| Atlanta Falcons–Carolina Panthers | |
|---|---|
| History | |
|---|---|
| First meeting | September 3, 1995 |
| First result | Carolina 20, Atlanta 23 (OT) |
| Last meeting | January 2, 2011 |
| Last result | Carolina 10, Atlanta 31 |
| Number of Meetings |
32 |
| All-time series | Atlanta leads 20–12 |
The I-85 Rivalry is a rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. Both franchises have a combined seven divisional titles (six as members of the same division) and two Super Bowl appearances, with the Falcons appearing in Super Bowl XXXIII and the Panthers appearing in Super Bowl XXXVIII. The rivalry takes its name from Atlanta and Charlotte (home of the Panthers) being only four to five hours apart on Interstate 85.
The Panthers and Falcons have played each other twice a year every year since 1995 as both members of the NFC West and the NFC South. Their games have been marked by intensity, close scores, and remarkable performances.
In the National Basketball Association, the moniker is used to refer to games played between the Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Bobcats, who also enjoy an intense rivalry of their own; the Hawks were also onetime rivals of the Charlotte Hornets from 1988 until 2002, when the Hornets relocated to New Orleans.
The rivalry largely mirrors the bitter rivalry between the cities of Charlotte and Atlanta.
Beginning[]
Carolina's first ever regular season game was a 23–20 overtime loss against the Falcons on September 3, 1995. Later that season, however, Carolina went on to defeat Atlanta 21–17 for their seventh win of the year---the most ever for an expansion franchise.[1]
Game results[]
| Date | Location | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 3, 1995 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 23–30 |
| December 17, 1995 | Clemson, SC | Carolina Panthers | 21–17 |
| September 1, 1996 | Charlotte | Carolina Panthers | 29–6 |
| November 3, 1996 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 20–17 |
| September 7, 1997 | Atlanta | Carolina Panthers | 9–6 |
| October 26, 1997 | Charlotte | Carolina Panthers | 21–12 |
| September 6, 1998 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 19–14 |
| October 4, 1998 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 51–23 |
| October 31, 1999 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 27–20 |
| November 28, 1999 | Charlotte | Carolina Panthers | 43–28 |
| September 17, 2000 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 15–10 |
| October 29, 2000 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 13–12 |
| September 23, 2001 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 24–16 |
| November 25, 2001 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 10–7 |
| October 20, 2002 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 30–0 |
| November 24, 2002 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 41–0 |
| September 28, 2003 | Charlotte | Carolina Panthers | 23–3 |
| December 7, 2003 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 20–14 |
| October 3, 2004 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 27–10 |
| December 18, 2004 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 34–31 |
| December 4, 2005 | Charlotte | Carolina Panthers | 24–6 |
| January 1, 2006 | Atlanta | Carolina Panthers | 44–11 |
| September 10, 2006 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 20–6 |
| December 24, 2006 | Atlanta | Carolina Panthers | 10–3 |
| September 23, 2007 | Atlanta | Carolina Panthers | 27–20 |
| November 11, 2007 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 20–13 |
| September 28, 2008 | Charlotte | Carolina Panthers | 24–9 |
| November 23, 2008 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 45–28 |
| September 20, 2009 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 28–20 |
| November 15, 2009 | Charlotte | Carolina Panthers | 28–19 |
| December 12, 2010 | Charlotte | Atlanta Falcons | 31–10 |
| January 2, 2011 | Atlanta | Atlanta Falcons | 31–10 |
References[]
- ↑ In Panthers- Falcons Rivalry, Dislike Runs Deep On Both Sides from Associated press, posted 8 September, 2006.
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