2001 Carolina Panthers season
The 2001 Carolina Panthers season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League 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 season was a wreck. Not only were the Panthers unable to improve over their previous season, but they deteriorated even further, dropping to 1–15.
| 2001 Carolina Panthers season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jerry Richardson |
| Head coach | George Seifert |
| Home field | Ericsson Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 1–15 |
| Division place | 5th NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | TE Wesley Walls WR Steve Smith P Todd Sauerbrun |
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 to have won their opener and lose the remainder of the season until the 2020 Jacksonville Jaguars became the second team to replicate this feat.
The Panthers consequently beat the record for most consecutive losses during a single NFL season that had been shared by the 1976 Buccaneers, 1980 Saints, 1981 Colts and 1990 Patriots. This record has since been broken by two winless teams: the 2008 Detroit Lions and 2017 Cleveland Browns.
By the end of the season, the Panthers had become so incapacitated that only about 16,000 fans showed up to see them play in their finale against the New England Patriots, who shockingly went on to win Super Bowl XXXVI over the 14–2 Rams. Coincidentally, the Panthers would face the Patriots 2 seasons later in Super Bowl XXXVIII, which saw the Panthers lose 32–29. Following their terrible season, head coach George Seifert was fired and replaced by New York Giants defensive coordinator John Fox.
The 2001 Panthers became the seventh team to finish 1–15 after the 2000 Chargers, 1996 Jets, 1991 Colts, 1990 Patriots, 1989 Cowboys and the 1980 Saints. The 2007 Dolphins, 2009 Rams, 2016 Browns, and the 2020 Jaguars would eventually become the next 4 teams after the Panthers to finish with only one win as of 2020.
Despite having the worst record, the Panthers did not earn a number-one overall draft pick in 2002 due to the debut season of the expansion Houston Texans.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 2001 Carolina Panthers draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Dan Morgan * | Linebacker | Miami (FL) | |
| 2 | 44 | Kris Jenkins * | Defensive tackle | Maryland | |
| 3 | 74 | Steve Smith * | Wide receiver | Utah | |
| 4 | 106 | Chris Weinke | Quarterback | Florida State | |
| 5 | 143 | Jarrod Cooper | Defensive back | Kansas State | |
| 6 | 175 | Dee Brown | Running back | Syracuse | |
| 7 | 211 | Louis Williams | Center | Louisiana State | |
| 7 | 227 | Mike Roberg | Tight end | Idaho | |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Undrafted free agents
| Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Goings | Running back | Pittsburgh |
| Nathan Hodel | Long snapper | Illinois |
Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
Schedule
Regular season
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 9 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 24–13 | 1–0 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Recap | |
| 2 | 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 | |
| 17 | January 6 | New England Patriots | L 6–38 | 1–15 | Ericsson Stadium | Recap | |
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) St. Louis Rams | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 503 | 273 | W6 |
| (5) San Francisco 49ers | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 409 | 282 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 333 | 409 | L4 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 291 | 377 | L2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 253 | 410 | L15 |
References
- "2001 Carolina Panthers Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- "Assistant Coaches". Panthers.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2014.