The 5 worst NFL teams to ever play in a Super Bowl

Though they narrowly lost Super Bowl XXXVIII by a field goal to the New England Patriots, the 2003 Carolina Panthers crack the top five here for a few reasons. The NFC South was down thanks to Michael Vick breaking his leg in the preseason for the Atlanta Falcons. Also, the St. Louis Rams were on the downtick, while the Philadelphia Eagles were not quite there under Andy Reid.

2003 was John Fox’s second season in Charlotte, having gone 7-9 the year before. Carolina went 11-5 to win the NFC South as the No. 3 seed in the NFC. This team’s identity was along the defensive line, as defensive end Mike Rucker and defensive tackle Kris Jenkins were Pro Bowlers. They also had a reliable running back in Pro Bowler Stephen Davis. This team was not flashy at all.

While we do need to give Carolina credit for beating the Rams in St. Louis and the Eagles in Philadelphia in succession to get to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston, this team only scored 30 points once all season. Though a strong defensive-minded team, they would meet their match in Houston in the New England Patriots.

It was early in Tom Brady‘s career, but his poise helped his team outperform Jake Delhomme‘s. When Carolina kicker John Kasay knocked a late fourth-quarter kickoff out of bounds, it was good night Panthers. Adam Vinatieri drained another clutch kick to win Bill Belichick his second Super Bowl in New England. The 2003 Panthers were worse than the 2001 Rams or 2004 Eagles.