The Carolina Panthers' 2026 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.
The Panthers will be in primetime three times this season, the most they've been under the lights since 2016 when they were coming off their 15-1 Super Bowl run. Carolina had one primetime game last year and none in 2024. The three seasons prior to that, they were on primetime a total of four times.
The first primetime game this season comes in Week 4 at home against the Detroit Lions, followed by a very early Week 5 bye. It'll be the Panthers' first time on "Sunday Night Football" in a decade.
Then comes perhaps the toughest stretch of the Panthers' schedule: at the Philadelphia Eagles, home for the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on "Thursday Night Football" at the Green Bay Packers and then home for the Denver Broncos. Carolina's three final games -- at the Pittsburgh Steelers, home for the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and then home for the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons -- could make or break the season.
Here's what's in store for the Panthers:
Panthers 2026 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 13 vs. Chicago Bears
Week 2: Sept. 20 at Atlanta Falcons
Week 3: Sept. 27 at Cleveland Browns
Week 4: Oct. 4 vs. Detroit Lions (SNF)
Week 5: Bye week
Week 6: Oct. 18 at Philadelphia Eagles
Week 7: Oct. 25 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 8: Oct. 29 at Green Bay Packers (TNF)
Week 9: Nov. 8 vs. Denver Broncos
Week 10: Nov. 15 at New Orleans Saints
Week 11: Nov. 22 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 12: Nov. 30 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (MNF)
Week 13: Dec. 6 at Minnesota Vikings
Week 14: Dec. 13 vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 15: Dec. 20 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 16: TBD at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 17: Jan. 3 vs. Seattle Seahawks
Week 18: TBD vs. Atlanta Falcons
* Dates for Weeks 16 and 18 are to be determined
Strength of schedule: The Panthers have the 10th-hardest schedule in the league (opponents had a .521 winning percentage in 2025).
DraftKings over/under win total: 7.5
ESPN analyst Mike Clay's projected win total: 6.3
Biggest takeaway
If the Panthers could get on a roll early with some winnable games in the initial few weeks, it could cushion the blow for the toughest stretch of their season: Weeks 6 through 9. That early Week 5 bye could come back to bite the Panthers late if they don't stack some wins before then.
Otherwise, Carolina's "first-place" schedule courtesy of winning the NFC South last season doesn't look much more perilous than what their division peers have on their slates. Legitimately, any of the four teams -- Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers and even the Saints -- could win the NFC South depending on how things shake out.
Circle these dates
Weeks 14 through 18. The Panthers will finish the season at home in four out of five weeks. That means the only cold-weather city they'll be playing in outdoors down the stretch will be Pittsburgh. There are very winnable games during that run, too, against the Bengals, Saints, Steelers and Falcons around that date with the Seahawks.
Bold prediction
The Panthers will beat the Bears for the first time since 2014, validating the trade that landed Carolina the 2023 No. 1 pick that ended up being quarterback Bryce Young. In Week 1, Young will outplay his counterpart Caleb Williams, whom the Bears drafted No. 1 overall in 2024 with the pick the Panthers traded to them.
Why do the Panthers have three primetime games, their most in a decade?
The NFL likes to put good teams in primetime. They also like to put teams with good offenses in primetime. The Panthers won the NFC South and went to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2017. That fulfills the first point. The second point? The NFL thinks a Young-led offense with firepower from running back Chuba Hubbard and 2026 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan might put up some points. They could be right, considering the Panthers drafted big-play wide receiver Chris Brazzell II in Round 3 and running back Jonathon Brooks might finally be healthy.
