The Buccaneers–Panthers rivalry is a rivalry between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. The two teams met for the first time in 1995 when the Panthers were an expansion team. However, the rivalry did not develop until 2002, when the Buccaneers and Panthers were placed in the newly formed NFC South division, resulting in two meetings annually. The matchup immediately became popular, and by many accounts intensified into a heated rivalry starting in 2003, as the Buccaneers and Panthers were contenders for the NFC South title for much of the early-to-mid 2000s.