Tennessee Titans play Carolina Panthers Saturday afternoon at Nissan Stadium
Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Titans have played fewer games against the Carolina Panthers than any other NFL team. There have been just five regular season matchups and one preseason meeting (2010) since the Panthers began play as an expansion team in 1995.
The Titans won three consecutive regular season games in the series after losing the initial meeting, but the Panthers bounced back with a 27-10 win at Nissan Stadium in 2015.
In the only preseason game between the teams, the Panthers defeated the Titans 15-7 at Bank of America Stadium on August 28th, 2010.
In the Panthers’ second year of existence, they won what turned out to be their third game of an eight-game winning streak that ended with an NFC Championship Game loss at Green Bay.
In a 31-6 victory, Panthers quarterback Steve Beuerlein tossed three touchdowns and linebacker Sam Mills returned a fumbled exchange between Oilers quarterback Steve McNair and center Mark Stepnoski 41 yards for a touchdown. Houston’s only points in the game came from two field goals by kicker Al Del Greco.
In 2003, the Titans and Panthers met for the first time in Carolina.
The Titans came away with a 37-17 win, which was their third victory in a six-game winning streak and a run of nine wins in their final 11 games of the regular season. The Panthers had opened their season with five consecutive victories before their loss to the Titans. McNair passed for one touchdown and ran for another in the game. The Titans scored 20 points off turnovers, including a 32-yard fumble return for a touchdown by linebacker Keith Bulluck.
In 2007, the Titans improved their record to 6-2 through eight games with a 20-7 victory over the Panthers in the two teams’ first matchup at Nissan Stadium. The Titans scored touchdowns on rushes by Vince Young and LenDale White, and Rob Bironas booted a pair of field goals in the game, including a 53-yarder.
The last time the Titans and Panthers met at Bank of America Stadium was 2011, when the Titans pulled away early for a 30-3 victory. Marc Mariani provided a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown, running back Chris Johnson rushed for 130 yards, and receiver Damian Williams led the club with five catches for 107 yards, including a 43-yard touchdown from quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. On defense, Tennessee notched five sacks and forced two turnovers.
Titans-Panthers: The Last Meeting
Carolina Panthers 27 at Tennessee Titans 10
Sunday, November 15th, 2015
Nissan Stadium, Nashville, TN
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
| Carolina Panthers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 27 |
| Tennessee Titans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
The Carolina Panthers limited the Titans to 242 total yards and played mistake-free football, earning a 27-10 victory at Nissan Stadium. The win
improved the Panthers’ record on the season to 9-0.
Panthers quarterback Cam Newton completed his first 11 passes and finished the day 21-of-26 for 217 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He also rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to help put the game out of reach for the Titans. While the Titans victimized Newton for five sacks, they were unable to force the Panthers into a turnover.
The Titans continuously found themselves in unfavorable field position.
Outside of a one-play drive to end the first half, they started beyond their own 20-yard line only once in the game. They never took a snap inside Carolina’s 20-yard line.
Meanwhile, the Panthers’ enviable starting field position helped them pull away in the second half. They began each of their final five possessions of the second half at their own 35 or beyond.
The Titans were held to 11 total first downs and a 3.0-yard average on 21 rushing attempts. Carolina possessed the ball for nearly 36 minutes, as opposed to Tennessee’s 24:05 time of possession.
The Panthers opened the contest with a flourish, going on an eightplay, 63-yard drive to take a 7-0 lead. Tight end Greg Olsen caught a 20-yard pass from Cam Newton, and Jonathan Stewart provided a touchdown on a 16-yard run. Stewart accounted for 91 of the Panthers’ 119 total rushing yards on the afternoon.
The Titans matched the score at 7-7 on their second possession, moving 82 yards on 10 plays. They converted three third downs on the drive, including a 21-yard reception by tight end Delanie Walker, a nine yard run by quarterback Marcus Mariota and a 19-yard reception by tight end Anthony Fasano. Then, Dexter McCluster scored on a 25-yard run.
To cap a nine-play, 80-yard series, Newton found tight end Ed Dickson for a one-yard touchdown pass, giving the Panthers a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter.
The Titans tried to keep up, using five completions from Mariota to get in position for a field goal. Ryan Succop’s 45-yarder made the score 14-10 midway through the second quarter.
That was the end of the scoring until near the end of the third quarter, when the Panthers began a drive at their own 41-yard line and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Titans put them across midfield.
The series stalled, but Graham Gano’s 48-yard field goal gave Carolina a seven-point lead.
In the fourth quarter, the Titans were forced to punt from deep in their own territory, and Ted Ginn jump started the ensuing Carolina drive with a 23-yard return—his longest in a game in which he averaged 15.3 yards on four returns. The Panthers offense took over at the Tennessee 43-yard line and moved closer to another touchdown. However, the Titans defense held up on consecutive plays at the one-yard line, and Gano hit a 19-yard field goal with 9:10 on the clock.
The Panthers would not come up short on their next attempt. Following a three-and-out by the Titans, Newton connected with Olsen for an 18-yard completion, and Stewart picked up 17 more yards on a run. Finally, on third-and-goal from the two-yard line, Newton rounded out the day with a quarterback sneak for a touchdown.
