Saints before moving on to Atlanta for four years.

Mark Brunell led the NFL in passing yards (4367) and yards per attempt (7.8), although also in times sacked (50). He was selected to the Pro Bowl. Natrone Means, who performed so well down the stretch, rushed for 507 yards on 152 carries (3.3 avg.), but 325 of those yards came in the last four games. He would come up bigger in the two playoff wins. 

1994: Lions Overcome Falcons in Overtime

The Atlanta Falcons had a new head coach and quarterback for the 1994 NFL season as they opened against the Lions on September 4. Offensive coordinator June Jones had succeeded Jerry Glanville as head coach following a disappointing 6-10 season in ’93 and they picked up QB Jeff George from the Colts to operate their version of the run-and-shoot offense.

The Lions, coached by Wayne Fontes, were also debuting a new quarterback in Scott Mitchell, a highly-regarded (but not much experienced) backup in Miami who was signed to a big free agent contract. Star RB Barry Sanders (pictured above) had missed five games late in the previous season but was ready for the new one (and would not miss another game for the remainder of his illustrious career). Herman Moore was a rising talent at wide receiver.

There was a crowd of 60,740 present at the Pontiac Silverdome. The Falcons had first possession and punted. Following a 22-yard return by WR Mel Gray that gave the Lions good starting field position at their 47, it took just three plays for the home team to get on the board. Mitchell threw to Herman Moore for a 34-yard gain, Barry Sanders ran 18 yards, and RB Derrick Moore gained the last yard for a touchdown and, adding Jason Hanson’s extra point, a 7-0 lead.

That was it for the scoring in the opening period. The teams traded punts until the Falcons went 58 yards in eight plays in the second quarter. Keeping the ball on the ground, the big play was a 25-yard carry by RB Erric Pegram who also finished the drive off with a one-yard touchdown run. Norm Johnson’s extra point tied the score. Neither team was able to get out of its own end of the field for the remainder of the period as the score remained 7-7 at the half.

The Lions started off the third quarter with a seven-play, 70-yard scoring drive. Sanders ran effectively, gaining 26 yards on three carries, and a pass interference penalty picked up 18 yards to the Atlanta four yard line. From there, Mitchell passed to Herman Moore for a TD.

The Falcons responded with a long drive of their own. Jeff George completed 10 straight passes in the 12-play possession that covered 80 yards including the last to WR Andre Rison for a two-yard touchdown. The game was again knotted with the offenses having come to life.

Detroit was on the move as the period ended and, early in the fourth quarter, Mitchell connected with WR Anthony Carter for a nine-yard TD. It capped a 12-play, 76-yard series and gave the Lions a lead that didn’t last long when, on the first play following the ensuing kickoff, George threw to Rison for a 69-yard touchdown.

The Lions went three-and-out on the next possession, which forced the first punt of the second half, and Atlanta rolled down the field on a long drive that covered 78 yards in 12 plays. Three times George converted third downs on passes to Rison, the first for 28 yards in a third-and-seven situation, the second gaining 17 yards on a third-and-12 play, and the third picking up 9 yards while facing third-and-four. It was WR Terance Mathis finishing the series off with a touchdown on a 15-yard scoring pass from George. The Falcons were ahead by 28-21 with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.

Following the kickoff the Lions took possession at their 35. The first two plays gained nothing but, facing third-and-10, Mitchell hit Herman Moore for 11 yards. Two plays later he threw to Carter for 14 yards. Two short gains and an incomplete pass had the Lions in a fourth-and-one situation at the Atlanta 31 with 54 seconds on the clock. Mitchell completed a pass to TE Rodney Holman for 16 yards and two plays later connected with Carter for a 15-yard touchdown. Hanson added the all-important extra point and the score was once again even at 28-28.

The Falcons had one last shot in regulation and, following the return of the squibbed kickoff by safety Alton Montgomery to the Atlanta 44, two completions to Rison got the ball to the Detroit 34, but a field goal try by Norm Johnson from 52 yards sailed wide to the right and the contest went into overtime.

An added concern for the Lions heading into OT was that the placekicker Hanson had gotten hurt making the tackle on the kickoff following the game-tying touchdown. He suffered a cramp in his leg that had trainers working on him afterward.

Atlanta got the ball first in OT but was forced to punt after a short series. Starting with good field position at the Falcons’ 49, Mitchell threw to WR Brett Perriman for 30 yards and, following three runs by Sanders, Hanson, despite being in apparent pain from his injury, kicked a 37-yard field goal at 5:14 into the extra period.  Detroit won by a final score of 31-28.

Atlanta had the edge over the Lions in total yards (389 to 352) and first downs (22 to 21). There was only one turnover, which was suffered by Detroit, although the Falcons were penalized 10 times at a cost of 90 yards against a total of five flags thrown on the Lions, for 40 yards.

Scott Mitchell completed 16 of 31 passes for 203 yards and three touchdowns with one intercepted. Barry Sanders rushed for 120 yards on 27 carries. Herman Moore (pictured below) caught 6 passes for 84 yards and a TD while Anthony Carter, a veteran newcomer to Detroit following nine seasons with the Vikings, contributed 5 receptions for 61 yards and two scores.

For the Falcons, Andre Rison had a big day as he pulled in 14 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Jeff George was successful on 29 of 37 throws for 281 yards and three TDs with none picked off. Terance Mathis added another 8 receptions for 63 yards and a score. Erric Pegram led the ground game with 23 carries for 91 yards and a TD.

The Lions went on to finish third in the highly competitive NFC Central with a 9-7 record. All three Wild Card spots went to teams from the division and the Packers defeated Detroit in the first round. Atlanta ended up third in the NFC West at 7-9.

Scott Mitchell had a rough first year in Detroit as he injured his shoulder in the season’s second game and was lost for the rest of the way in Week 10. He completed just 48.4 percent of his passes for 1456 yards with 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Barry Sanders continued to be outstanding, leading the NFL in rushing with 1883 yards. Herman Moore caught 72 passes for 1173 yards and 11 TDs and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first of four straight years.

Andre Rison didn’t go to the Pro Bowl but had 81 pass receptions for 1088 yards and eight touchdowns. Terance Mathis did get selected as he pulled in 111 passes for 1342 yards and 11 TDs. Jeff George completed 61.5 percent of his throws for 3734 yards and 23 touchdowns against 18 interceptions.