CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera occasionally refers to the New England Patriots as the measuring stick for what he wants his teach to achieve in terms of consistently making the playoffs and challenging for titles.

But during the early years of the Carolina organization, the Panthers' measuring stick was the Jacksonville Jaguars.

And vice versa.

Carolina and Jacksonville began their NFL journeys in 1995 as the league’s 30th and 31st teams, the first expansion teams in almost 20 years. They were measured by what the other did over their first four or five seasons.

The Jaguars went 4-12 and the Panthers 7-9 in their first seasons, but both broke the the record for most wins by an expansion team in their debut season. The Cincinnati Bengals had been the previous best, winning three in 1968.

Then both Carolina and Jacksonville made the playoffs in their second season. They made it to their respective conference championship games, Carolina the NFC title game after a 12-4 regular season and Jacksonville the AFC championship game after going 9-7.

The Jaguars also made the playoffs their next three seasons with 11-plus wins each year, losing the 1999 AFC Championship to the Titans. The Panthers didn’t make the playoffs again until 2003, when they lost in the final seconds to New England in Super Bowl XXXVII.

That was the first of their two NFC titles. They lost Super Bowl 50 to Denver following the 2015 season.

The Jaguars went nine straight seasons from 2008 until last year without making the playoffs, having a losing record all but once.

Now they’re in the AFC Championship Game facing the Patriots, who are playing in their seventh straight conference championship. The Jaguars have a chance to achieve the one thing that keeps either of the Class of ’95 from truly separating itself: a Super Bowl victory.

The organizations aren’t compared much these days. The separation began in 2003, when the Panthers went to the title game. Their measuring stick now is the team the Jaguars must get past to continue this magical run.

But for those who remember what it was like in the beginning, here’s a snapshot of how Carolina and Jacksonville have compared since their inaugural season:

Division championships

Jacksonville: 3

Panthers: 6

Playoff appearances

Jacksonville: 7

Carolina: 8

Playoff record

Jacksonville: 7-6

Carolina: 9-8

Conference championships

Jacksonville: 0

Carolina: 2

Super Bowl appearances

Jacksonville: 0

Carolina: 2 (2003, 2015 seasons)

All-time record

Jacksonville: 165-203-0

Carolina: 183-184-1

Head coaches

Jaguars: 6 (Tom Coughlin, Jack Del Rio, Mel Tucker, Mike Mularkey, Gus Bradley, Doug Marone)

Panthers: 4 (Dom Capers, George Seifert, John Fox, Ron Rivera)