The NFL released its 2016 schedule on Thursday, April 14, and the Panthers will have their work cut out for them as they look to defend the NFC title and return to the Super Bowl. Carolina plays five 2015 playoff teams, including four division winners, and nine teams with a .500 or better record last season.
Here’s a look at what you need to know about the 2016 Panthers’ schedule.
Not Cam-era shy: The Panthers will set a franchise record with five primetime games this season. Carolina has two Thursday games, two Monday Night games and a Sunday Night contest.
“It’s exciting for our players to compete on a national stage,” head coach Ron Rivera said in a statement released by the team. “We have earned the right to be in the spotlight and we have to take advantage of it.”
Three of the primetime showdowns are on the road. Carolina opens the season in the traditional Thursday Night Super Bowl rematch against Denver on September 8. The Panthers then have two primetime games on the road in a three-week stretch in December. Carolina plays a Sunday night game at Seattle on December 4, the seventh time the two teams have played in the last five years. Two weeks later, the Panthers play a Monday Night game at Washington.
Carolina’s two home primetime games are against divisional opponents. The Panthers host Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football, October 10 and New Orleans in a Thursday night game on November 17.
Being good means scheduling pain: In addition to the primetime games, Carolina has three 4:05 or 4:25 starts, meaning that just half of the Panthers’ schedule consists of traditional 1:00 kickoffs.
Carolina also has three short weeks, all against divisional opponents. The Thursday game against New Orleans comes four days after the Panthers host the Chiefs. Carolina plays a Saturday game against Atlanta after playing Monday night at Washington, for a five-day turnaround, and Carolina travels to New Orleans after the Monday night game against Tampa.
Carolina is on the West Coast (at Oakland) for Thanksgiving weekend and has games on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. For holiday-planning purposes, the only home game of the three is December 24, against Atlanta.
More balanced divisional slate: Last year, the Panthers didn’t play Atlanta until Week 14, then played the Falcons twice in three weeks. The second game resulted in Carolina’s first loss of the season.
This year, Carolina has a more natural layout to its divisional games. The Panthers play all three NFC South opponents in consecutive weeks in October. There are then five weeks before a rematch, against the Saints, November 17. The other two divisional games close out the regular season.
Immediately after the first trip through the NFC South, Carolina has its bye. The bye week comes close to the midpoint of the season—in Week Seven, the weekend of October 23. That’s two weeks later than last season’s bye and five weeks earlier than the 2014 bye.
Going back to Cali: The Panthers will pack on the frequent flier miles this season. Not only do the Panthers have three trips to the West Coast, but they come in a five-week span. The grueling road work starts on November 6, when Carolina plays its first-ever game in Los Angeles, against the newly-relocated Rams. After two home games, Carolina heads to Oakland on November 27 and to Seattle the following week.
This is the first time Carolina has had three West Coast swings in a season, and the first time the Panthers have had more than one since 2008. In fact, from 2005 to 2012, the Panthers had a total of three regular-season trips to the West Coast, a figure they match this year.
Carolina also has its first trip to Denver since 2004. That was also the last time Carolina had two West Coast trips in a three-week span.
Postseason rematches: In addition to the Super Bowl rematch against Denver to open the year, Carolina plays NFC Championship Game foe Arizona, at home on October 30. The Panthers also play Seattle and San Francisco, meaning that Carolina’s opponents in its last eight playoff games are all on the team’s 2016 schedule.
The last team the Panthers played in the postseason who isn’t on this year’s slate is the Chicago Bears, who lost to Carolina in 2005. Carolina also has a preseason game against New England, its foe in its first Super Bowl appearance, in 2004.
The rundown: Carolina’s opponents had a combined record of 131-125 (.512) last season. The home schedule features opponents with a 65-63 (.508) combined record.
“Every season presents challenges, and we are excited to get back to work,” Rivera said.
2016 SCHEDULE
PRESEASON
Thursday Aug 11 @ Baltimore Ravens 7:30 pm Panthers/TWC
Saturday Aug 20 @ Tennessee Titans 3:00 pm Panthers/TWC
Friday Aug 26 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 7:30 pm Panthers/TWC
Thursday Sept 1 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 7:30 pm Panthers/TWC
REGULAR SEASON
Thursday Sept 8 @ Denver Broncos 8:30 pm NBC
Sunday Sept 18 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 1:00 pm FOX
Sunday Sept 25 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 1:00 pm FOX
Sunday Oct 2 @ Atlanta Falcons 1:00 pm FOX
Monday Oct 10 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 8:30 pm ESPN
Sunday Oct 16 @ New Orleans Saints 1:00 pm* FOX
Sunday Oct 23 BYE
Sunday Oct 30 ARIZONA CARDINALS 4:25 pm* FOX
Sunday Nov 6 @ Los Angeles Rams 4:05 pm* FOX
Sunday Nov 13 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 1:00 pm* CBS
Thursday Nov 17 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 8:25 pm NBC/NFLN/TWITTER
Sunday Nov 27 @ Oakland Raiders 4:25 pm* CBS
Sunday Dec 4 @ Seattle Seahawks 8:30 pm* NBC
Sunday Dec 11 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 1:00 pm* FOX
Monday Dec 19 @ Washington Redskins 8:30 pm ESPN
Saturday Dec 24 ATLANTA FALCONS 1:00 pm* FOX
Sunday Jan 1 @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1:00 pm* FOX