CHARLOTTE, N.C. β One year after making the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the Carolina Panthers will be a popular team on national TV this season.Β
The NFL released the Panthers’ full 2026 schedule on Thursday, and it features a handful of primetime games against some of the league’s biggest teams.Β
The Panthers, who are coming off the first NFC South division championship since 2015, will open the season at home against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears on Sept. 13. This will be Carolina’s second meeting with Chicago since the blockbuster trade that led to Bryce Young being drafted first overall in 2023.Β
Carolina’s first primetime game of the season will be in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions on Oct. 4. The game will be played on Sunday Night Football, Carolina’s first time featured in this game in a decade. Carolina is 8-4 all-time against Detroit, including a dominant victory in the coldest home game in franchise history on Christmas Eve in 2022. Young and crew will pack their bags for a frightening Thursday Night Football matchup with Green Bay on Oct. 29. Carolina will look to snap a three-game losing streak against the Packers that dates back to the 2019 season.Β
One of the biggest games of the season could be in Week 12, when the Panthers head down to Tampa for a Monday night battle with the Bucs. It will mark the fourth Monday night matchup between the division rivals, with Carolina holding a 3-0 edge over Tampa Bay.Β
2026 Carolina Panthers scheduleΒ
- Week 1: Sept. 13 vs. Chicago Bears – 1 p.m.
- Week 2: Sept. 20 at Atlanta Falcons – 1 p.m.
- Week 3: Sept. 27 at Cleveland Browns – 1 p.m.
- Week 4: Oct. 4 vs. Detroit Lions – 8:20 p.m. (Sunday Night Football on WCNC Charlotte)
- Week 5: BYE WEEK
- Week 6: Oct. 18 at Philadelphia Eagles – 1 p.m.
- Week 7: Oct. 25 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 1 p.m.
- Week 8: Oct. 29 at Green Bay Packers – 8 p.m. (Thursday Night Football)
- Week 9: Nov. 8 vs. Denver Broncos – 1 p.m.
- Week 10: Nov. 15 at New Orleans Saints – 1 p.m.
- Week 11: Nov. 22 vs. Baltimore Ravens – 1 p.m.
- Week 12: Nov. 30 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8:15 p.m. (Monday Night Football)
- Week 13: Dec. 6 at Minnesota Vikings – 4:25 p.m.
- Week 14: Dec. 13 vs. New Orleans Saints – 1 p.m.
- Week 15: Dec. 20 vs. Cincinnati Bengals – 1 p.m.
- Week 16: Dec. 27 at Pittsburgh Steelers – TBD
- Week 17: Jan. 3, 2027 vs. Seattle Seahawks – 1 p.m.
- Week 18: Jan. 10, 2027 vs. Atlanta Falcons – TBD
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