Panthers do not have a true rival in the NFL

[Carl Spackler]

I still consider it a rivalry against Tampa Bay. It’s not like it once was but it’s still a heated rivalry.

Reference Dec. 2017, when a nothing-to-play-for Bucs came within a last-minute Cam touchdown of potentially knocking the Panthers out of the playoffs. 

Jameis looked like he wanted to kill everybody and had to be restrained from his teammates by other teammates. 

[ImaginaryKev]

I feel like the Falcons are the more natural rivalry, (close proximity, red team v blue team) but we're never good at the same time. I wish we were bc that'd be a solid flex Primetime game

[philit99]

I don’t know, I still remember Steve Smith trying to get to Sean Payton during bountygate. Those were intense games. Dirty MFers.

[Cookie Lyon]

5 hours ago, joeyxfresco said:

Cam “Nut Huggers” vs “Anyone but Cam” has been a good rivalry since 2011

No lies detected.

[Iron Saint]

6 hours ago, Hotsauce said:

Saints vs Falcons is a bigger rival than any combo of Panthers vs either team. Don’t get me wrong, they all hate each other, Maybe some years the Saints or the Falcons will have a heated series with the Panthers, but both Camps will tell you they rival each other more than the Panthers. 

Absolute truth here.

6 hours ago, Davidson Deac II said:

The Falcons Saints is bigger right now.  Because the Aints are good and the Falcons can beat them on occassion.  Back in our division champ years, our rivalry with both was bigger.  

Maybe for y’all, but nowhere near as big for us or the Falcons.

5 hours ago, stratocatter said:

You want to talk about a no rival having team, the Saints before they got Brees, for decades were just the nicest fans over there on their forum. Not a cocky arrogant bone to be found in their bodies. No on was a rival, because they had basically never been good enough to have one.

Entirely wrong, we’ve despised the Falcons since our inception and they’ve despised us. Whether they sucked, we sucked, or we both sucked, those games were fight to the death.

[stratocatter]

Oh yeah you guys were really cocky and uppity  when you were winning 5 games a year. 
 

[Iron Saint]

2 minutes ago, stratocatter said:

Oh yeah you guys were really cocky and uppity  when you were winning 5 games a year. 

Didn’t matter if we won 5 games a year, if we beat them twice or they beat us twice, the fan bases hung their hats on it for that year, regardless of whatever heartbreak they endured the rest of the season.

[GoPanthers123]

I would say our coaching and management.  

[Davidson Deac II]

16 minutes ago, Iron Saint said:

 

Maybe for y’all, but nowhere near as big for us or the Falcons.

I doubt that is true.  Certainly wasn't true for the players.

[jfra78]

Kinda wish we were still in nfc west, i feel like we were building a nice rivalry with san fran 

[Iron Saint]

1 hour ago, Davidson Deac II said:

I doubt that is true.  Certainly wasn't true for the players.

Rivalries between players and rivalries between fanbases are two separate entities. Sometimes they overlap but they can exist on their own without the need of the other.

The rivalries among players is built up through multiple years of fierce competition and usually requires both or at minimum one team to be consistently relevant. 

Rivalries amongst fanbases are bred through decades of contempt for one another and success of neither team is required as long as you best that team.

For example, Cam Jordan seems to throughly enjoy knocking the hell out of Cam Newton. Not because Cam Newton is a Panther, but because he appreciates the rivalry they have personally.

Additionally, Jordan also thoroughly enjoys knocking the hell out of Matt Ryan. However it’s not due to any personal rivalry between he and Ryan, but because Ryan is a Falcon and Cam has seen firsthand how much our fanbase revels in it every time he or any other Saints defender knocks Ryan into the turf of the Superdome or MBS.

Sure we want to beat y’all every time we play y’all because it’s a divisional game and divisional games are important, but tell me how much trash talk did you hear coming from our players before or after our game two weeks ago compared to recent years? Practically none right? Because Newton wasn’t on the field. Because of that it essentially became another game against the Buccaneers for our team, important standings wise but did nothing for posturing in a rivalry.

It’s just how it is. Falcons with always be #1 regarding our rivals amongst our fans and players. Panthers are 2a and the Buccaneers are at best 2b, sometimes #3.

[rayzor]

Biggest rivalry...friendly culture vs winning culture

 

[Hotsauce]

9 hours ago, rayzor said:

We had a chance to be that pesky team at the top with can that everyone hated, but management and refs kept that from being a consistent threat.

I loved the fact that so many hated this team and Cam while he was at his peak. Could have created some great rivalries then. 

Cam put this team at the top of the hill. Too many were concerned about being the underdog than the top dog. You set the bar at bring an underdog and that's where you'll stay. Set the bar at bring the top dog and you you'll always catch the hate and you're always trying to defend your claim. That's how you become excellent. You claim it and fight for it daily. You don't sit and wait for it to just happen. You make it happen.

After I read this post, all I could think about was this...

 

[rayzor]

9 minutes ago, Hotsauce said:

After I read this post, all I could think about was this...

 

I'm glad I could inpsire that thought in your head?