Column: There’s NFL precedent for the unbeaten Panthers to try to avoid duplicating

Not only are the undefeated Carolina Panthers having a historic season, but they were reminded of NFL history this week.

The Panthers (13-0) will play at the New York Giants (6-7) on Sunday.

Seventeen years ago, at precisely this point in the season, the Denver Broncos were 13-0 when they played at the Giants, who were 8-5, and had their bid for an undefeated season go poof when the Giants won, 20-16.

Receiver Amani Toomer clinched that victory with a 37-yard touchdown catch from Kent Graham with 57 seconds to play.

Down went the mighty Broncos, who were led by quarterback John Elway and running back Terrell Davis, who were on their way to a second Lombardi Trophy in two years.

“They were the team that everybody looked up to because they were far and away better than everybody,” Toomer said by phone. “But we felt that that day we were so prepared and had so much to prove.”

That game was much more of a mismatch than Sunday’s, with the Giants being five-point underdogs to the Panthers. New York is in a tie with Philadelphia and Washington atop the NFC East.

The Giants are coming off a 31-24 victory at Miami that ended a slide at three games that consisted of defeats to New England, Washington and the New York Jets by a total of 10 points.

The way Toomer sees it, the Giants are in good position to pull off the upset, especially coming off a down cycle of three losses in four games.

“What teams do when they’re preparing is they watch the opponent’s last four games,” he said. “If they don’t look good on film, that’s what they are to you. So I don’t think they worry about history. If I had won 13 games in a row, I wouldn’t worry about a 6-7 team.”

Much of that is wishful thinking. It’s highly unlikely the Panthers will be lulled into a sense of complacency. Actually, they have won 17 regular-season games in a row, dating to their last four in 2014. They had a chance for a letdown at home against the overmatched Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, but won, 38-0, to clinch a first-round bye.

Unlike the powerhouse Broncos in 1998, the Panthers have not been viewed as a juggernaut. Some people have even called them the worst 13-0 team in NFL history. The Panthers’ response? Yawn.

“Obviously, we’ve heard it since Week 3, Week 4, Week 5,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “It’s been the same narrative, just everyone changes the reasons why we’re the worst at that particular moment. We don’t really pay too much attention to it. It’s really irrelevant, it’s really just background noise. We don’t need anybody’s votes, we don’t need style points, we don’t need any of that. In our league, your record is what you are.”

Toomer, who was on the Giants in the 2007 season when they beat the New England Patriots, who were 18-0, in the Super Bowl, said saving face will be a motivating factor for New York in Sunday’s game.

“When you go into those games, you’re really worried about getting embarrassed,” Toomer said. “That’s one of the things that really gets you to focus in. Because you’re like, ‘OK, I’ve got to watch this extra film because if we lose and get embarrassed, it will be worse.’ ”

Toomer said the Giants can’t go into the game “half-stepping,” and instead have to think about what a victory could mean for a coaching staff, front office, and roster that could have big changes in store for next season.

“This is a big deal,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity. Because if you’re underperforming, the one thing you really want as a player is a chance to prove yourself.”