It’s a short list, but there are some clear favorites
The 2024 NFL playoffs have reached the conference championship games. The Philadelphia Eagles will be hosting the Washington Commanders and the Buffalo Bills will be visiting the Kansas City Chiefs. None of these teams have particularly storied, on-field rivalries with the Carolina Panthers. Figuring out who to root for, from the perspective of a Panthers fans, got complicated this weekend with the early exit of the fellow cat mascot and long-time poverty franchise of the Detroit Lions.
The Eagles and the Chiefs are excellent teams that the Panthers played surprisingly closely this year, while the Commanders beat the wheels off of our favorite team in the middle of Bryce Young’s resurgence narrative. The Commanders and the Bills have taken large numbers of former Panthers players and coaches over the past decade with differing levels of success. The Chiefs are current NFL royalty, with head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes forming a Bill Belichik and Tom Brady-like legacy in six short years. So let’s look at which game and which team carries the most familiar faces for Panthers fans:
The AFC Championship Game:
The Buffalo Bills
Players: WR Curtis Samuel
Coaches: HC Sean McDermott. OC Joe Brady, LBs Al Holcomb
The Kansas City Chiefs
Players: K Harrison Butker
Coaches: N/A
Verdict: The Bills
Buffalo has the obvious, stronger connection to the Panthers. The Chiefs only connection is a former Panthers draft pick who famously never made the final roster. The Bills are also the narrative underdog compared to the team who has won three Super Bowls in the last five years.
McDermott has long since made his mark as a successful head coach, stepping out from the shadows of Ron Rivera by having a more consistently successful team than Rivera ever had with the Panthers. The Bills also get honorable mentions for the general manager Brandon Beane, a former Panthers executive, and their running backs coach Kelly Skipper, son of long time Panthers running backs coach Jim Skipper.
The NFC Championship Game:
The Philadelphia Eagles
Players: DE Charles Harris
Coaches: N/A
The Washington Commanders
Players: S Jeremy Chinn, OLB Frankie Luvu, DE Efe Obada
Coaches: N/A
Verdict: The Commanders
Unsurprisingly, former Panthers have little influence on rosters that retain little connection to former Panthers regimes. Veteran defensive end Charles Harris was only with the Panthers for nine games in 2024. He managed to latch on with the Eagles’ practice squad. The Washington Commanders pilfered what little defensive talent the Panthers had last season in free agency, but that’s about it.
Chinn started all 17 games this season at safety for the Commanders and has had his best season since his rookie year. He also had a clutch interception to seal off any comeback attempt by the Lions in their 45-31 win on Saturday night.
Luvu has also started all 17 games this season and has set career highs in sacks and pass deflections to go along with his usual nose for a fumble and interception.
Obada has managed to hang around on Washington’s practice squad for the third season in a row, appearing in six regular season games and notching a handful of tackles.