Dave Canales is very familiar with the Panthers’ current playoff situation

CHARLOTTE — Rain or shine, Carolina Panthers fans will be packed into Bank of America Stadium Saturday for the team’s first playoff game since 20-17.

It’s a first for most of the young roster, and this team will need to lean on its head coach’s experience. Dave Canales will make his playoff debut as the Panthers head coach, but this isn’t his first rodeo

Saturday marks his 12th playoff appearance. That’s out of 16 seasons as an NFL coach. Canales has never missed the playoffs in consecutive seasons.

He now joins Dom Capers and John Fox as the only Panthers head coaches to make the playoffs in one of their first two NFL seasons, and that experience might pay off.

Let’s take it back to 2010, when Canales was on the Seattle Seahawks staff in a playoff scenario a lot like this one -- a sub-500 team with plans to shock the NFL.

“What I remember most is even at 7-9, which we were that year. We won the division, and we got a home game, which gave us the crowd,” Canales said. “That’s what i’m most excited about. Bringing football back into Bank of America Stadium.”

The Seahawks won in the wildcard round. The Panthers, like that Seattle team, finished the regular season under .500 at 8-9.

They won’t host the reigning Super Bowl champs like Seattle did, but the Rams are certainly the favorites to win the Lombardi trophy.

(VIDEO: 101-year-old Panthers fan cheers for Carolina’s return to playoffs)