We dart from New Orleans to Charlotte today on our current NFL Thursday miniseries to take on the Carolina Panthers, a 1995 expansion team. With a .472 winning percentage overall, the Panthers have made the playoffs just eight times in their history—although they have reached the Super Bowl twice (2003, 2015). Obviously, they did not win either title game, but at least Carolina has gotten there. These five times below span almost the entire existence of the franchise.

No. 5: 2005 Carolina Panthers

With an 11-5 record, this team actually finished second in the NFC South Division, despite the No. 8 offense and the No. 5 offense. Strangely, those rankings amounted to just a No. 9 spot in the overall SRS. But the Panthers proved themselves a bit in the postseason, shutting out the New York Giants, 23-0, in the wild-card round. Then Carolina dropped the Chicago Bears, 29-21, on the road in the divisional round before losing to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC title game.

Four players led the way for the team in Approximate Value (AV): wide receiver Steve Smith (18), quarterback Jake Delhomme (14), defensive end Julius Peppers (13), and running back DeShaun Foster (12). The Panthers took a 16-7 lead on Chicago at halftime and cruised to the win by holding the Bears to just 282 yards on offense. But the Seahawks were too strong—Carolina gained just 212 yards against Seattle while holding the ball for just barely 18 minutes total.

No. 4: 2008 Carolina Panthers

A 12-4 record was enough to secure this team the NFC South title and the No. 8 overall ranking in the SRS. With the No. 7 offense and the No. 12 defense, the Panthers seemed to be a formidable force as the playoffs began. However, the Carolina offense committed six turnovers and coughed up 33 straight points to the Arizona Cardinals. It was a strange game as the Panthers scored the first and final touchdowns in a 33-14 loss at home, while allowing almost 40 minutes of possession.

Smith (15), linebacker Jon Beason (15), and offensive tackle Jordan Gross (15) topped the team in value, followed by Peppers (13), RB DeAngelo Williams (13), and Delhomme (12), too. Yet the wheels still came off against Arizona, which would advance to the Super Bowl in a surprising postseason run. Perhaps the bye week hurt Carolina, but Delhomme tossed a whopping 5 interceptions against the Cardinals defense, and he also coughed up a fumble in a disastrous effort.

No. 3: 1996 Carolina Panthers

In just the team’s second season, these Panthers went 12-4 to win the NFC West Division—thanks to the No. 2 defense and the No. 7 offense. This left Carolina at the No. 4 team in the final SRS rankings overall. The Panthers then shocked the defending champion Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round before traveling to Lambeau Field to take on the eventual champion Green Bay Packers. What a playoff gauntlet! The young Carolina team folded under pressure, though.

The top three players on the team were all linebackers, oddly: Kevin Greene (18), Sam Mills (18), and Lamar Lathon (15). Against the Cowboys, it was a defensive battle with both offenses combining for just 471 yards overall. The Panthers forced Dallas QB Troy Aikman into throwing 3 INTs, though, in the 26-17 victory. The Packers proved to be just too much in the end, winning 30-13 and out-gaining the Panthers by 228 yards as well. The Lambeau Mystique was still intact then.

No. 2: 2015 Carolina Panthers

This team set the club record with a 15-1 mark in the regular season, which obviously delivered another NFC South crown. Despite the No. 1 offense and the No. 6 defense, though, the team finished just No. 6 in the SRS overall, due to a very weak schedule. Nonetheless, Carolina defeated the two-time defending NFC champion Seahawks before trouncing the Cardinals, 49-15, in the NFC Championship Game. However, the Panthers got blitzed, literally, in the Super Bowl.

QB Cam Newton (21 AV) topped the team, earning the NFL MVP votes (even though we didn’t agree). LB Thomas Davis (15), LB Luke Kuechly (15), and cornerback Josh Norman (15) spearheaded the defense. The team was loaded with talent. A 31-0 halftime lead buried Seattle, and the defense forced 7 turnovers against Arizona. But the tables were turned in the Super Bowl, as the Denver Broncos forced 4 turnovers and sacked Newton 7 times in a dominating 24-10 victory.

No. 1: 2013 Carolina Panthers

Surprisingly, this is the best sabermetric squad in organizational history: a 12-4 team that won the NFC South based on the No. 2 defense and the No. 18 offense. The Panthers ended up No. 4 in the overall SRS rankings, but it was a short celebration as the team lost 23-10 at home in the divisional round against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. The game was closer statistically than it seems, but Newton’s two INTs were a big challenge to overcome.

Kuechly (18), Newton (16), and defensive end Greg Hardy (15) were the value leaders of the team. But so much of the mediocre offense revolved around Newton that is was “easy” to stifle Carolina if you shut down Superman. The Panthers also had no running game, really, and the 49ers held the Carolina RBs to just 39 yards on the ground. Newton was sacked five times as well (preview of Super Bowl 50, for sure), and the 49ers outscored the Panthers, 10-0, in the second half.