Packers vs Panthers history: five things before Thursday

The Panthers come to Lambeau Field on Thursday, and this series is younger than most. The two teams first met in January 1997, and the Packers lead the all-time series 12-7. The Panthers won the last meeting, 16-13 at Lambeau on November 2, 2025, so Green Bay has one to get back.

A lot of these stories come from the Favre years, and so do plenty of the questions in my book, the All-Time Best Green Bay Packers Trivia Quiz Book. Here are five things worth knowing before kickoff.

The first meeting sent the Packers to the Super Bowl

The Panthers were only in their second season in 1996, and they surprised everyone. They won their last seven games, finished 12-4, and beat the Cowboys in the playoffs to reach the NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field on January 12, 1997. Carolina led early after Sam Mills intercepted Brett Favre and set up a short touchdown pass. Then the Packers took over. Dorsey Levens caught a 29-yard touchdown and finished with 117 receiving yards and 88 rushing yards, Edgar Bennett ran for a score, and Chris Jacke kicked three field goals. Green Bay won 30-13 and went on to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.

The biggest Packers win came in Charlotte in 1997

The two teams met again the next December, this time at Ericsson Stadium in Charlotte. On December 14, 1997, the Packers won 31-10. It is still the biggest margin of victory Green Bay has had against Carolina. The win moved the Packers to 12-3 on their way to a second straight NFC title and a trip to Super Bowl XXXII.

The Packers scored the first 28 points in 2014

Aaron Rodgers had told Packers fans to “relax” after a slow start to the 2014 season, and by the time the Panthers came to Lambeau on October 19, the Packers had won three straight. Green Bay scored the first 28 points of the game and never let Carolina back in it. The Panthers scored two late touchdowns after the game was out of reach, and the Packers won 38-17.

Rodgers threw four touchdowns against an unbeaten Carolina team in 2015

The Packers went to Charlotte on November 8, 2015, to face a Panthers team that had not lost all season. Carolina led the whole way and was up 37-14 at one point. Rodgers kept throwing, finished with four touchdown passes, and pulled Green Bay to within one score. The comeback came up short, and the Panthers won 37-29.

A Christmas Eve finish in 2023

The Packers led 30-16 in Charlotte on December 24, 2023, but the Panthers came back to tie it at 30. Jordan Love, who threw two touchdown passes that day, led one more drive, and Anders Carlson made a field goal with 19 seconds left. Carolina still had time to move 44 yards, but it could not spike the ball before the clock ran out on a tying field goal try. The Packers won 33-30 and went on to make the playoffs.

That’s the story behind Thursday’s matchup. You can find every Packers vs Panthers game on the team page, and the site’s trivia quizzes are at the trivia hub.

My Packers trivia book has plenty from the 1996 team that beat the Panthers in that first meeting, like the most touchdown passes Brett Favre ever threw in a season and which Packers punt returner scored the most touchdowns in a single year. Every answer comes with the story behind it, in paperback and Kindle on Amazon.